Gift exchange store

[abcdefg]

Had my camera along this morning on my way to school. I'd been wondering about this place. My teacher said if you receive a gift you don't want, you can exchange it for something else here, or else they will buy it outright if you would prefer cash.

Not sure if this is something new, or if I just never noticed such stores before. Also don't know if it's a Kunming thing, or if it's found throughout China.

[anonymoose]

I can't say I've noticed a store like that before, but it's not uncommon to see people sitting in the street offering the same service.

[dwq]

I wonder what the covered character on their banner is.

[Sydney Matt]

I'll hazard a guess that the character is 烟 (tobacco), and for whatever reason they no longer deal in this (some sort of restrictions?)

[abcdefg]

#3 and #4 -- It's clear they changed their mind about something. Tobacco is possible, because lots of good tobacco is grown in Yunnan, but I was guessing tea (this being Pu'er tea country where fine cakes of it can sell for a lot.) It might not have been a good item for them, because it's difficult to judge quality without sampling some, and a sampled cake would be less attractive for "regifting."

Their overhead sign had another part (lower left corner) that stumped me at first: 冬虫夏草. What in the world could "winter bug summer grass" mean? Turns out it is "caterpillar fungus," better known as "Tibetan Viagra" which can sell for up to $50,000 a pound, right up there in the same league as gold, platinum and diamonds.

Quote

...a businessman looking to impress in China wouldn't pull out a fine pinot noir to flaunt his wealth; he'd cook up some nice goose or duck and fill it with $1,000 worth of caterpillar fungus.

http://www.npr.org/2...f-the-himalayas 

 

[joshuawbb]

Yes, there are a lot of these shops around Xiamen too. They're found more in countryside areas though from my observation, I presume since when everyone heads home for Spring Festival or for other celebrations you'd always get a few gifts that are gratefully received but aren't really that wanted, for example, cigarettes given to a non-smoker or Scotch from that foreign boyfriend the daughter has. And there could be no better way of dealing with them than exchanging them for cash.

The shop owners either sell the goods on the shelves or sell them to other shops for a bit of profit. Not such a bad idea in my opinion.

[abcdefg]

#6 -- Yes, I agree such stores make sense, though I have no idea whether their pricing is fair.

I live in an older, not too affluent neighborhood here that has some shops I have not seen in years past. Across the street is a shop in which everything costs exactly “九块九”。They usually just have a few of each item, maybe bought as "closeout remnants" or "overstock" from larger stores.

[jkhsu]

Thanks for the link on 冬虫夏草. I've had this before and was always told it only looked like a caterpillar. But now I know that it actually grew out of a caterpillar. Not sure I will try these again. BTW, it tastes like flavorless ginseng.

[abcdefg]

@Jkhsu -- You are an adventurous guy.