Shanghainese Frugal image still deserved
(eastday.com)
Updated: 2004-07-13 08:58

Despite the impressive improvements in Shanghai's living conditions over the past decade, Shanghai is still a city of penny-pinching cheapskates, a recent survey suggests.

The survey, which was conducted by Horizon Research Group (Shanghai), asked 326 residents aged 18 to 50 about their consumption habits. Most of respondents earn less than 5,000 yuan (US$602) a month.

Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed said that Shanghainese are just as tight-fisted now as they were before the city's economic boom began, noting most locals still haggle with street vendors and compare prices before buying.

"The shrewdness locals embrace is different from haggling over every single ounce or being preoccupied with one's personal gains and losses. It's a unique quality that formed among Shanghainese over time," said Deng Xin, an analyst with Horizon Research.

While the survey didn't compare local shopping habits with those in Beijing, Shenzhen or other large cities, Shanghai consumers have long had a reputation for being among the country's most thorough bargain hunters.

For instance, nearly 64 percent of survey respondents said that they would consider sharing a taxi with others - usually colleagues who live nearby - to save money if the taxi fare is expected to exceed 50 yuan.

The vast majority prefer to take their own cab, however, for trips that cost less than 30 yuan, the survey reported.

When dining out with friends, 64 percent of respondents said they will split the check, or go Dutch, while only 27 percent said they would pick up the tab themselves.

More than 54 percent of respondents admitted to asking for a discount when buying goods from street vendors or in local wet markets. About 44 percent said they routinely shop around for the best price before making large purchases.

"People should always calculate the most economic choice, no matter what their living conditions," said Yuan Chunfang, a local housewife. "It's a necessary quality of a wise person."

That seems to be a popular opinion in the city. Two-thirds of those surveyed said that shrewdness is a valuable quality, the report said.

Xu Ke, a sociologist at Fudan University, said he doesn't think any amount of economic development will change the city's shrewd habits.

"Living in China's most commercialized city, locals have long adapted themselves to thinking like businessmen. Economic development will only make them more price sensitive," Xu said.

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