I think Chinese stores are a great bargain, I buy loads of stuff there super cheap. For example, I spend a couple of months looking for some thicker socks for winter, but I never found the ideal ones or when I did they were way to expensive. I went to the Chinese store and there they were. You buy at Chinese stores?
Not at stores but there is this Chinese website I spend a lot of money on. They have free shipping all over the world and their prices are low. They have all these cool nifty products which fill all niches.
What are you considering a Chinese store Peninha? We have a huge Chinese influence where I am (Some would call it a problem). As a result about half of the local shops are owned and operated by the Chinese. Many of these places have inexpensive items, but it is the quality that is super cheap. I am wondering if there is a particular chain of stores or a type of store that you are referring to.
Yea, same boat lostvalleyguy. I'm unsure of what to consider a 'Chinese store' exactly. If there is something I can not find in The States (where I currently reside) I often go outside of that realm online. Though, other than Chinatown, I'm not sure what Chinese stores are.
My favorite Chinese store is owned by a husband and wife and they sell silk robes, cheongsams, parasols, Kwan Yin statues, jade dragons, ba gua mirrors, religious statues, teapots, incense, food, etc. I don't think the items look cheap at all. When I used to have a shopping problem and was very spendy , I used to buy a lot of gifts there.
A Chinese store sells Chinese ethnic items, like cheongsams, bao ding balls, sandalwood fans with cranes or dragons on them, bamboo steamers, etc.
I tend to avoid Chinese shops, they are usually cheap but I can't help but wonder about the quality. Cheap electronic devices such as cords and cables are usually a safe buy though.
I do feel for sake of courtesy to any Chinese individuals that may end up on this post, that the term "Chinese Store" be revisited. It could have been explained a bit better... Nonetheless, I do get what you all are saying. These stores that pop up usually in urban areas, will sell things within that community and reap the benefit of their naivety. It's like another poster said, you really aren't getting great quality most of the time (from my experience) so that has to be considered when deciding whether or not to support these stores.
OK, I think I should have explained better or Chinese stores is a concept from my country only. Chinese stores here sell everything from clothes to toys and stuff to the house at cheap prices, they just don't sell food and machinery. Something like this:
Thank you for sharing the photo. In my area, Chinese shops actually sell Chinese items like feng shui items, jade statues and silk dresses with dragons and phoenixes on them.
I agree, but i wouldn't call them "Chinese" stores. That is a little insensitive. You should call the "Discount" stores. Those type of stores are great. You can save a lot of money on personal, and household Items like socks, soap, and deodorant. It amazes me that people still buy those type items from regular stores like Kroger. They have no idea how much money they are wasting.
I like the little shops we have here like that. I'm only a little leery of the online shops because I've had issues before. Not very often, mind you. But a couple of times. Once I bought a cell phone for pretty cheap and once I got it here it wasn't compatible with anything I had. That was probably mostly my fault for not thinking ahead. Still makes me a little hesitant though.
I stop by the one in my town occasionally. Their prices fluctuate fairly randomly and it actually gets annoying because I can go in one day and an item is $20 and go in a month later and the item is $80. I have found some great bargains so it is worth stopping into occasionally. The same can be said for most thrift stores around me, it all depends on if you have any luck.
I am not a big fan of chinese products. Granted, they are generally very cheap in comparison to the locally manufactured products. But people forget that they are only able to achieve these price points by making a lot of compromises on the quality of product. Due to this, it is very common that products made in china are very unreliable.
Yeah I do buy stuff from those Chinese stores online, but I noticed that the earphones that I bought there break easily, so don't expect much in terms of quality. After all, you get what you pay for.
I don't mean to sound insensitive, but that's the way they are called here in my country. We also have discount stores, but those are different. These Chinese stores only have Chinese employees and Chinese products, they are great, don't get me wrong!
Chinese products are very cheap but often the lack quality. I have no problem buying from them though. I've had, however, a bad experience with a Chinese website that I ordered from without reading the reviews first. It turn out they are more of a scam and I regret ordering from them. I'm curious though if I'm going to receive anything from them since I've payed for the order online. I wouldn't recommend to anyone shopping from there though. Whatever site we're talking about, I urge you guys to read the reviews before ordering anything.
Call a spade a spade, eh, Peninha? Anyway, regardless of how they're called I sometimes shop at them [Chinese stores] if I have failed to find something cheaper elsewhere. I've had some bad experiences with Chinese products in the past that's why I have to be wary though.
I have shopped them and some people here in the US actually buy wholesale from these store and resell at the flea market or other places. These stores have a little bit of everything and normally are very cheap! As with everyone else there are sometimes quality issues with these stores! I guess you get what you pay for!
