SHOPPING ALERT REPORT

In many stores the prices are fixed. You can try to bargain or haggle, but often the salesperson/shop owner won't budge even 5,000 dong (25 cents). On the other hand you have to stay alert because on some items they might half the price if you haggle.
Right now Jan is in NYC awaiting our third grandchild's arrival. I decided to serve fresh pineapple to our small group last night, so in the afternoon I walked the three blocks to our local market. The first stall I approached decided to ask for 20,000 dong per pineapple. He thought I was an uninformed, unsuspecting foreigner. I told him what I would pay and he refused. I walked ten meters away and paid the going rate, 10,000 dong each. For two pineapples that meant I paid one dollar instead of two dollars. Wouldn't it be nice if they were that cheap in Canada?
On another fresh fruit note: when we first arrived I bought nice oranges for $2 a kilo and saw larger ones selling for almost $3 a kilo. In the last two months, the cheaper oranges have disappeared. They must be out of season. The more expensive, large oranges are still available. When I looked closely at the small, individual stickers on each orange, I noticed they are marked "imported from California". Amazing! Just like in Alberta or Ontario.
I mentioned this to a veteran expat the other day. She smiled and said, "of course they may not be from California". Of course! Those oranges may be from China - but folks here don't want fruit and vegetables from China. So maybe the label was made in Vietnam that says California but was stuck onto Chinese fruit. Confusing?
Authenticity? You can't be sure that the shirt I bought for $5 with the Nike symbol and Nike label is really from Nike. Shopping for a carry on suitcase last week for Jan's trip, we looked at one with the Samsonite label, costing $35, and another costing $55. I asked why the difference in price. Without flinching, the shop owner said "The cheaper one is a copy, the other is an original." I should have figured that out myself!
So shopping here is pretty easy - but "the buyer better be aware!"