This is just a little note to those of us living in Kunming who find ourselves at the DVD stores a bit more often than we should be:

Of course everyone knows the large DVD shop beside the police station on Wen Hua Xiang. I used to shop there regularly, but no longer. Last week I bought a DVD boxset for 98 yuan - including 6 DVD-9 discs. I felt the price was a bit steep compared to what is normally charged for a DVD-9 (around 10RMB give or take) and asked the boss what was up. "All of them are like this, the boxsets," he replied. I was pretty desperate for the set so I simply paid the man, regretting it a bit but sure I'd enjoy my purchase once I got home.

This afternoon I stopped by another DVD shop on Jian She Lu, opposite Xin Jian She Cinemas - the smaller one, albeit with the same company name and even the same bags. As it turns out, the shops are owned by one family with different "managers."

I checked out the same DVD boxset I had purchased a few days before at the Wen Hua Xiang shop. The price was 20 yuan cheaper! I felt this was kind of a steep difference, so I asked the boss at this Jian She Lu shop what was up. I told her I had bought the same exact set for 20 yuan more. She replied, "Some factories charge different prices, so even if it looks the same, the quality on yours will be better." Clearly this woman didn't know me well - you can't bullshit a bullshitter!

In any case, avoid the Wen Hua Xiang shop if possible and shop somewhere else. The boss inflates prices due to the number of foreign shoppers who don't know any better. At one point I wanted to buy a leather case for my discs and the price at his shop was 180 yuan - the same exact case at the small shop on Yi Er Yi Da Jie was 100. Avoid this shop like the plague.

I wanted to comment, indeed I did, however any
comment would necessarily be a smart*** remark.

Yes they do charge more for DVD's. I have found several places that sell for 5 yuan each. Still their DVD's are the best quality around. There is a difference for some reason. Many DVD's I buy there are HD and 5.1 DTS. Everywhere else they are poor quality. I haven't figured that out yet. There must be different factories.

This kind of thing is an absolute travesty of justice. Why should us laowai have to pay more for things, just because we're far, far richer than most people here?
The other day I went to buy an ice-cream from our local shop, and paid 2 kuai. Then I went next door and found they were selling the same product for 1.8 kuai!!! I was outraged! I could have used that 2 mao to pay for somewhere to park my 4000 kuai bike. Now my bike has been stolen. So I strongly recommend all foreigners boycott my local ice-cream shop and use the one next door!

I would like to echo LaiNaiYangYu's sense of moral outrage and indignation. I too am a decent, hardworking purchaser of illegal pirate DVD's. I find it offensive and morally reprehensible that Pirate DVD factories do not hold themselves to a strict code of moral conduct.
I suggest that there be an internationally recognised Pirate Symbol, perhaps a skull and crossbones on the side of the box, to reassure purchasers that they are buying from a reputable criminal cartel.
Thank you for drawing the foreign community's attention to these demagogues.
I shall be writing to the embassy first thing tomorrow morning,
Yours in absolute disgust,
Jake

I was going to add my own smart-aleck reply but then realized that I can't say it better than JDMKY so I'm not going to try. I'm still busting up laughing!

Good job ol'chap! Can't say it better myself.

Ok, a serious response to Tim's problem.

I know after living in China after a while we can get a little paranoid over a few things especially when it comes to haggling/bargaining. Tim, do you think they raised the price because they see a foreigner or do they raise the price because they can due to the location of the shop and the volume of the foot traffic? What you see is very common in China, and probably every where else in the world, they charge what the market will bear. I don't think they discriminated solely because you are a foreigner, I believe they charge that price to whom ever walks into their shop. Next time do what most Chinese people do, they walk into a shop with a price they are willing to pay in their mind. Walk up to the counter and bargain for that price and be firm, be willing to walk away. If your counter price is too low they will be more than willing to let you walk away, if not, they will try to talk you into a higher price but the moment they see you walk away, they will accept it.

I know we can loose perspective and feel like "they're everywhere out there trying to get me just because I'm a foreigner." My advise would be to lose the chip on your shoulder and go with the flow, you came to China willingly, learn to adapt to the culture. Yes, people ARE trying to rip you off everywhere you go and jacking up the price, but it's not because you are a foreigner but because they try to rip everyone off. That's the nature of business in China.

This thread is hilarious.

I dont get it. Why purchase bulky DVDs when you can download just about anything for FREE (STILL).

While I agree with you that this "manager" is a putz, there is one more thing to consider.

The rent for this shop is much higher then the sister shop, so this is why he justifies his price. I doubt it is a laowai factor working here.