Century Mart
Sounds American too, doesn't it! I always decry that I have spent sooo much money at the grocery store! Cost me over 125 yuan! Jasmine tea, coffee, oatmeal, honey, Kleenex, Red Bull, canned coffee latte (actually closer that the instant Nescafe), Coke, tuna, yogurt, Skippy (crunchy, of course!) and Dove. There's all these funny characters all over the packaging (we call them Chinese characters) but the brand names are obvious, no doubt.
OK, now what was that about it being hard to sell our products here?!!? A 12 oz bottle of coke costs 2.5 yuan (about 35 cents, I think), ... you get the idea?!! Amazing to me! The cost is significant to me though as I don't make as much money, but then I spent 128 yuan last night on the fusilli, a Carlsberg and a long island ice tea! (Yes, Shanghai IS expensive!) Guess that I am just frugal! (laughing!)
Karen (one of the teachers on the floor) is in the middle of decorating our lounge area for Christmas. We all have Christmas stockings up, drinks are Thursday night after Chinese lesson to pick our secret Santa!
I was joking about the Christmas holiday in the last post. Well the Chinese government HAS been talking blatantly about changing the holidays - now 3 three day holidays and New Years Day. The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and National Day Week (Golden Week) will stay the same. The workers have three days off and work one of the weekends to get 7 full days straight (YES, THE WHOLE COUNTRY!!!).
The May Day (International Labor Day) holiday will be trimmed to just one day. Then the government will add Mid-Autumn Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Dragon-Boat Festival as one day holidays (over a weekend to make a three day holiday). So the National Holidays will go from 10 to 11! In addition, those who have worked for at minimum a whole year (for the same employer) will be entitled to five days paid vacation (an entirely new concept and benefit for the urban Chinese!). Employees will be entitled to ten days after 10 years, and 15 after twenty years.
This is STILL a draft proposal, however the draft is now much more solidified than in the beginning of November and will alleviate the transportation hassles of everyone always going on vacation at EXACTLY the same time! As the Chinese are becoming more urban, these concerns become more real.
On a slightly different note, Treasury Secretary Paulsen is on his way over here right now. He mentioned on Bloomberg TV that he was pleased that the yuan had appreciated 6% over the past year but still wanted to see the yuan appreciated more quickly. I read the first report on the China Daily web site (the Chinese government's English newspaper) and so went to Bloomberg to listen to the interview. Interesting discussion and there is another article of interest there too for my students! Money and Banking - that's what were discussing!
OK, now what was that about it being hard to sell our products here?!!? A 12 oz bottle of coke costs 2.5 yuan (about 35 cents, I think), ... you get the idea?!! Amazing to me! The cost is significant to me though as I don't make as much money, but then I spent 128 yuan last night on the fusilli, a Carlsberg and a long island ice tea! (Yes, Shanghai IS expensive!) Guess that I am just frugal! (laughing!)
Karen (one of the teachers on the floor) is in the middle of decorating our lounge area for Christmas. We all have Christmas stockings up, drinks are Thursday night after Chinese lesson to pick our secret Santa!
I was joking about the Christmas holiday in the last post. Well the Chinese government HAS been talking blatantly about changing the holidays - now 3 three day holidays and New Years Day. The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and National Day Week (Golden Week) will stay the same. The workers have three days off and work one of the weekends to get 7 full days straight (YES, THE WHOLE COUNTRY!!!).
The May Day (International Labor Day) holiday will be trimmed to just one day. Then the government will add Mid-Autumn Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Dragon-Boat Festival as one day holidays (over a weekend to make a three day holiday). So the National Holidays will go from 10 to 11! In addition, those who have worked for at minimum a whole year (for the same employer) will be entitled to five days paid vacation (an entirely new concept and benefit for the urban Chinese!). Employees will be entitled to ten days after 10 years, and 15 after twenty years.
This is STILL a draft proposal, however the draft is now much more solidified than in the beginning of November and will alleviate the transportation hassles of everyone always going on vacation at EXACTLY the same time! As the Chinese are becoming more urban, these concerns become more real.
On a slightly different note, Treasury Secretary Paulsen is on his way over here right now. He mentioned on Bloomberg TV that he was pleased that the yuan had appreciated 6% over the past year but still wanted to see the yuan appreciated more quickly. I read the first report on the China Daily web site (the Chinese government's English newspaper) and so went to Bloomberg to listen to the interview. Interesting discussion and there is another article of interest there too for my students! Money and Banking - that's what were discussing!
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