I was in a shop in 2008
This was in Huai'an, a smallish city in Jiangsu province, about 5 hours north of Shanghai. It was one of those owner-run mini-supermarkets you get in China, selling everything from cheap underwear to chicken feet. The owner added my bill by abacus.

(Beat that.)
(McChinaman banned, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 2:34, 4 replies)

I paid with shells.
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 4:09, closed)

the shop i go to in Shanghai
they dont even add. they just pull a number out of the air
(augsav forgot about B3ta, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 5:18, closed)

ditto the korean stores in Beijing
I can't tell if they are past their time or ahead of their time.
Is this the way forward?
(it's not hash mixed drops, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 15:00, closed)

The owner was wise
on an abacus you can't clear the figure and type in one you'd prefer to pay as with calculators over there.

a good haggle was one that involved both sides of the post it note and a chase down the street with the owner dropping the price as you get further away from their stand selling pashminas / croaky frogs / chopsticks
(liquidkristal, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 11:18, closed)