Don't Try to Get A Cab at 6 PM in Dongguan!
It better not be like this in Beijing during the Olympics! I know they are trying to teach folks how to queue, but it sure hasn’t trickled down to Dongguan yet!
The other night I made the mistake of leaving WalMart around 6 PM. I don’t know whose bright idea it was to change shifts of taxi cabs at rush hour, but it sure wasn’t equally bright on my part to try to find a taxi at that hour. (A mistake I’ll try to not make again!)
It was a joke trying to get a cab in front of the busiest shopping area of the city. There were few cabs to be seen, and you can forget any semblance of queuing or courtesy by anyone. It was a free for all of rude citizens just racing into the street to flag down cabs, no matter if others had been waiting before them or not.
I tried to be calm for a while, but finally had to fend for myself and be rude like everyone else to even get a chance at a cab. And all this was near what is termed to be a “taxi line”, which was also right in front of a cart full of policemen. They just seemed to be amused watching everyone’s frustration at trying to get a cab. They sure weren’t stepping in to help or try to organize any queue for cabs.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I was in Hong Kong on Monday and happily stood in line with a throng of people to get a cab near Landmark. Folks just politely stand in line and sequentially get in cab after cab without a problem. A lone policeman is nearby being observant but also consciously standing back to not get involved unless absolutely necessary. It was so refreshing.
Let’s hope Beijing is learning from Hong Kong and not Dongguan for the Olympics. Otherwise there will be a lot of Westerners very frustrated and upset, just like I and most of my compatriots are in Dongguan.
Labels: Dongguan, Life in China, queuing, Taxis, Wal-Mart
To Visit Wal-Mart in China
Coming to visit Dongguan? I enjoy having visitors here. But my co-workers just can’t seem to understand why I take foreigners to Wal-Mart. The locals enjoy the place, but don’t see why I would ever want to take an American or Frenchman to a big shopping store. But to any visitor that has made the trip with me will tell you, it is a worthwhile destination!
Where else can you really see how China is progressing? Where else can you see thousands of shoppers at one time? Where else can you find almost anything of interest to a Chinese consumer? Where else can you not only buy cheap goods, but taste tea, get a shampoo and haircut, or try unique foods of the region?
Wal-Mart went through a big learning curve to understand the local consumer. They tried frozen foods, packaged foods, and big home items. They learned they had to go with fresh meats and fishes. Now you can scoop your fish right out of the massive tanks. Live crabs are available. In five minutes I can whisk someone through the meat and produce area and give them a real flavor of the local foods.
MSNBC has studied Wal-Mart in China closely, and provides a great insight into the phenomenon in a recent new article. (Click here for What's on the Shelves in China's Wal-Marts.) Be sure to also check the slide shows and videos associated with the posting.
Labels: Life in China, Wal-Mart
