| Ha, I just love reading about these little tidbids of life in Shanghai. I often wondered about how people bought expensive items in China, especially when most places took cash only. In the US, they take credit cards pretty much anywhere. When I buy a $3 coffee from Starbucks (FYI, Shanghai Starbucks take credit card too), I use my credit card. But I often wondered how people feel safe carrying around so much cash when they go buy something. The fact that the largest denomination in RMB is 100 makes it even worse, because you would have to carry even more, and spend tons of time counting the bills. For example, when you buy a car, do you carry loads of cash bundled in a bag? Do these car dealerships have money counting machines too? It would be great if there were a larger denomination of RMB, but I hear counterfeiting is a big issue in China. I later discovered that more and more people are able to use bank cards (we call them ATM cards in the US) and more places are gradually accepting credit cards. ;) |
Typical Rush Hours in Shanghai - Part II