Carrying a print-out page with a picture and model number of a cute gold color handbag, Jane (my Chinese girl friend who came to the US for her 10-day vacation) walked in to the Coach store in Oak Brook Shopping Center. This was a request from her cousin - “I really like this color. If not this size, a little bigger is fine.” Luckily, this cute handbag is in stock so this task is completed in no time. Jane used her visa card to pay for the item.

Jane was my best friend in college. A remarkable young woman running an investment firm in Shanghai. She has been wanting to come visit US but visa has always been a concern.  This year she finally was able to came, benefiting from a recent agreement between China and US facilitating tourists coming to the US.

Her 10-day trip included four cities: NYC, DC, Chicago and Boston. Besides sight-seeing, she was also tasked with getting a few items for her friends and relatives. The coach bag was an easy one. We next went off to buy a La Mer eye cream. I took her to Neiman Marcus where the September Beauty Event was on-going. On her piece of paper with a photo of the eye cream, she also had two other prices, one was the Internet price if to order directly in China, another one was the price at a duty-free store in Korean airport. With the 8% shopping tax, the price at Neiman Marcus came out higher than both other prices. So Jane decided to take a pass.

On our way out to the parking lot, we stopped at the Tiffany’s to take a look.The classic movie by Audrey Hapburn has given everyone such romantic impression of this store that it’s impossible to pass by without walking in. 30 minutes later, Jane walked out with a satisfied beam on her face, carring two beautiful sterling silver necklaces in the green boxes with white ribbons.

It was a joy to see my friend after so many years. Also a fascinating experience to see how fast China is moving forward and people are catching up with the rest of the world.

Tags: Chinese Tourism, Shopping //