礼节美语 Business Etiquette 181 Bargaining (3)

　　Gina带美国老板Jason去购物，Jason让Gina教他砍价。
Jason: What about walking away? Some friends back home told me if I don't like the price, just walk away and the vendor¹ will run out and give me their best price.
G: (Chuckle) Oh...the vendors² know that tactic³ as well! The shopkeeper will only chase you if they are 99.9 percent sure you'll buy something. They have a knack⁴ of knowing who is serious and who isn't.
J: So, what's our first purchase of the day going to be?
Jason问，如果觉得卖主是在宰自己，转身就走这招管不管用。Gina说， 这种策略卖主早就知道，tactic is spelled t-a-c-t-i-c, tactic, 是策略的意思，卖主只有在觉得你99.9%会在他那买东西的情况下才会追出来，而且他们一眼就能看出谁是真心要买，knack is spelled k-n-a-c-k, knack, have a knack of doing something, 是十分擅长做某事的意思。他们今天先要去买什么呢？
G: I think we should start with some silk items. First, I'll make sure it's the genuine article and not a fake. Then we'll start bargaining.
J: Can I pay with a credit card?
G: In an established store, sure. But when we go into the area with lots of little stalls, they generally only take cash. Also when they see cash in your hand...prices do come down a bit more.
Gina建议去买丝绸制品，她要先确认产品是真货，不是fake,假货，然后开始砍价。Gina还说，在established store正规的大商店里，Jason，可以用信用卡付费，pay with a credit card, 但在小店里，就要用现金了，而且卖方看到你手里拿着现金，the prices do come down a bit more，价格能降得更低些。
J: We have an expression in English: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
G: Oh...I think I get it. That means it's better to have something tangible⁵, even if it's not as exciting as other possibilities.
J: That's right. You know something, Gina? I think I like China's way of doing business. It's a little wild, but it's a challenge and much more interesting than shopping back home.
G: Ah...there's the store. Now let's get down to business.
英语里有种说法叫a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush，一鸟在手胜过两鸟在林，意思是现在已经有的，要比追求更多而失去一切强。
Jason说，他觉得中国人讨价还价的购物方式比明码标价更有意思，更具挑战性。正说着，商店到了，Gina说，let's get down to business. 开始了，意思是咱们开始杀价吧。

1 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

2 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

4 knack   

n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法

参考例句：

• He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
• Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。

5 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。