@Bucko

Sorry is America sacrosanct on here?

Americans are so thin skinned its a wonder how you don't graze the bottoms of your feet when you walk.

I said its coming, not its here, Ill enjoy it while it lasts - If that's OK by you of course?

No one should crawl up a customers arse because they work in a shop.

All this American "have a nice day" facade is to the same ends - to gauge out some tips, hidden behind false words and demina.

Id rather have the normal service then going in, having my ego stroked and then being embarrassed into giving someone money for doing their job because their tightfisted Yankee boss isn't generous to pay the going rate.

The American model should be avoided at all costs. When that hits Chinese shores, and I'm sure it will, I'm off.

I much prefer the European model of being greeted with indifference/distaine when entering a shop over the American creepy fake effection model.

There is already the nonscence here where you enter a shop and someone comes and follows you around sticking to you like glue, herding you like cattle. I couldn't be doing with anymore creepyness.

Re supermarket bags I can understand environmental reasons but how about they have manufacturers make bottles out of glass instead of plastic, how about ask them to stop individually wrapping biscuits that are already in packets? Why not stock only organic vegetables? Because that may cost them money, its much easier do the bare minimum and tag a cost on for the customer to pay. No surprise its the American/European supermarkets that lead the way in this.

Other thing is, you pay for a bag and there's no bagger at the end of the counter to put the things in the bag for you. It really is full price, no frills.

They're not renowned for their bright staff in McDonalds. I think they were probably employed on the basis of how little they are willing to turn up for work for over anything else.

Perhaps they were hoping you'd just pay for two and not cause a fuss.

This seems to be part of the 'stripe you and hope you take it' culture that rears it's head here from time to time.

I went for my dry cleaning, having paid when I dropped it off, only to have the woman ask for 3 more yuan when I came to pick it up to cover the coat hanger.

Another thing is paper towels at restaurants, how they put it on the table and then add it to the bill. Even had a charge for the cover of cleaning the plates at one place a while back.

It's not all your back street noodle places doing this either. A few months ago I went to Salavadors, took a few people out who had come from out of town for a meeting, as dinner was served all there small pots of sour creme were being served up, no one used any of them and they were just a few pennies each but when the bill came sour cream totalled about 30 odd yuan extra, even though it was still sitting about 5 strong, un- ordered and unused on the table. Now 20/30 yuan on a 400/500 yuan bill is here nor there - especially as it was on expenses, but I left thinking they were after every bit of shrapnel in my pockets.

Same with the bag fee at the supermarkets. Although in fairness to Carrefore they never force a bag on me, no matter how obvious it is I need one. They will offer me an oversized canvas bag though even if I've only bought a jar of Nutella.

Now, I know bags, sour cream, coat hangers and washing dishes costs money, but presumably it's such a small cost that it could be covered in the price of a meal, cleaning or shopping trip without being tagged on as some extra.

If I order dinner for 50 yuan there isn't much stopping me paying 53 yuan for dinner and expecting that someone will clean the plates afterwards.

If I order dry cleaning for 70 yuan I wouldn't mind paying 75 and taking it home without people chasing me for a coat hanger fee.

At Carrefour I wouldn't mind the price of things going up 5 jiao and then getting a bag at the end of the trip to take things home in.

Once you start going to people to cover the cost of incidentals like that then you just risk looking like the stingiest bugger this side of the wailing wall.

All I can think of is they have factored all this in originally but sooner or later want that extra 5 yuan more than your return custom.

@Micheal2015

Are you mental?
The Chinese can hack the American and Russian governments but they don't know a VPN company exists.

THEN somehow, they can monitor Skype calls and read emails, but a GoKunming private message is beyond them?

Sometimes I see about 10 ads a day on the net for VPNs promising high speeds in China. So they can advertise, some how we see them but to the Chinese they go under the radar?

Too much James Bond for you I think. If getting on The Facebook thinking you've given some Chinese government Tekkie the slip gives you a hard on by all means keep up that fantasy, but I think you're thinking too elaborately about it.

And if there is someone sat behind a computer tracking you all day in a small dark room in Shanghai then I'd hate to think what you get up to online.

I've used Express VPN for the past few months. No issues, works fine.