SISTERS GIFT SHOP...Where you are treated less like family and more like a mark for a con.
1.) READ: There is a minuscule note card at the register warning "ALL SALES FINAL." If this seems sketch to you, WALK.
2.) REQUEST: A tag / label / some physical evidence of pricing. If she refuses, WALK.
3.) 'RITHMETIC: If you manage to set eyes on an actual price, scan the store for a red & white "20% off" sign and do some quick math. Ask what the price will be AFTER the discount is applied. If your calculator does not agree, WALK.
4.) RIPOFF: A price sticker marked $39.99 was found on the inside seam of a gown a few days after purchase. This could not be rectified as the store refuses returns. Of Course. The price had been quoted as originally $55, but the sales lady applied a $10 "discount." According to the store's own sale sign, the deduction should have actually been $11, not $10. If the hidden price tag is correct, the cost before tax comes out to $31.99...not the $13.01 mark-up of $45.00 that was "generously" applied. Add another gown also supposedly costing $55 & a $65.00 tunic...the scars of this scam run deep.
Beware of the silken rainbow of cheongsam (gowns) and changshan (tunics) along the side wall that beckon you inside. Practically all of them will lack any clearly labeled amount. This allows the sales lady to play fast and loose with your wallet. And play she will.
Express the faintest interest in clothes and you be treated to a somewhat bullying experience of having pieces snatched right out of your hand and switched with articles of her choosing as she lands quick jabs regarding your height, weight and looks in rapid-fire pace. If you finally manage to wrestle back the reins and do decide to buy despite her, you may experience the odd moment of the seller suddenly balking. Two seconds ago, you were assured of the clothing quality; you are now informed by the concerned dealer that the material is "too cheap..no good" or she will express doubt in sizing after insisting vehemently that all will fit. But fear not -- the perfect solution is conveniently housed just behind the glass display at the rear of the store.
Garments here are staged like beautifully embroidered banners. THESE, she will insist, are Superior; feel the thickness of the fabric, fall in awe of the hand-stitching. She will even crack open a stockpile of shrink-wrapped versions -- "brand new, no one even touch this." At the slightest hesitation, she will spew out a price, then immediately claim to have slashed it by as much as $10 simply because she "likes you," as if bestowing VVIP treatment upon you and you alone.
If you should find yourself at this place and feeling somewhat dazzled and overwhelmed, STOP.
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