wal-mart

being that it is a friday night and all, we thought we'd venture over to everyone's favorite shopping mecca - the yibin wal-mart.

can't say i'm a wal-mart shopper myself. i'm not really sure where the closest one is at home (though with the numerous locations, i'm sure there's one within reach), so the majority of my wal-mart action comes during travel when i am in the small north american towns and in need of something at the last minute.

however, this was a far different wal-mart experience. located in a shoping plaza, there are some high-end fashion shops attached to this building (don't think you'd find a vero moda at any of the wal-mart locations at home), a few restaurants that our chinese colleague really enjoys (it was his night tonight for dinner), and even some exquisite jewelry located inside the facility.

double and triple-checking the conversion rate, we were shocked (to say the least) that behind a single plate glass display sat jade pieces valued at over us$40000. it appeared the only security for these items were the two petite chinese women working the counter. again, not something you'd stumble upon at the wal-mart in the united 'smash-and-grab' states of america.

thank you wal-mart china for the educational experience.