While waiting for the elevator I spied some lovely boots at a nearby store. I didn’t bring any winter footwear, and right now my warmest pair of shoes are my New Balance sneakers (I should’ve brought my flat brown boots!). I made a mental note to pass by the store on our way out, just to see if I could get something cheap to tide me over for the trip.

After a lovely dinner that included traditionally prepared Cantonese shrimp, pork, and duck (which was delicious), we made our way out of the restaurant and stopped by the store downstairs. After looking at several clarks shoes on the floor, I pick up a boot that was simple in design and looked sturdy. After asking the saleslady for the price, I learned that anything resembling a name brand costs an arm and a leg here in China. The pair of black Clarks boots with a wedge heel and rubble sole costs 1580 RMB, or $205. $205! And that’s including the 20% discount! For $200 I better see a nicer name on the label like Coach, Charles David, or Cole Haan. Clarks? Are you kidding me? Clarks sounds like Charles David’s hick cousin.

What’s even more perplexing to me is that most of these boots are probably made in China, and you would think that because you are in China you’d be cutting out the middleman and paying a reasonable amount for these boots. But no – the price is even higher than the US. I would gladly pay $20 for a pair of decent-looking boots here but $200 is price gouging. And they weren’t even that cute!