Unexpected shopping

So a team of Chinese tailors showed up at our hotel in order to sell us suits. Seriously. I couldn't not buy them, they were so cheap. And tailor-made. They took our measurements, and gave us a set of fabrics to choose from. Custom suits from scratch came to about $120 each. Seriously. I bought two, doubling the number of suits that I own. And I got a couple of custom fitted dress shirts to go along with them ($10 each).

It was quite a sight to see a team of Chinese tailor scurrying around a group of 6'5" guys taking measurements. Each side of the transaction was equally thrilled - we got some custom clothing at an incredibly cheap price, while they got a ton of business. It almost seemed so cheap I couldn't afford not to buy a couple. Even the women's team got into the act, buying tailor-made dresses. Guys were able to get whatever they wanted - tuxes, blazers - out of any material. I was less creative, just going for the standard suits.

Apparently haggling is a big part of buying suits from tailors - I didn't even think to try and talk the price since it was already so cheap, but I could have knocked a few dollars off an already rock bottom purchase. I'll be a wiser consumer next time.... But haggling is added conflict, which is not something I need as I focus my energy on racing.

I haven't gotten to uploading any pics yet, but my teammate Pat Todd has a bunch of us up here - http://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.todd/LinzAndBeijing8308214PM.