Super Market Sweep Meets Frogger

When I was ushered to the checkout by the oh so very helpful Chinese worker I knew one of my first shopping experiences needed to come to an end. Yesterday, the team in Baoding all went for a shopping trip together to the big supermarket down the street to buy LOTs and LOTs. The market is called RT Mart and when passing it for the first time I thought it might be a concert, because there are huge semi-circle ballon/inflatibles that are around the outside of the doors. There were also so many people on the outside that is seemed this had to be a huge event and could be something as mundane as people simply needing to shop. The RT Mart is also underground, so even though it is huge, it is a little hard to find the first time around. Tim, Emily, and I walked past it the first time because we couldn't find it.
The Supermarket on the inside first leads into a mall-like area and then goes down to another floor where it is a lot like a Wal-Mart on the bottom. The only differece is it is more like a Wal-Mart at Christmas time. There are so many people everywere. To get around the store we had to dodge this way, then slide past that way. It was quite a task. While shopping we each got a cart and filled it with our needs for our apartments...lamps, bowls, plates, chopsticks, brooms, trashcans, hangers, shelves, etc. I would be looking at bowls, then see something in Jon's cart and decide I needed it too and run to go grab it. As we walked around the store all the Chinese in the store slowly looked at the sizable amount in our baskets and then wide-eyed at us. As I looked a tennis racks, two young Chinese girls came over to me and said hello then ran off. Later though as I walked around the store I kept seeing the girls and realized they were following me. In China, I am always watched by the people around me. It is important to know I am model for those around me and must be a light.
I turned to leave the store, after a successfully shopping and checking out to go out and get a taxi of course and heard beep, beep, beep. Something in my cart set off the alarm. I was immediately pushed back into the store right into a Chinese man who looked as if he was ninety by the helpful Chinese worker. As the worker spoke to me in Chinese, she dug through my belongings and called another worker over. If I was not already drawing enough attention this was sure to really put me on display. Before I had time to even look at my watch though they had found the source of the detonator and took the ink tag off my new rug. Overall, shopping is fun in China.