(OS X 10.6 Snow Leopards retail price from Apple’s China website)

You always hear about how cheap things are in China, and they can be. This isn’t always the case however, especially for foreigners. For example, I went to Xujiahui’s Metro City electronics market today to inquire about the price of Apple OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. According to Apple, it’s 248 RMB. However:

Me: Do you have the new Apple OS, Snow Leopard?
Salesgirl: Yes, we do.
Me: How much?
Her: (squints her eyes, calculating how much this foreigner can be soaked for) 380 RMB.
Me: Huh?! Umm… but… (can’t find Chinese words for Retail Price)
Her: (in English) ORIGINAL!!
Me: Wow. How much for a fake copy?
Her: Huh? You don’t want ORGINAL?
Me: Right.
Her: COPY? (squints her eyes again) 285 RMB.
Me: