I have tried telling the old lady in the local antique shop that the cabinet in her shop gathering dust for over 12 months, should be sold at a lower price. I have explained that her relentless stubbornness in holding on to hopefully selling it at an inflated price is just bad retailing. I mean, if she cut the mark-up by half I would buy it, then she could take that money, buy two more of them, and sell both at the more competitive price within a month. People have become tycoons using this model.

So can someone please enlighten me, as to the state of wine lists in this town, that continue to have ridiculous mark-ups, margins, GP’s, percentage of cost calculations that sees 100 kwai generic wines in the hypermarkets go for 500 without any justifiable cause either of exceptional service, ambience or even a free nibble on the side? I will tell you why. Partly because they have been able to get away with it, corporate accounts, high expat salaries, and more than likely naivety, but I believe that we are all getting a bit tired of it!

A wise person told me in retailing, that you bank dollars, not percentages, so I hope that restaurant managers in Shanghai are starting to get the idea as they continually stare at a cellar full of 6 months worth of stock, that having a wine list that offers variety, something different than house hold names, choice of styles and price points with ‘respectful’ mark-ups, that this may be a way to instil some excitement and Yuan into the operations.

Two wine lists and venues that deserve our support for doing the right thing by us consumers are; Otto Restaurant & Wine Bar in Fumin Lu, and the new funky Vietnamese restaurant Bamboo on Dongping Lu. Wines that prod, comfort and excite your palates without the banker’s cut.