Chinese Marketing

The last 3 days of my time in Shanghai were spent helping Jim get his new apartment ready, decor-wise. Jim's assistant, English name Emily, has helped him hire a new maid, called an iyee. She'll come in twice a week. Emily has also helped Jim figure out the washer and dryer and the heating system. The apartment is in a brand new development, called Butterfly Bay. The apartment is huge, and Jim has a little courtyard where he can put a little patio furniture, grill and some plants.
One of the things I acquired for Jim to put on his massive walls was a street broom. Street cleaners are all over the place, and they use brooms that are made out of sticks. I think they're really cool-looking, so Jim instructed Jack to assist me in buying one. This is not an item peddled to tourists.
Chinese marketing is interesting. Every day I saw 3 people selling strawberries by the side of the road, only a few yards away from each other. Every time I saw them I felt an urge to stop and explain that one of them needs to cross to the other side of the road and eliminate the same-way competition. They would probably sell out by lunchtime!
Another interesting thing is the way storefronts are organized on any street block. There will be a group of hovels selling the same thing, like fruit or auto parts or motorcycle repairs, one right after another. Again, someone needs to go around the block. Jack and I stopped at a row of hovels selling cleaning tools. The proprietor thought the situation was funny. I have no idea how Jack explained it, but I got a large street broom for Jim and a smaller one for me.