I go to Shanghai many years but this time i met a very interesting situaton… Shoe-shiners` terror! Yes, they are like terrorists for tourists…
If you go especially to Nanjing Road area, it is main touristic shopping district in Shanghai, take care of these terrorists… They come to you first asking to shine your shoes, probably you don`t want, than they have shoe cream at their hands and they directly pressure the white cream over your shoe…you get angry of course! than they say ok ok… let me clean it…than if you allow them than again you are loser, because they will ask you 10RMB (1,5$) after they clean that cream only from your shoes..
You haven`t asked them to shine your shoes, they put the cream without asking you too, they have to clean it of course free of charge, but they ask also money from you 🙂
The best thing you can do is to shout at them and never let them even clean your shoe from that cream, you better use a tissue and clean your own shoe yourself.. They are not educated people and they dont understand what funny and stupid thing they do to tourists in Shanghai…
If you really want to solve the problem with peace of course you can give them 10RMB and leave… But the problem is why you give 10rmb for something you did not want….
When i walked down the street i saw many bad experiences over other tourists, at least i saw 5 tourists quarreling with these terrrorists… I had also 2 experience myself..
I hope Shanghai police will solve that terrorists soon:)