SCENE 07 IN A SHOP

Shopping & paying

Find what you need, understand the cashier, and pay without getting stuck.

REAL-LIFE FOCUSPoint first. Keep every reply short.

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水纸巾雨伞

购SHOP

支¥58.00支付成功

小票¥58

BEFORE YOU START · SHOPPING & TAX REFUNDS

Buy, pay, and protect your refund

First confirm the product, price, and return policy. A normal receipt is useful for exchanges, while a departure VAT refund is a separate process available only at participating stores and eligible departure ports.

Check before paying

Confirm size, color, quantity, warranty, and whether returns are allowed. Ask if the displayed price is final and whether the store accepts your preferred payment method.

Answer the supermarket cashier

At checkout, listen for membership and bag questions. After the total, choose Alipay or cash. For Alipay, show your payment code so the cashier can scan it, then take the receipt.

Pay and keep proof

Use Alipay, WeChat Pay, an accepted bank card, or RMB cash. Keep the sales record and receipt. For expensive goods, photograph the product, serial number, and packaging.

Ask for a departure tax refund

Look for a participating tax-refund store and show your valid passport. Eligible overseas visitors currently need at least RMB 200 of eligible goods from the same store on the same day, plus the other policy conditions.

Complete departure formalities

Keep the goods and refund record available. Follow current instructions for customs verification and the refund agency at your eligible departure port. Instant refunds still require you to leave as agreed and complete verification.

COMMON PROBLEMS

What catches visitors out

Duty-free is not the same as a VAT refund

A duty-free shop and a departure tax-refund store use different systems. Ask which service the store actually offers.

The store does not participate

A large purchase is not automatically refundable. Confirm participation before paying.

Goods packed too early

Keep refundable items accessible until you know whether customs needs to inspect them at departure.

NEXTLearn only the Chinese you may need to say.

Start the lesson ↓

YOUR ROUTE

From shelf to payment

🛍️01Find an itemPoint or ask 👕02Try itSize & colour 🧾03At the tillQuestions you’ll hear 📱04PayAlipay & backup ✈️05Tax refundShop to departure

STEP 01 · FIND AN ITEM

Choose it, then ask where it is

YOUR QUESTION请问，矿泉水在哪里？Qǐngwèn, kuàngquánshuǐ zài nǎlǐ?Excuse me, where is the bottled water?

STEP 02 · CLOTHES

Try it or ask for another one

🪞TRY IT ON可以试一下吗？Kěyǐ shì yíxià ma?

Can I try it on?

＋BIGGER有大一点的吗？Yǒu dà yìdiǎn de ma?

Do you have a bigger one?

−SMALLER有小一点的吗？Yǒu xiǎo yìdiǎn de ma?

Do you have a smaller one?

🎨ANOTHER COLOUR有别的颜色吗？Yǒu bié de yánsè ma?

Do you have another colour?

YOUR BAG REPLYChoose the answer you would use at the checkout

REAL SCENE · LISTEN & SPEAK

A real supermarket checkout

A complete checkout in the order it usually happens: membership, bag, total, payment code, and receipt.

A foreign customer speaking with a Chinese supermarket cashier at the checkout — **TRAVELER**You · CustomerSTAFFCashier

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1·2·3

Listen → Practice → Check: hear the model, speak the sentence, then use the recognized words and match score to improve.

Cashier有会员吗？Yǒu huìyuán ma?

Do you have a membership?

You · Customer没有。Méiyǒu.

No.

Cashier要袋子吗？Yào dàizi ma?

Do you need a bag?

You · Customer要一个，谢谢。Yào yí ge, xièxie.

One, please. Thank you.

You · Customer一共多少钱？Yígòng duōshao qián?

How much is it altogether?

Cashier一共五十八块。Yígòng wǔshíbā kuài.

The total is ¥58.

Cashier支付宝还是现金？Zhīfùbǎo háishi xiànjīn?

Alipay or cash?

You · Customer支付宝。Zhīfùbǎo.

Alipay.

Cashier请出示付款码，我扫您。Qǐng chūshì fùkuǎn mǎ, wǒ sǎo nín.

Please show your payment code. I’ll scan it.

You · Customer好的。Hǎo de.

Okay.

Cashier这是小票。Zhè shì xiǎopiào.

Here is your receipt.

You · Customer谢谢。Xièxie.

Thank you.

STEP 04 · PAY

Alipay, confirmation, and a backup

支ALIPAY可以用支付宝吗？Kěyǐ yòng Zhīfùbǎo ma?

Can I use Alipay?

▦SHOW PAYMENT CODE这是我的付款码。Zhè shì wǒ de fùkuǎn mǎ.

Here is my payment code.

✓CHECK支付成功了吗？Zhīfù chénggōng le ma?

Did the payment go through?

¥CASH BACKUP可以用现金吗？Kěyǐ yòng xiànjīn ma?

Can I pay with cash?

STEP 05 · TAX-FREE & VAT REFUND

Know which sign you are looking for

免

DUTY-FREE SHOP免税店miǎnshuì diàn

Eligible goods are sold without the relevant duty or tax. There is no separate departure refund for that purchase.

退

DEPARTURE VAT REFUND离境退税líjìng tuìshuì

Buy from a participating store, then complete the required departure process.

CURRENT QUICK CHECKLook for “离境退税” or “即买即退” before paying.

The current national minimum is ¥200 at the same participating store on the same day. Keep the goods, passport and purchase records ready for departure checks.

Official policy ↗

1SHOPCheck eligibility→2KEEPGoods + records→3DEPARTFollow signs→4REFUNDCounter or digital

ASK THE SHOP这家店可以退税吗？Zhè jiā diàn kěyǐ tuìshuì ma?Can I claim a departure tax refund from this store?

INSTANT REFUND可以即买即退吗？Kěyǐ jí mǎi jí tuì ma?Is instant refund available?

DOCUMENTS退税需要什么材料？Tuìshuì xūyào shénme cáiliào?What documents do I need for the tax refund?

CUSTOMS CHECK需要验货吗？Xūyào yànhuò ma?Do the goods need to be inspected?

AT DEPARTURE退税柜台在哪里？Tuìshuì guìtái zài nǎlǐ?Where is the tax refund counter?

REFUND METHOD可以退到这张卡里吗？Kěyǐ tuì dào zhè zhāng kǎ lǐ ma?Can the refund go back to this card?

PAID
完成

SCENE COMPLETE

You’re ready to check out!

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