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Sam's Club Thrives in China While Rivals Retreat — episode cover art
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为什么这个美国商店在中国很受欢迎?

Sam's Club Thrives in China While Rivals Retreat

About this story

Why Sam's Club, the American membership store, is winning Beijing shoppers — fresh food, convenience, and trust. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 15 key vocabulary words such as 新鲜、聪明、愿意 and walks through 5 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.

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原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

说到现在大家去哪里买东西,这是一个很有意思的话题。
很多年前,外国的商店来到中国。
那时候,大家都觉得很新鲜。
大家都想去外国的商店看一看。
大家想买外国的东西。
但是,现在情况不一样了。
很多外国的商店关门了。
它们离开了中国。
因为它们的东西,中国人不一定喜欢。
但是,有一个美国的商店不一样。
它没有关门。
它开了很多新的店。
它的名字叫山姆。
为什么它做得很好呢?
我们今天就来聊聊这件事情。
首先,我们要知道,这个商店是美国的。
在美国,人们的生活和中国不一样。
美国人吃的东西,和中国人吃的东西不一样。
如果这个商店只卖美国的东西,中国人可能不喜欢。
比如,美国人喜欢吃很大的肉。
但是中国人喜欢吃不一样的东西。
所以,这个商店开始改变。
它开始卖中国人喜欢的东西。
这是一个很聪明的做法。
比如,快到春节的时候。
春节是中国最大的节日。
大家都回家,和爸爸妈妈在一起。
大家要吃好吃的。
大家要送礼物给朋友。
这个商店就准备了很多春节的礼物。
它卖一些中国传统的吃的。
它卖一些对身体好的东西。
比如一种很有名的药,是对身体好的。
还有一些放在家里的好看的东西。
这些东西,美国人可能不懂。
但是中国人很喜欢。
大家看到这些东西,就会想买。
大家觉得这个商店很懂中国。
所以,大家愿意去那里买东西。
这就是它做的第一件对的事情。
第二件对的事情,是关于东西的大小。
我们知道,美国很大。
美国的房子很大。
美国人家里的冰箱也很大。
而且,美国人的家庭里,人可能比较多。
所以,他们买东西,一次买很多。
他们买的肉,一块有一公斤那么大。
但是,中国不一样。
在中国的大城市里,房子可能没有那么大。
放东西的地方不多。
而且,中国的家庭比较小。
只有爸爸、妈妈和孩子。
有的家庭只有两个人或者三个人。
如果买一块很大的肉,一次吃不完。
放在哪里呢?
这是一个大问题。
如果东西太大,大家就不买了。
这个商店看到了这个问题。
所以,他们把肉变小了。
以前是一公斤。
现在只有四百五十克,或者八百克。
这样,一块肉,一顿晚饭就可以吃完。
这非常方便。
大家不用担心肉坏了。
大家也不用担心没有地方放。
因为这个改变,更多的人去买肉了。
这就是为客人着想。
客人需要什么,商店就做什么。
第三个事情,是关于商店开在哪里。
以前,这个商店只在大城市。
比如北京、上海、深圳。
这些城市人很多,钱也很多。
但是现在,大城市的商店已经很多了。
竞争非常大。
所以,这个商店开始去别的城市。
它去了一些小一点的城市。
虽然是小城市,但是那里的人生活也很好。
大家也有钱。
大家也想买好的东西。
比如在江苏省的一些城市。
那里的人很高兴。
因为他们不用去大城市,也能买到好的东西。
所以,新开的商店里,人非常多。
大家都在排队买东西。
这说明,小城市也有很多人想买东西。
这个商店的选择是对的。
我们再看看别的商店。
有一个叫Costco的商店,也是美国的。
它在中国也有店。
但是它的店比较少。
它开店很慢。
它要买地,要盖房子。
这需要很多时间,也需要很多钱。
所以它没有山姆开得快。
还有一些别的外国商店,因为生意不好,已经走了。
所以,山姆这个商店很特别。
它虽然是外国的,但是它很像中国的商店。
它知道中国人想吃什么。
它知道中国人怎么过日子。
它知道中国人怎么过节。
它还知道中国的家庭是什么样子的。
这就是它成功的原因。
当然,它也有一些问题。
因为店开得太快了,有时候会有问题。
比如,有时候吃的东西不太干净。
或者东西的质量不是最好的。
这是大家最担心的事情。
吃的安全是最重要的。
如果吃的东西不好,大家就会生病。
大家就会生气。
所以,这个商店的老板说,他们会注意。
他们会花更多的钱,去检查这些东西。
他们要保证东西是好的。
只有东西好,大家才会一直去。
如果东西不好,再便宜也没有用。
现在,中国的商店也很多。
中国自己的商店也做得很好。
所以,外国商店要努力。
如果不努力,不改变,就不能留下来。
我们刚才说的,其实是关于“山姆会员店”的新闻。
这是一个很有名的美国超市。
它在中国做得很好,这叫“本土化”。
本土化的意思就是,来到一个新地方,就要学习这个地方的文化。
就要卖这个地方的人喜欢的东西。
虽然很多外国超市关门了,但是山姆因为做了这些改变,所以它留下了。
它把大的东西变小,为了适应中国的家庭。
它卖中国的新年礼物,为了适应中国的节日。
这就是为什么它能在中国赚很多钱。
English transcript reference

Speaking of where everyone goes to buy things nowadays, this is a very interesting topic.

Many years ago, foreign stores came to China.

At that time, everyone felt it was very fresh and novel.

Everyone wanted to go to the foreign stores to take a look.

Everyone wanted to buy foreign things.

However, the situation is different now.

Many foreign stores have closed down.

They have left China.

Because Chinese people don't necessarily like their products.

However, there is one American store that is different.

It did not close down.

It opened many new stores.

Its name is Sam's Club.

Why is it doing so well?

Let's talk about this matter today.

First, we need to know that this store is American.

In America, people's lives are different from China.

The food Americans eat is different from the food Chinese people eat.

If this store only sells American things, Chinese people might not like it.

For example, Americans like to eat very large pieces of meat.

But Chinese people like to eat different things.

So, this store started to change.

It started selling things Chinese people like.

This is a very smart way of doing things.

For example, when the Spring Festival is approaching.

The Spring Festival is China's biggest festival.

Everyone goes home to be with their mom and dad.

Everyone wants to eat delicious food.

Everyone wants to give gifts to friends.

This store prepared many Spring Festival gifts.

It sells some traditional Chinese food.

It sells some things that are good for health.

For instance, a very famous medicine that is good for the body.

There are also some good-looking things to put in the home.

Americans might not understand these things.

But Chinese people like them very much.

When everyone sees these things, they will want to buy them.

Everyone feels this store understands China very well.

So, everyone is willing to go there to buy things.

This is the first right thing it did.

The second right thing is about the size of the products.

We know that America is very big.

American houses are very big.

American home refrigerators are also very big.

Also, in American families, there may be many people.

So, when they buy things, they buy a lot at once.

The meat they buy is as big as one kilogram a piece.

However, China is different.

In big cities in China, houses might not be that big.

There isn't much space to put things.

And Chinese families are relatively small.

Just dad, mom, and the child.

Some families have only two or three people.

If buying a huge piece of meat, it can't be finished in one go.

Where to put it?

This is a big problem.

If the items are too big, people won't buy them.

This store saw this problem.

So, they made the meat smaller.

Before, it was one kilogram.

Now it is only 450 grams, or 800 grams.

This way, one piece of meat can be finished in one dinner.

This is very convenient.

People don't have to worry about the meat going bad.

People also don't have to worry about having no place to put it.

Because of this change, more people went to buy meat.

This is thinking for the customers.

The store does whatever the customers need.

The third thing is about where the stores are opened.

Before, this store was only in big cities.

Such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

These cities have many people and a lot of money.

But now, there are already many stores in big cities.

The competition is very fierce.

So, this store started going to other cities.

It went to some smaller cities.

Although they are small cities, people's lives there are also very good.

People also have money.

People also want to buy good things.

For example, in some cities in Jiangsu Province.

People there are very happy.

Because they don't have to go to big cities to buy good things.

So, in the newly opened stores, there are a lot of people.

Everyone is queuing up to buy things.

This shows that there are also many people in small cities who want to buy things.

This store's choice was correct.

Let's look at other stores.

There is a store called Costco, which is also American.

It also has stores in China.

But its stores are relatively few.

It opens stores very slowly.

It needs to buy land and build buildings.

This takes a lot of time and also a lot of money.

So it doesn't open as fast as Sam's.

There are also other foreign stores that have already left because business was bad.

So, the Sam's store is very special.

Although it is foreign, it is very much like a Chinese store.

It knows what Chinese people want to eat.

It knows how Chinese people live their lives.

It knows how Chinese people celebrate holidays.

It also knows what Chinese families are like.

This is the reason for its success.

Of course, it also has some problems.

Because the stores opened too fast, sometimes there are problems.

For example, sometimes the food is not very clean.

Or the quality of the things is not the best.

This is the thing everyone worries about the most.

Food safety is the most important.

If the food is not good, people will get sick.

People will get angry.

So, the boss of this store said they will pay attention.

They will spend more money to check these things.

They need to guarantee the things are good.

Only if the things are good will everyone keep going.

If the things are not good, no matter how cheap, it is useless.

Now, there are also many Chinese stores.

China's own stores are also doing very well.

So, foreign stores need to work hard.

If they don't work hard or change, they cannot stay.

What we just talked about is actually news about "Sam's Club".

This is a very famous American supermarket.

It is doing very well in China, this is called "localization".

Localization means that when coming to a new place, one must learn the culture of that place.

And sell things that the people of that place like.

Although many foreign supermarkets have closed, Sam's stayed because it made these changes.

It made big things small to adapt to Chinese families.

It sells Chinese New Year gifts to adapt to Chinese festivals.

This is why it can make a lot of money in China.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
xīnxiānfresh; novel; new

Used here to describe a feeling of novelty or something being new and interesting.

cōngmingsmart; clever

Describes a person or an action that shows intelligence.

yuànyìto be willing; to wish

A verb indicating readiness or consent to do something.

fāngbiànconvenient

Describes something that saves time or effort.

dānxīnto worry; anxious

Verb or adjective describing concern about something.

gānjìngclean

Adjective describing hygiene or lack of dirt.

jiérìfestival; holiday

Refers to special days of celebration like Spring Festival.

lǐwùgift; present

Something given to someone as a present.

qíngkuàngsituation; circumstances

Refers to the state of affairs or conditions.

chuántǒngtradition; traditional

Refers to customs passed down through generations.

jìngzhēngcompetition; to compete

Refers to the rivalry between businesses.

zhìliàngquality

Refers to the standard of something as measured against other things.

bǎozhèngto guarantee; to ensure

To promise that something will happen or be true.

běntǔhuàlocalization

A business term meaning adapting a product to a specific local culture or market.

shìyìngto adapt; to fit

To change in order to suit different conditions.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法
虽然……但是……↗

Although... but... (Conjunction pair used to express contrast).

虽然是小城市,但是那里的人生活也很好。

它虽然是外国的,但是它很像中国的商店。

虽然很多外国超市关门了,但是山姆因为做了这些改变,所以它留下了。

A + 和 + B + 不一样↗

A is different from B (Used to compare two things).

在美国,人们的生活和中国不一样。

美国人吃的东西,和中国人吃的东西不一样。

如果……↗

If... (Used to introduce a conditional clause).

如果这个商店只卖美国的东西,中国人可能不喜欢。

如果买一块很大的肉,一次吃不完。

如果东西太大,大家就不买了。

因为……所以……↗

Because... therefore... (Used to express cause and effect).

因为它们的东西,中国人不一定喜欢。

因为他们不用去大城市,也能买到好的东西。所以,新开的商店里,人非常多。

Verb + 完↗

Result complement indicating completion (to finish doing something).

如果买一块很大的肉,一次吃不完。

这样,一块肉,一顿晚饭就可以吃完。

Proper nouns

专有名词
中国ZhōngguóChina美国MěiguóUSA / America山姆ShānmǔSam's (referring to Sam's Club)春节ChūnjiéSpring Festival / Chinese New Year北京BěijīngBeijing上海ShànghǎiShanghai深圳ShēnzhènShenzhen江苏省Jiāngsū ShěngJiangsu ProvinceCostcoCostcoCostco山姆会员店Shānmǔ Huìyuán DiànSam's Club (Membership Store)

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