"I'm not a haggler, actually, at all," Cassidy said. "I don't like to buy cars that way. I've got a buddy in the business; [I] get him to do it because he knows the deal. It was fun. It's part of the experience. A girl gave me a price and then I said no, because somebody told me to give them a low price. She hits me in the head, said are you crazy? I thought we were going to get into fisticuffs or something. It was fun."
Cassidy emerged with a purse for his wife, a backpack for his daughter and a Lionel Messi kit for his son.
The Messi outfit resulted in the toughest negotiation; he wound up paying 100 yuan, the equivalent of about $14.58.
For DeBrusk, it was all about watches. He left with, he thinks, 13 of them. He also snagged a couple of pairs of shoes and a bag.
"All time," DeBrusk said of his haggling efforts. "I think I ruined some people. I take pride in that. Got some really good deals. I know [video coach J.P. Buckley] bought the same bag [as] me. I think he got it for around $150. I got it for under $50. I think I've been doing well.
"It was actually lots of fun. It was something I've never encountered before. You're like, 'Oh, maybe not today,' and they come and grab you and they bring you back in the store. It's a little bit in your face. Not really my style, but it was cool to do that."
Most of the Bruins had intended to go to the market Monday afternoon. When the schedule got moved around at 9:30 a.m., they flipped their plan: Market in the morning, on ice in the afternoon.
"At least they were out of the hotel. I don't want to say immersing themselves in the culture, but it is something that a lot of tourists do here," Cassidy said. "So they were able to do that."
