The consumer experience

Shopping is perhaps the most universal trait I’ve seen between the US, London, and Asia. Here in Hong Kong opportunities to shop are everywhere. It seems that every MTR (subway) stop is foremost a portal to another mall and secondly a way to get somewhere. Almost every stop I’ve been to in Hong Kong unloads into a multi story mall (often 8-12 floors). With deals, deals, deals galore.

Shopping here is similar to the US. Right now Chinese New Year is the occasion being used to sell goods. Every mall has huge displays, musicians, and tons of festivities all aimed at conveying that festive holiday mood. Compared to Christmas, the only difference is instead of Santa in his red suit there is a golden ox on display. Advertising seems fairly similar. Walking around Central (downtown) you are greeted by multi story displays of celebrities promoting goods (I’ve seen a few George Clooney displays) and most of the major international brands have large show rooms (Ferragamo, Coach, Nike, Diesel, etc…)

Getting off the beaten path you find some differences. There are huge open air markets selling fake goods in HK. It’s not as dirt cheap (as say Vietnam) but there plenty of places to get knock of goods for cheap. Some of the girls in my program have been trying to work up the courage to visit some of the back alley “showrooms” where the best fakes supposedly are, but so far everyone has kept to the markets. Also there are a lot more tailors in HK than the states. I’m guessing the availability of cheap labor helps. In fact currently I’m waiting on my first custom shirt to be made at a place owned by an Indian gentleman who has been in HK for 51 years – if it’s good I have a few other things I need made.

I’m sure there are difference in the marketing themes used, but I probably haven’t examined enough local HK adds to be able to compare; however, either way I’m confident in saying that people in HK are as drawn to shopping as people in the states, if not more so.

Editor’s note: this article was written for a series on the international student’s experience for Duke University.

Day 20 – London to Hong Kong

Goodbye Europe, Hello Asia. Today I am traveling to HK. After my horrible winter traveling experience out of NYC during the holidays (I’m convinced that JFK/LGA are two of the worst airports in the world. Not only are they highly inefficient, old, and dirty but the staff are surely, mean, and abrasive) I was delighted w/ European travel yet again (the first time going in and out of St. Pancras train station in London) by London’s Heathrow Terminal 5. Now, I’ve heard horror stories about Heathrow, but at least terminal five (the international terminal) was amazing. I have never seen so many ticket kiosks ( I would guess well over 50) with an equal number of attendants to check bags. It was breath taking. Then, in the terminal there were numerous customer service desks staffed by 6-8 people (a far cry from the usual one person, if you are lucky in the US). My only quip with Heathrow is no free internet. Otherwise it was great. 

I had a nice and uneventful week to close out my European experience. The weather warmed up a bit and I managed to get in a run every day along the Thames. By the end I was starting to feel comfortable in London, as someone described to me at a party: “London is like Connecticut, it makes sense.” And in the end I could agree. The only real difference is the driving on the wrong side of the roads, the bars closing MUCH earlier (the pubs close around 9pm, and even bars don’t make it much past 11pm), and the total lack of sunlight (London makes Chicago look sunny since it sits in it’s own little kink in the time zones making it so that it is dusk around 3:00 and dark by 4:00pm.)

On the day of my departure Gordon Brown announced an additional £200B stimulus package to buy up toxic assets and help stimulate the economy. Additionally, two more banks were taken over by the government. In terms of business London looks a bit drearier now that the holidays are over. Regent and Oxford Street are empty but the huge sale signs remain. They have taken down all of the Christmas decorations and the whole area feels like a ghost town. There were still plenty of folks in the Pubs, but I doubt any crises could empty those out in London. I think London is pretty much in the same spot we are in the states: They are trying everything they can think of : £200B stimulus, (because the initial £37B stimulus didn’t do anything)  bank takeovers, (they are purchasing and additional 30 or so percent of the royal bank of Scotland to own over 70% of it outright) and historically low interest rates (currently below 2%) – but nothing seems to be having a huge effect (the FTSE is still unmoved).

On the day before Obama’s inauguration the situation here feels very similar to the one I left.