SHOPPING

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SHOPPING OPENING HOURSSHOPPINGEveryone knows Hong Kong as a place of neon-lit retail pilgrimage. This city is positively stuffedwith glitzy shopping malls, its giant temples to massive and conspicuous consumption.Yet while any international brand worthy of its logo has at least one outlet here, Hong Kong’sreputation as a bargain hunter’s paradise is largely a thing of the past. While you can still findsome bargains, these days you can get pretty much anything that’s on sale here a few notchescheaper just over the border in China. Asia’s world city charges world-city prices for mostthings, and it has to: have you seen the rent the landlords charge?While you will find an embarrassment of top-end global brands here, local brands worthspending your money on are harder to find. The profusion of quirky, creative one-offs or uniquelocal goods you might find in cities such as London, New York, Sydney or Copenhagen is lackingin Hong Kong. The overall impression after trawling the city’s malls is of an overwhelmingfamiliarity and homogeneity. You could be anywhere in the world really.Of course, there are some honourable exceptions among a small band of local designers andsome trailblazing retailers. So where should you look?Cool independents are springing up in the narrow streets of Soho and to a lesser extent oldWan Chai, while the crowded minimalls of Causeway Bay offer some quintessentially Asianshopping experiences. A new breed of Chinese and Japanese mini department/lifestyle stores,such as Muji ( p168 ), are also excellent places for value, design interest and style across a rangeof goods.What’s worth shopping for? Clothing (off the peg or tailored), shoes, jewellery, luggage and,to a lesser degree nowadays, cameras and electronic goods are the city’s strong suits. Excellentart and antiques shops also abound.There’s more good news. Wherever you end up shopping, in general the shopping experienceis made pretty easy. Service is attentive, opening hours are long, credit cards are widely acceptedand the government will have a fight on its hands if it ever tries to revive shelved plans for asales tax, so the marked price is the price you’ll pay. Sales assistants in department or chainstores rarely have any leeway to give discounts, but you can try bargaining in owner-operatedstores and certainly in markets.OPENING HOURSIn the Central and Western Districts, dailyshop hours are generally from 10am to7.30pm, and in Causeway Bay and Wan Chaisome open later (about 11am), but many willstay open until 9.30pm or 10pm. In Tsim ShaTsui, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei, they closearound 9pm, and in Tsim Sha Tsui East at7.30pm. Some smaller shops close for majorholidays – sometimes for up to a week – especiallyduring Chinese New Year. Many alsoclose on Sunday. We’ve included openinghours in reviews only where the hours differdramatically from these standard times.Winter sales are during the first three weeksin January; summer sales are in late June andearly July.BARGAININGBargaining is a way of life at retail outletsthroughout Hong Kong, with the exception ofdepartment stores and clothing chain shops,154where the prices marked are the prices paid.Some visitors operate on the theory that youcan get the goods for half the price originallyquoted. Many Hong Kong residents believethat if you can bargain something down thatlow, then you shouldn’t be buying from thatshop anyway. If the business is that crooked –and many are, particularly in the Tsim ShaTsui tourist ghetto – it will probably find otherways to cheat you (such as selling you electronicgoods with missing components or nointernational warranty).Price tags are supposed to be displayed on allgoods. If you can’t find a price tag, you’ve undoubtedlyentered one of those business establishmentswith ‘flexible’ – ie rip-off – prices.DUTY FREEThe only imported goods on which there isduty in Hong Kong are tobacco, perfumes, cosmetics,cars and certain petroleum products.In general, almost anything – from cameras
and electronics to clothing and jewellery –will be cheaper when you buy it outside dutyfreeshops.WARRANTIES & GUARANTEESEvery guarantee should carry a complete descriptionof the item (including the modeland serial numbers), as well as the date ofpurchase, the name and address of the shopit was purchased from, and the shop’s officialname chop (stamp).Many imported items come with a warrantyregistration with the words ‘Guaranteeonly valid in Hong Kong’. If it’s a well-knownbrand, you can often return this card to theimporter in Hong Kong to get a warranty cardfor your home country.A common practice is to sell grey-marketequipment (ie imported by somebody otherthan the official local agent). Such equipmentmay have no guarantee at all, or the guaranteemay be valid only in the country ofmanufacture (which will probably be eitherChina or Japan).REFUNDS & EXCHANGESMost shops are loath to give refunds, but theycan usually be persuaded to exchange purchasesthat haven’t been soiled or tamperedwith. Make sure you get a detailed receipt thatenumerates the goods, as well as the amountand payment method.There is really no reason to put a depositon anything unless it is an article of clothingbeing made for you or you’ve ordered a newpair of glasses. Some shops might ask for adeposit if you’re ordering an unusual itemthat’s not normally stocked, but this isn’t acommon practice.SHIPPING GOODSSome shops will package and post goods foryou, especially large items. It’s a good idea tofind out whether you will have to clear thegoods at the country of destination. Makesure you keep all the receipts.Smaller items can be shipped from the postoffice. United Parcel Service (UPS; %2735 3535) alsooffers services from Hong Kong to some 40countries worldwide. It ships by air and acceptsparcels weighing up to 70kg. DHL (%24003388) is another option.WHAT TO BUYAntiquesHong Kong has a rich and colourful array ofAsian, especially Chinese, antiques on offer,but serious buyers will restrict themselves tothe reputable antique shops and auction housesonly; Hong Kong imports many forgeriesand expert reproductions from China andSoutheast Asia. Just remember that most of thereally good pieces are sold through the auctionhouses such as Christie’s (p158 ), especially at itsauctions in spring and autumn.Most of Hong Kong Island’s antique shopsare bunched along Wyndham St and HollywoodRd in Central and Sheung Wan. Theshops at the western end of Hollywood Rdtend to be cheaper and carry more dubious‘antiques’ – tread carefully through thisminefield of reproductions, books, magazines,Chinese propaganda posters, badges from theCultural Revolution and so on.For Chinese handicrafts and other goods(hand-carved wooden pieces, ceramics, paintings,cloisonné, silk garments), the main placesto go are the large China-run emporiumsSHOPPING STRIPSThe main shopping areas are Central ( p157 ) and Causeway Bay ( p166 ) on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui ( p167 )in Kowloon. Nathan Rd in Tsim Sha Tsui is the main tourist strip. Central is good for clothing (from internationalhigh-end brands to the hautest of haute couture), as well as books, cameras and antiques. Causeway Bay has a lot ofdepartment stores and low-end clothing outlets, while old Wan Chai ( p163 ) has a sprinkling of interesting clothingand interiors places.Either side of the Kowloon peninsula you’ll also find ever-increasing retail space, including at the Elements mall in WestKowloon and at Megabox (Map pp100–1 ; Wang Chui Rd, Kowloon) to the east near Kai Tak airport in Kowloon Bay.Warehouse sales and factory extras can be found along Granville Rd ( p168 ) in Tsim Sha Tsui, in Causeway Bay andon Ap Lei Chau ( p94 ), the island opposite Aberdeen. Most of these deal in ready-to-wear garments, but there are afew that also sell carpets, shoes, leather goods, jewellery and imitation antiques. Often prices aren’t that much lessthan in retail shops, and it’s important to check purchases carefully, as refunds are rarely given, and many articles arefactory seconds and imperfect.lonelyplanet.comSHOPPING WARRANTIES & GUARANTEES155
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