Buyer beware
The downside to variety in Hong Kong's case is, unfortunately,
service and
peace of mind. When you go shopping here, go prepared and be cautious
as many of the
sales practices are decidedly dodgy. In fact, compared to Nathan
Road, the
sharks on Tottenham Court Road in London look positively tame.
There are several important don'ts to remember when you go
swimming in the Tsim
Sha Tsui waters:
- don't loiter too long in front of shop windows unless you're
willing to be
harrassed. Such demonstrated interest on your part quickly brings
a salesman
out
onto the street and the bludgeoning can begin.
- don't ask too many questions and outrageous requests - like,
could I look
at
it? These are treated suspiciously. And don't be too obvious
about shopping
around either. When I whipped a pen and paper out at one establishment
to
jot
down some prices, I was quickly chased off the premises.
- don't expect to trial the equipment. Playing is not allowed.
The general
policy seems to be that you do not earn the right to demo, hold
or even
touch a
product until you commit to buying it. Cellophane is obviously
a precious
commodity and they can't afford to break it unless they've
got a sure-sell.
- don't expect the salesman (there are no salewomen) to know
what they're
'talking about. They usually don't and if by some small chance
they do, they
probably won't be able to articulate it very well in English.
- don't believe the first price you see. Prices fluctuate
outrageously from
shop
to shop, hour to hour, minute to minute. And the frequent motion
of the
exchange
rate doesn't help either. In any case, the advertised price
is only a
starting
point for bargaining. Depending on how inflated the first price
is, you can
expect to knock off between 5-20% through haggling.
- don't just stick to Nathan Road. The rents are pricier here
and, on the '
whole,'
so are the products. Venture into tributaries like Carnarvon,
Cameron and '
Mody
'Roads. But don't trust your own sense of direction if you're
trying to find
'the
'same place twice. These smaller streets are maze-like and all
the shops look '
the
'same. If you've found a price you like, be sure to get a card
from the shop.
- don't be surprised if you buy a fake. If ever a copyright
was written, it
was
broken in Hong Kong. This is less a problem with cameras and computers.
Equally,
don't expect extensive warranties and return policies. It
won't be like
taking
something back to the Dixon's on the High Street.
On the whole, if you know exactly what you're looking for,
how much you're
willing to pay, how to tell whether you're buying a dud, and
how to bargain,
you
could do worse than searching for your gadgets in Hong Kong. On
the other
hand,
if you need knowledgeable product advice and peace of mind is
important to
you,
the most reliable place to buy is back at home where you can take
the item
back
if anything goes wrong. If you're still worried about price,
you can buy
your
gadgets in Duty-Free at Heathrow on your way back from Hong Kong.
- Gadget shopping walkabout in Hong Kong
- Cream of the Crop
- Communications skills
- The weirder, the wackier
- Night-time shopping and other options