It’s all about context
It was at a family reunion two Christmases ago that one of Grumpus’ cousins noted, “Boy, you look sharp, Mickey! Maya sure cleaned you up good!”
“Excuuuuse me,” he retorted. “I always had style. I just never had any money.”
What is the proper spousal reaction to such shamelesness? Bemusement? “Huh? What? Who? Us? Shop?” Amusement? “Oh, isn’t he just precious! Such wit!” Denial? “Oh no, we don’t shop all that much. And we only shop during sale season!” Embarrassment? “No, he didn’t mean to imply that we’re a couple of mindless consumers!”
The fact is yes, shopping is our favorite pastime. Yes, a typical weekend consists of a walk through the sights of Central: Landmark, Alexandra House and Prince’s Building and, through the walkways, to IFC, stopping of course at our favorite 5 or 10 stores along the way. Yes, we know our favorite salespeople by name and they know us.
Fact is, shopping is the easiest thing to do in Hong Kong and, with mini-malls even in subway stations, pretty much impossible to avoid. In fact, with the sheer concentration of designer stores — I can name 7 Prada branches off the top of my head — and the dearth of mid-market alternatives like Gap and Banana Republic, chances are you will shop upwards. Hong Kong unleashed Mickey’s inner shopper, and he unleashed mine.
We’ve also long gotten over our sticker shock. “Hey, cute bag! Wow, half off!!” I squealed when I entered a store in the middle of sale season. “Holy cow,” I told Mickey later. “When did 300 US dollars become cheap for a bag?”
Yes, buying new stuff is fun but yes, it also bothers me sometimes. Especially when we come home to Manila and unflinchingly spend whatever it costs to buy a pair of jeans. “When we start thinking about coming back home, we can’t spend the same kind of money on clothes,” I told Mickey one day. “A hundred dollars on a collared t-shirt from [insert designer brand name here] might not sound too bad, but five thousand pesos is downright obscene.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed.
It’s all about context.