As we reported last week, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day once again set sales records ($30.8 billion was spent during the online shopping bonanza). Millions participated and spent big on the discounted deals the day is famous for. However, the internet community has anointed one shopper as the “Singles’ Day Most Absurd Shopping” champion. The person in question is a sophomore student from Xiamen. His error was to get horrendously drunk and then visit Taobao at midnight when the bargains commenced. In what might have seemed like a good idea at the time the inebriated student bought an eight-month old female blue peacock, a pet pig and a pound of giant salamander.
When he woke the next morning – presumably with a crushing headache – he checked Taobao, only recollecting buying two sets of clothes. He was dumbfounded to see these other purchases in his “to be delivered” column. He negotiated with the stores in question to get refunds for the peacock and the pig but was told the salamander could not be returned. A reporter from Sohu tracked the student down and was told he was currently studying recipes for how he might cook the salamander.
© ChinTell Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sponsored by HSBC.
The Week in China website and the weekly magazine publications are owned
and maintained by ChinTell Limited, Hong Kong. Neither HSBC nor any member of the HSBC group of companies ("HSBC") endorses the contents and/or is
involved in selecting, creating or editing the contents of the Week in China website or the Week in China magazine. The views expressed in these
publications are solely the views of ChinTell Limited and do not necessarily reflect the views or investment ideas of HSBC. No responsibility will
therefore be assumed by HSBC for the contents of these publications or for the errors or omissions therein.
Download Apps