It Got Me Singing Madonna's Song

2nd May 2010

It was a perfect day to stroll around the city. It wasn't too cold nor too hot, just right.  We decided to take the Baby out and buy a new stroller. 

As usual, we thought of going to Tsim Sha Tsui. When we got out of the bus, we were but shocked to see that almost everyone in Hong Kong thought the same thing-- that it was nice to go out that day. There were many people walking on the streets of Kowloon that I thought, "Is it sale day?". Everybody just seemed to be holding shopping bags and I wasn't exaggerating when I said "everybody". But it wasn't sale day at all. It was just an ordinary day, just another Sunday. 

As we walked by the street, we passed by all of the designer stores, LV, Chanel, Prada, name it. They're there lined up in one street. I was utterly flabbergasted at the sight of long line of women and even men waiting by the door of those high-end stores. It was like that line you see at clubs and bouncers are by the door, when one exits, they make one enter. 

What's even more surprising to me is that they've already obviously got a designer bag and still they want more.  I used "more" because they got out of the stores with not just A shopping bag, but shopping bagS. 

Then I remember those stores in Greenbelt. I didn't get to see as many people as this who shopped in, say, LV in just one day. I couldn't help but compare again. Why is that they can afford such bags and Filipinos can't? And I am not just referring to the elite but the middle-class Filipinos. It might be the taxes imposed in the Philippines on imported goods, I don't know. 

I was on the MTR here and the woman seated in front of me was holding MIU MIU and PRADA shopping bags. If I were in Manila, a woman like her won't be traveling via the train, instead, she'd be assisted and driven by her chauffeur.

Here in HK, everybody's got a bag or two of Chanel or LV, what have you. They use it on a daily basis without any regret if it wears out. In Manila, they save it and tuck them inside those leather-ish bags and go straight in the closets. They even save it for the grandest occasions they'd go to. 

I wonder what it feels like to go inside one of those stores then exiting empty handed, without purchasing even the smallest wallet. Does it feel like doing the walk of shame out the door?

Well, I don't know because I haven't tried and I don't have one... just yet. 

Haha. :)