Review Topic: Shopping

Hong Kong is a great place to shop! You can pick up unbelievable deals if you know where to look. Here are some pointers:

CLOTHES

If your visit coincides with Hong Kong's sales, you're in unbelievable luck! Discounts go as deep as 80% in the summer sales in August and winter sales in December.

If you don't care about the label, go browse in some of HK's chain clothing stores. Unlike some individual boutiques, these chain stores allow you to try on the clothes and return an item if you're not satisfied. Also, most of the chain stores do same-day or next-day free alterations (for pants only) even for sale items. It is truly the best place to shop if you are of petite stature.

When shopping in Hong Kong, pay close attention to the receipt that you receive. They are often stamped "no refund or exchanges."

One word of caution about sizes though. Women's sizes in these stores are designed for asian women. Extra large sizes are only about a US size 8; extra large pants can fit hips of about 38-40 inches. Also, the clothes are usually designed for petite women. Men are more fortunate though. The HK men sizes are comparable to those in the US, although again, if you are tall, you may have difficulty finding trousers that fit. Here are some stores you might want to check out:

Bossini

Bossini is one of the cheapest of the chains. They specialize in casual clothing for men, women and kids. What this store lacks in quality, it makes up for it in price. I've picked up all cotton t-shirts here for US$3, and pants for US$10 (free alterations!). They have branch stores everywhere, some of which are quite cramped especially during the weekend shopping crush (also avoid shopping during the lunch hours). Their more spacious branches (with many changing rooms) on Hong Kong island are the ones in Pacific Place and Times Square.

G2000

G2000 is the more expensive of the chains. They specialize in work wear for men and women. If you're looking for an interview suit, shirts, skirts, etc. this is the place to go. A wide range of colors especially for shirts, but only in conservative colors. Good stuff at reasonable prices. For fancier work wear, give Moiselle a try (women only). Crocodile also offers work wear so you might want to take a look even though G2000 and Moiselle's things are more stylish. I'd stay away from Wanko though, since their clothes are obviously made of inferior quality material, even though their prices are tempting.

U2

U2's prices are in between those of Bossini and G2000. Their clothes run towards the sporty: t-shirts, cargo pants, general casual stuff. You wouldn't come here for work clothes, but for something to wear on your off hours. Cheaper versions of U2's sporty clothing can be found in Baleno and Giordano, both of which have very good selections of jeans. Lately, U2 has branched out to work wear, a la those found in G2000.

Looking for a Bargain

If you are the treasure-hunting type or if you cannot find clothes that fit you in the local clothing chains, you should go to some export clothing stores in Hong Kong. They get samples from factories and also pieces that did not pass the quality/standard tests, and you can often get designer brands there for next to nothing. If you think you have the patience to root through piles of clothes in stores that are sometimes small, dirty, cramped and won't let you try something on before you buy it (bring a tape measure with you if you go!) -- not to mention no refunds -- check these out:

(1) Wanchai, Johnston Road (the road with the tram tracks) -- just walk along this street across from the Wanchai MTR (subway) station. They are lined up one after the other. You can't miss them. You can find a map of Wanchai here: http://www.hkta.org/map/wanchai.html. Be sure also to check out the side streets running along the Wanchai open air market. Some stores can be found there as well.

(2) Stanley Market is not as much a tourist trap as you might think. Granted there cheesy tourist souvenirs and t-shirts galore, but there are also quite a few large import-export clothing stores hidden in there. Map: http://www.hkta.org/map/stanley.html

(3) Central has a few of these stores, but they are not clustered along a single street. You'll have to do some exploring along the couple of streets that run parallel to Queen's Road Central up the hill.

COSMETICS

Ladies, you are in luck! Hong Kong is a good place to buy designer make-up and perfumes. Not only do you save on sales tax, the prices there are 30-50% lower than those in the US. I have picked up a 50ml bottle of Lancome's Hydra Zen for US$30, which is a real steal. The two main cosmetics chains in Hong Kong are Sasa and Rainbow . They have branches scattered everywhere in Hong Kong, and where there is one, there is usually the other competing only a few doors down. You will also find many cosmetic samples in these stores. Although it is technically illegal for them to do so, since the samples are marked "not for individual sale", they seem to do a brisk business in them. If there is a brand of cosmetic that you want to try out, purchasing samples may not be a bad way to go. If you do not care about brand name cosmetics, you might want to check out a Hong Kong chain called Red Earth which sells their own brand of cosmetics. They have a wonderful range of colors.

Want to buy electronics? Check out my tips on navigating the (sometimes) treacherous waters of electronics shopping in HK: http://www.epinions.com/content_83034214020


Happy shopping and good luck with finding the deals you want in this great city.



Recommended: Yes