Dear editor,

I am writing to express my opinion on the increasing number of Hong Kong people going to the mainland and spending there.

More and more people like going shopping in the mainland, especially Shenzhen. They think that goods are cheap there. However, there are plenty of disadvantages of spending money in the Mainland China.

Most goods in Shenzhen are of poor quality. They are often made up of inferior materials. Last year, a report revealed that the comforters sold in the Shenzhen were made up of used medicine cottons stained with blood. This year, another report has showed that foot massage companies in Shenzhen reuse the medicine wine many of times which should only be used once only Also, the ingredients of goods are seldom printed on the packaging. Shoppers are not sure what materials make up the good. Many customers argue that goods are comparatively much cheaper in the mainland and there are more choices of goods. However, there is no return policy and repair service. The rights of the customers are not protected. As the goods are of inferior quality, they are fragile. Although goods are cheap, customers always buy useless things back home.

People preferring to shop in Shenzhen think that shopkeepers there are more polite and friendly. But many sellers cheat customers. They always sell counterfeit goods to shoppers. Last month, when my mother went to one of the cosmetic shops in Shenzhen, the shopkeeper showed her that the mask of SK-Ⅱ was 20% off. But after she had paid, the shopkeeper gave her a mask from SK-Ⅲ. When my mother complained, the seller denied and ousted her from the shop. This kind of fraud is very ordinary in Shenzhen. Much worse, some sellers even force customers to purchase. Once a customer enters the shop, they will force the customer to buy things at a higher price. If one does not purchase anything, the sellers will not let one go. It seems that it is very dangerous shopping in Shenzhen.

Business drops for most shop owners, especially those in the New Territories. Many shops close down because they continue to lose money. In addition, sellers of those shops lose their job. It worsens the unemployment rate in Hong Kong. As unemployed people do not have much money, they prefer to purchase in Shenzhen. Consequently, more shops in Hong Kong will close down. It is just like a cycle. Some shoppers say that if shops in Hong Kong sell goods at a cheaper price and provide better service, they will stay in Hong Kong and spend here. However, the rent in Hong Kong is very high and the manufacturing cost of high quality goods is high too. Therefore, it is difficult for shops here to lower the price at the same rate as the ones in Shenzhen selling goods of poor quality.

All in all, there are a lot of disadvantages of shopping in Shenzhen. It also brings the direct negative impact on merchants in Hong Kong. At that time when Hong Kong is having an economic down turn, it is believed that Hong Kong people should stay and stay here in order to help to boost the local economy.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Wong