Luxury Brands (And Shoppers) Converge At World Expo

Visitors "Go Crazy" For Pavilion Shops In addition to the high-tech displays and architecture at the Shanghai World Expo, free-spending shopaholics can feast their eyes (and drop their cash) on rare and exclusive products up for grabs at several pavilions. From dinner at the authentic restaurant at the French pavilion (wait list = 3 days) to special El Salvadorean coffee to Cuban art, well-heeled visitors to the expo can take advantage of their trip as an excuse to go on an around-the-world shopping binge. From Sina (translation by Jing Daily team): You don't have to run from country to country -- At the Shanghai World Expo, you can buy the most representative items from just about every country. Here, shopping really is over the top. See It, Gotta Have It Nokias from Finland, kangaroo leather from Australia, Tunisian handicrafts...Miss Zhang has never traveled abroad, but has already heard a great deal about "the good stuff" from overseas. When this spendthrift sees the unique products for sale at every country's pavilion, here eyes light up, her heart pounds, and money flows out of her bank account like water. What made it even harder for her to resist a purchase was the attendants at a number of pavilions telling Miss Zhang, "These things were all sent from our country. They're all authentic. So buying them is almost like taking a trip abroad." Miss Zhang has been waiting impatiently for the World Expo. Six months ago, she had already booked her room at the Nanjing Hotel in Shanghai. A couple of days ago, she arrived in Shanghai, and although it was already late in the afternoon, she didn't even bother taking a break. She went straight to the Expo. Miss Zhang and her boyfriend took the Expo shuttle to the Africa pavilion section. The South Africa pavilion was closed, so she went to the Algerian pavilion, and from there went over to the Slovenian pavilion then to the Tunisian pavilion, where she was stopped in her tracks by a variety of arts and crafts for sale. "Can I look at that bracelet?" she asked, "How much is it?" The staff member replied, "This is a handmade Tunisian bracelet made of sterling silver. We only sent 70 of them from our country, and we've already almost sold out, as you can see. It costs 221 RMB (US$32). Quite affordable." Miss Zhang took a look at the display case, and saw it was nearly wiped out. She was terrified for a second that someone else would buy the bracelet, so she bought it right there on the spot! Onward to the Finnish pavilion, where they were selling phone cases for 89 yuan, camera cases for 125 yuan, Red nano necklaces for 425 yuan, high-tech watches for 2400 yuan, computer bags for over 400 yuan...Miss Zhang had it in her mind to buy the whole lot of them. After listening to the sales pitch, she couldn't wait to run down to the gift shop and take a look. Finally, she chose a mobile phone case, along with a red watch, and as she was hesitating whether to go ahead and buy some more items, a worker said to her, "We also have limited edition Nokia phones here that were designed specifically for the World Expo. We have two versions -- one is over 3000 yuan (US$440+), and the other is 1980 yuan (US$290)"...Finally, Miss Zhang nodded, "I'll take the 1980 yuan phone!" The attendant was excited, and said, "We don't actually have the phone in stock, it's still stuck in customs, but it'll be here in a few days. If you leave me an address, we can deliver it to your home." Miss Zhang said that was fine. But after looking around at all the credit card terminals, she was shocked. After just a little round of shopping, she'd already parted ways with more than 5000 yuan (US$733)! After leaving the Finnish pavilion, it was already getting late, and Miss Zhang thought about going back to the hotel, but she noticed that the Australian pavilion was still open, so she just had to go take a look. Her boyfriend just looked at her, shaking his head and laughing. At the pavilion, Miss Zhang followed her custom and took a look at items that were on sale, perking up at the sight of shoes. Last winter, UGG boots were super-popular, and she went to go take a look at the ones on sale. She noticed a pair of horn button high-top boots that cost 2158 yuan (US$316). She couldn't help herself -- she bought them! By the time she and her boyfriend finally left the expo grounds, Miss Zhang tallied up that the large and small bags carried by her boyfriend cost well over 10,000 yuan (US$1,465) altogether. Winter Snow Boots All Sold Out Actually, you can't blame Miss Zhang for being such a shopaholic. After a couple of days "inspecting" the situation for myself, I found that the goods for sale at these pavilions are just too tempting. The shop at the Australian pavilion was packed, to the point where it was hard to turn around. This reporter saw no shortage of items up for grabs, from baby milk powder to baby oil, to kangaroo leather to cashmere...all of which are in great demand [in China]. ... You've Also Gotta Line Up At The French Pavilion The most unique item for sale at the French pavilion is perfume. To commemorate the World Expo, French specialists created a special "French Pavilion" perfume, the packaging of which echoes the unique webbed design of the French pavilion itself. This reporter took a sniff and found it to be elegant and charming, the primary notes being Shanghai's city flower, the white peony. The price is a little different from French luxury style -- each bottle costing 188 yuan (US$28). Additionally, at the Mexican pavilion store, you can buy or learn how to make kites, then fly them at the outdoor plaza; The Luxembourg pavilion has special "Shanghai" stamps, as well as "Shanghai" euro coins; At the Cuban pavilion there are shops selling local arts and crafts, CDs and so forth; At the El Salvador pavilion you can buy special coffee grown in rich volcanic soil; at the Palestinian pavilion you can get pure olive oil...these are all great options for shoppers.

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Luxury Brands (And Shoppers) Converge At World Expo