Suicide Attempt Linked to Impulse Buying Angers Web Users in China

Suicide attempt related to impulse shopping angers online community After a young man was saved by police when threatening to jump off of a bridge to commit suicide, people on Weibo are discussing the dangers of impulsive online shopping. The man's girlfriend was addicted to online shopping and is in debt by over 100,000 yuan. Her boyfriend at first tried to help her by subsidizing her shopping habit, but then found himself unable to continue to support her. The couple are average earners (average salary in major Chinese cities is 6,070 yuan (900) per month, according to data released by a job-hunting platform). People online blamed the boyfriend for his reluctance to break up with his girlfriend. Some commenters demanded justice from online shopping platforms, arguing that the low entry point of online credit cards and the click-to-buy model fuels this kind of harmful impulsive behavior, leaving consumers to “enjoy first, cry later.” Weibo user comment: “The low entry point for online credit accelerated my route into bankruptcy.” Pictures of the luxurious staff apartments of e-commerce giant JD are making people want to join the company Common in Chinese culture is staff apartment buildings for big tech companies like Tencent, JD and Alibaba. But JD seems to be ahead of the curve. Pictures of JD’s newly furnished 20-floor employee apartment building are making the rounds on Chinese social media. It is reported that the staff building integrates office and housing, providing a recreation room, a fitness center, and a library. With a total construction area of 120,000 square meters, the office area runs from the first to the fifth floors while the sixth to the 20th floors are for staff apartments. Some factors JD looks at when deciding who will be offered this priority housing are staff performance, the distance between the employee's home and the company, and years of working for the company, among other things. Impressed by the luxurious settings, netizens yearn to become a JD employee. Weibo user comment: "JD's CEO Liu Qiangdong knows how to retain talent.”

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Suicide Attempt Linked to Impulse Buying Angers Web Users in China