Shopping for Technology
When researching where to buy just about anything computer-related, most people head for Sham Shui Po, home of the famous Golden Shopping Centre, and Apliu Street Markets.
And yes, this is one choice and the most extensive collection of specialist shops, but it's far from the only one.
Now, for the latest visit to HK, I planned to visit the three others recommended by several local friends; they are.
Before moving on to these centres, a few things need to be understood before visiting just about any shopping centre, no matter what you are looking for.
First, the opening hours are not the same as you will be used to in most places outside of Asia, where shops generally open around 9 am and close around 5 pm.
In HK and some other places I have visited in Asia, most shops tend to open later in the day, with between 10 am and 11 am being the most common.
While this may sound annoying when I first visited HK back in the day, it was a real surprise, but I eventually got used to it.
It's not that shops have short days, quite the reverse; while they open later, they also close later; some that I visited stayed open until 10 pm.
Trust me, visit a shopping centre at, for example, 9 pm, and you will find it buzzing.
Next comes the language barrier, not that I think this is a problem, but I have had some interesting experiences with other customers going full Karen on the staff for not speaking perfect English.
The first thing anyone needs to do is treat the staff respectfully; they want to sell you product, and the majority do not want to rip you off.
I have had positive experiences in shops and market stalls, where the level of English is basically non-existent; you can be understood with pointing, Google Translate, patience and the icebreaker to end all icebreakers, a smile.
Now, moving on to the prices. In the past, it was assumed that going shopping in HK, mainland China, Singapore, etc, it was bargains everywhere.
It all depends on what you are looking for; from my recent trips to Singapore, I found the prices for computer technology to be similar to those back home in Sydney.
Not to say you cannot find any good deals, but you will, and I did have to hunt for them. For example, on my last visit, I found USB memory sticks were much cheaper than back home.
In HK, it was a similar story, with the prices being similar to Singapore.
Just remember to research before going shopping, and in smaller stores, you usually can haggle and get a better deal that way.
Note I said haggle; just be realistic; if you lowball, you are more likely not to get the deal you are looking for. Remember, not all staff can haggle; others may not like it or just be having a bad day.
Yes, repeating myself, treat the staff with respect, and bargains can be had.
Finally, Fakes
Yes, there are fake products worldwide, and the usual precautions are all you need. Just remember, if someone comes up to you in the street trying to sell you a Rolex for $100, its too good to be true and should be avoided.
BTW, people coming up to you selling copy watches is quite common on Nathan Road, although it's not as bad as it once was. Buyer beware.
I am totally paranoid about fakes, but being honest, other than the too good to be true cases, I have had more problems with eBay than tech shopping in HK, mainland China, and Singapore.
Before moving on to the tale of my visits to the shopping centres, it is time for a short rant.
One of my pet hates is pushy salespeople, as when you enter a store, the staff are on you and keep trying to sell you things, shoving products in your face.
The jade hawker market in Yau Ma Tei, is one of the worst places for this sort of thing; once, they even tried to grab my wallet, with no sign of security or police.
Visit at your own risk To be honest, I have not had this problem in any of the technology shopping centres or any of the larger stores.
This can be a problem if you are walking past some food places, although while it still happens, it is better than it used to be, with most taking no for an answer.
A message to these people, you push me, I DO NOT BUY
Now, with that out of the way, it is time to tell the tale of my visits to the various tech shopping centres I visited during the 2023 HK trip.
- Sham Sui Po
- Mong Kok Computer Center
- Wan Chi Computer Center
Since returning home and doing some research for this page, I found another one that even my local friends were not aware of; it's called Oriental 188 and it seems its located just behind the 298 Computer Center. Interesting, and one for my next trip, which is currently scheduled for June 2024
And yes, it goes without saying, on this visit, I will be prepared and hopefully, get photos inside all of these centres.
Then comes the big news: I plan to finally visit Shenzen and see how that's changed in the 20+ years since I last visited. And yes, we all know that Shenzen is the technology shopping capital of the world; read the full tale of the visit here and note the many lessons learned after the visit.