Confessions of a Corporate Shopaholic

With the $6,000 Hong Kong government is giving to its people in the latest revision of the financial budget, aside from the inevitably disgruntled debates over eligibility and disbursement, the talk of the town these few days is focused on how we will dispose of this US$770 equivalent new-found cash.

Kid not, every other commercial establishment in town is hungrily eyeing this disposable income in the otherwise slower commercial season of March and April.  I am prepared, and it won’t make any difference even if I’m not, to be bombarded by hundreds of marketing programs and sales calls in the mailboxes, on the streets, in the malls, and on the internet.

I am interested to find out how Hong Kong people are planning to utilize this $6,000, in a city where consumption is the population’s number one pastime.  I posted a poll on my Facebook page, and I surveyed a few discussion forums in town on the internet to give you a summary of what our neighbors have come up with.  Of course, for those who are very much in need of this sum to manage their daily food and shelter expenses, they wouldn’t have the time and energy to take part in these surveys, and so their plans of consumption are always implied even if not stated below.

• the brand new iPad 2 or the upcoming iPhone 5 (what are the chances of such convenient coincidence, with Apple launching iPad 2 the day after our handout announcement?  I have to take my hat off to Steve Jobs, once again, even if it was none of his intention whatsoever)
• save it (no it’s not lame, since we practically spend so much on a daily basis without any need of excuses, anyway)
• a vacation to Thailand, or Europe with savings (Hong Kong’s favorite pastime: getting the hell out of the city even for just a few days)
• pay back credit card debts
• take a break off my part-time job
• grab my sister’s share of her $6,000 as well (siblings’ greed should never be underestimated)
• pick up an English language course to stay competitive (admirable, if only it’s that easy)
• put it all in the stock market
• pay for a call girl
• collect everyone’s share and buy back the Western Cross Harbour Tunnel (now that’s what I call innovative thinking!)
• pay for condolence flowers for the government house
• buy $6,000 worth of bananas and throw them at the two Mr. Tsangs and call it the “Long Hair Effect” (Donald Tsang as our Chief Executive and John Tsang our Financial Secretary)
• a trip to Macau’s casinos
• wait in line for Justin Bieber’s concert in May

Since the value of the dollar is different for everyone, I do not dare to draw any conclusions.  One thing I know, is that when I turned on the news yesterday and watched the unmistakably joyous face on the old lady who collects cardboard boxes for a living at $8 a day,  a portion of my share should go to the charity to help those who need much, much more than $6,000.