If you think you are visiting a fan site of the popular Isla Fisher’s starred movie, sorry you have to move on. I am conveniently stealing the catchy movie title in an attempt to help readers understand what I do and what I am writing about. Believe me, it’s never easy to describe what I do to friends and families. I believe as of this date, my mom and dad still have no idea what I do as a living. 
There are two sides of a coin for this however. We do get typecast sometimes but only to those in the know, or at least to those who have rather strong opinions about “people like us” in their workplace. I may not agree to what they think, but at least you could have a conversation with them afterwards. It’s professions like lawyers, bankers, realtors, and financial planners which people sometimes make fun of by reflex, which I still do not understand why. Well, I console myself thinking that at least I don’t drive people away, but to be honest, too many people I met still have no idea what I do as a living after the several times that I told them. Perhaps Superman or Batman should use my profession as disguise. Unflashy boring work that nobody would remember.
Perfect.
So cut to the chase. I am a shopaholic. I buy things for a living, and I mean on a daily basis. Its value can sum up to millions of dollars and I do that without the blink of an eye. In fact, a 10 dollar buy and a 10 million buy is not much of a difference to me. Well, what I buy is not for me, but for my employers. “Oh I get it! So you are a fashion buyer? ” I get this a lot, perhaps due to the overwhelming popularity of “The Devil Wears Prada”, or that Hong Kong houses a lot of merchandising and fashion buyers in this megacity famed for its re-exports and international trading. No, I am not. I buy things for the corporate that I work for, and they are nothing glamorous or flashy like putting merchandise on the racks of Dolce & Gabbana or Gucci. This is where I lost most people. They politely smiled and winked at the next better acquaintances they see hoping to be pulled out of this boring conversation. I fantasized I am Superman while adjusting my square glasses and moved on.
Instead of rushing into a public telephone booth to rip off my suit and reveal my awesome Superman outfit, I return to my office to follow-up on work stuff just like any 9 to 5 white-collar job. Unlike Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), there is no rush or high from shopping for the corporate. There is no plastic (ahem, there actually is, which I shall tell later), no personal shopper, no gift wrap, no 30-day unconditional return guarantee. Very often I don’t even want to make the purchase because the needs are either unwarranted or, like Rebecca Bloomwood in her case, we are simply broke.
Yes, for all the hard work that the product or service salespeople put in to reel in the cash, large multinationals do get broke merely because they have spent it all away.
And we are here to help prevent that.
Well, don’t get me wrong. There is nothing heroic about it. The profession has been here for ages but the recognition and awareness just isn’t there. I don’t intend to make this an academic blog of my profession, and in fact I’d love to take a more light heartened look of myself. If my readers happen to get a bit of professional knowledge from my posts I would be grateful. I will be equally delighted if my readers get a kick out of my observations over a drink or two. I believe it is our individual personalities that shape our work and results, and I want my readers to feel my personality through this blog. Better yet, I am still looking for the perfect and concise answer to the simplest cocktail party question: “What do you do?”
*Blush*
Confessions of a Corporate Shopaholic 