THREE years ago, Gregory and Patrick Ng grappled with a few doubts. The Hong Kong-born businessmen wanted to introduce warehouse shopping to Hong Kong.
They enjoyed it in California, where they had lived and raised families.
But would it work in Hong Kong where the average size flat (about 500 square feet) has no storage space for a small barrel of detergent, two dozen rolls of fax paper, a two-litre size bottle of ketchup or enough muffin mix to keep a small restaurant in blueberry muffins for three mornings.
Warehouse shopping offers foods and household goods in large quantities. The consumer forfeits personal attention, frills, music, artistic displays and foods packaged in small quantities. In return, you save.
This style of shopping benefits families, small offices, clubs and schools more than singles or couples.
Hurdles aside, the Ngs agreed that the Cantonese love a bargain. And if shoppers hooked on quality and saving money, customer loyalty would grow.