Until as recently as the 1980s, department stores were the most popular retail format in China.
Despite the bad manners of shop assistants, mainland consumers still flocked to the badly lit and disorganised stores on Sundays - like making a regular trip to church.
The reason for the high patronage was simple.
Consumers who did not have many choices available perceived department stores as convenient and one-stop outlets and, most importantly, the stores offered a degree of quality.
Finally, they served as perfect destination for family weekend outings.
Nowadays, they are losing customers in droves to well-lit and well-designed fashion boutiques, foreign chains such as Giordano and, more recently, foreign super-stores such as the French Carrefour.
