As the mainland is experiencing high inflation, people in Guangzhou have to find ways to lead an economical lifestyle.
Recently, mobile phone software which helps shoppers look up prices of different goods in different shops has become very popular.
Price-comparison software, such as 'Let Me Check' and 'Quick Pai', can be downloaded from the internet for free. After installing the software on their phones, users simply have to take a picture of a product's barcode, and a list of prices and shops will appear.
Take a brand of coffee as an example. Its price in supermarket A is 38 yuan (HK$45). After taking a picture of its barcode, the phone comes up with a list in five seconds - 31.5 yuan in supermarket B, 37.3 yuan in supermarket C and 42 yuan in supermarket D.
The software works for several items, including books, medicine, food and cleaning and cosmetic products. Clothes are an exception though.
Some people are sceptical about the prices. Housewife Yuan Kuanrong does not trust the information. 'There are so many supermarkets and products. How can the software get all the prices? I don't think such programs are reliable,' she says.