LettersHong Kong a shoppers’ paradise? In a time long past

I used to be an avid shopper. I could roam Mong Kok for hours, bargaining at Ladies’ Market and chatting up shop assistants in the malls. But, these days, shopping has ceased to be a pleasant experience. Shop attendants are preoccupied with entertaining deep-pocketed mainland shoppers, and are now probably more eloquent in Mandarin than in Cantonese.

The pavements are lined by opportunists who try to squeeze money out of your pocket once you show the slightest interest in what they are trying to promote. You have to be vigilant of pickpockets, too, while looking around. There are a number of people in our city constantly engaged in foul play.

The shops in the grand malls are unaffordable to most citizens. The high prices displayed in the shop windows are enough to put off any potential patrons among ordinary people. The streets are dirty and so is the air. Even the neon signs seem to have faded.

People from the younger generation say they prefer online shopping, which is more convenient and saves time, money and effort. While they never understand why we middle-aged people are always nostalgic for how things were, they have plenty of reasons to prefer the present. As for me, I am not so sure which is better.