Asiaweek, “Eight Things You Didn't Know About Chinese Consumers”, April 28th, 2000.

[Quote Excerpt]

So if it's not the Internet, what is the invigorating new force transforming China's retail scene? Answer: the good old supermarket. "That's where you see the market economy winning over the command economy," maintains Matthew Dodds, client director in Hong Kong at the ad agency FCB. "It's the victory of the aisle versus the counter." In state-run department stores, buyers must ask an often surly salesclerk for permission to inspect goods kept behind a glass counter. Now, though, store shopping is a hands-on experience for millions of Chinese as supermarkets sprout across the country. The government approves, offering supermarkets preferential treatment, including low-interest bank loans, tax reductions and discounted rents.

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