Sanitary benefits would be another. They may justify the markup for some. Shrink-wrapping would protect individual fruit or vegetable from the sneeze of an under the weather shopping patron. Furthermore, who knows where those unwashed cucumber or cherry fondling hands have been. The first time I witnessed shrink-wrapping produce was in Tokyo and Osaka over 15 years ago. Japanese societies are obsessed with hygiene.
----------------
@JanJal
Like your wife, I too hoard recyclable containers into a manageable pile before taking them out to the communal waste bins. Not just for my own convenience, but to make life easier for the janitress. They recycle the building's collective plastics & cardboard boxes as revenue on the side. Otherwise, these 保洁阿姨 will have to unpleasantly sift through the trash to fish them out individually. Acts of compassion on our part. Food for thought as we dispense our O2O (online to offline) 11/11 boxes.
Regarding plastic alternatives, it's not so much energy economics as public health. Studies have shown the incineration of plastic release unhealthy byproducts into the air we breathe. Lung cancer is already major problem for the Chinese. The most common type of cancer in China in fact.
The implementation of machine learning in automated supermarket inventory management seeks to reduce wastes by maximizing asset turnover ratio and minimizing spoilage. To say nothing of tempering overhead costs and shrinkage compared to traditional supermarkets for a more evolved business model.
More than a decade ago, high-end supermarket chains in Japan, Singapore, S. Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan have already adopted the strategy of prolonging expiration of perishable produce items by shrink-wrapping them per individual basis.
China's accumulation of global plastic waste is nothing new, granted the dawn of food delivery services such as Meituan and Ele.me is adding to plastic containers' recycling & disposal collective action dilemma.
Perhaps packaging in biodegradable plastic alternatives would be a sustainable game-changer for Hema.
No robot bartender like the one in Passengers? lol
-------------
As we wait for our packages, here's a look at the logistical feat of Cainiao's (acquired by Alibaba last year) automated warehouse (similar to Amazon's):
Although an impressive new global sales record of USD30B, which is a 27% increase from last year. A steep drop compared to the 40% growth rate from '16 to '17.
The RMB devaluation, trade war, sagging stock & housing market probably played a part on aggregate consumer spending.
Nevertheless, from an individual splurging standpoint, I reaped great deals on household necessities such as Listerine, Move Free supplements, milk, tissue papers, appliances, furniture, what not.
Getting ready for 12/12! lol
----------------
Btw, Alibaba's futuristic supermarket is coming to Kunming soon, rumored to be built just south of city-center's pedestrian street.
Here's an in-depth look at the AI-driven Hema Supermarket:
Copchecks & courtesy calls are probably just new protocol by local police. Nothing to fret about on an individual basis. Like all the newly installed street cameras & VPN outages, it's part of a wider surveillance upgrade in South of the Clouds.
---------
Wiping OS is a bit premature. Like getting chemo without proper diagnosis from an oncologist. Though as a general rule, good cyber security hygiene goes a long way, paranoid or not.
First of all, upgrade your antivirus on both your laptop and phone. Install the best AV on the market, Bitdefender Total Security 2019. Special link for free 3-month trial:
3. Install Keyscrambler Pro to encrypt your keystrokes to thwart any keyloggers, which can easily sneak into your system if you exhibit unsafe browsing habit.
Here's a download link (w/ attached serial text file):
4. Yahoo accounts are consistently compromised. Such that they will force you to reenter pisswords only to be compromised again. Switch go Google services if possible.
China isn't like most places. With the highest rural-urban migration the world has seen, the Mainland's pronounced income inequalities among its citizens are visibly magnified via the internet-breaking WeChat revolution...
it's one thing to see The Kardashians partying from Bora Bora to Ibiza, another to see your rival siblings, coworkers, and/or best friends there without you.
Good points all around. The reason why I brought up China's heavily skewed income gap is because it's human nature to compare oneself relative to others.
For example, if say, your monthly salary was only 3,000rmb, but all your friends & acquaintances in your Wechat friend circle earned half that amount in addition to divorcing & being laid off, you may be content with your current situation.
On the contrary, if your income was 6,000rmb, but everyone on Wechat are constantly sharing photos of lavish family vacations aboard w/children, buying luxury sedans and villas. while you're stuck living alone riding Ofos, your happiness scale may perhaps tip the other direction.
Beyond "civil liberties and democracy," my point is that the vast majority of disgruntled Chinese rural-to-urban migrants (who've missed the wave of rising upper middle income class) are experiencing similar standard of living discrepancies in inner cities. All more conspicuous in the age of social media and selfies where mostly the good are boasted while the bad are not revealed. This illusion of relativity takes a toll on one's perceived happiness.
On an international level of comparison, China is ranked 79 on the World Happiness Report 2017 for the UN high meeting. Trailing countries like Serbia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Kosovo. Despite China's relative higher GDP, the income gap between the rich and poor is ocean's apart.
Recent trends show that more Chinese rural migrant workers, who came to the cities for opportunities, are now heading back home. It's difficult to be happy when you're barely scraping by, which is why if you're economically able, pack some gratuity red envelope for your apartment cleaning lady this coming Lunar New Year. I'll give mine 100 yuan. At the very least shine them a smile from time to time to show your appreciation.
China hands out happy city awards, Kunming sad
发布者@dolphin
China isn't like most places. With the highest rural-urban migration the world has seen, the Mainland's pronounced income inequalities among its citizens are visibly magnified via the internet-breaking WeChat revolution...
it's one thing to see The Kardashians partying from Bora Bora to Ibiza, another to see your rival siblings, coworkers, and/or best friends there without you.
China hands out happy city awards, Kunming sad
发布者@JanJal
Good points all around. The reason why I brought up China's heavily skewed income gap is because it's human nature to compare oneself relative to others.
For example, if say, your monthly salary was only 3,000rmb, but all your friends & acquaintances in your Wechat friend circle earned half that amount in addition to divorcing & being laid off, you may be content with your current situation.
On the contrary, if your income was 6,000rmb, but everyone on Wechat are constantly sharing photos of lavish family vacations aboard w/children, buying luxury sedans and villas. while you're stuck living alone riding Ofos, your happiness scale may perhaps tip the other direction.
Beyond "civil liberties and democracy," my point is that the vast majority of disgruntled Chinese rural-to-urban migrants (who've missed the wave of rising upper middle income class) are experiencing similar standard of living discrepancies in inner cities. All more conspicuous in the age of social media and selfies where mostly the good are boasted while the bad are not revealed. This illusion of relativity takes a toll on one's perceived happiness.
China hands out happy city awards, Kunming sad
发布者@JanJal
On an international level of comparison, China is ranked 79 on the World Happiness Report 2017 for the UN high meeting. Trailing countries like Serbia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Kosovo. Despite China's relative higher GDP, the income gap between the rich and poor is ocean's apart.
Recent trends show that more Chinese rural migrant workers, who came to the cities for opportunities, are now heading back home. It's difficult to be happy when you're barely scraping by, which is why if you're economically able, pack some gratuity red envelope for your apartment cleaning lady this coming Lunar New Year. I'll give mine 100 yuan. At the very least shine them a smile from time to time to show your appreciation.
Bye-bye for now Kunming narrow gauge railway
发布者Agreed, these local tidbits are a blessing.
Tengchong: Southwest China's gateway to undiscovered natural beauty
发布者Cool new layout,! Good reporting PS.
Probably one of the most famous and natural hot springs in China is here. Well worth a visit.