Price Discrimination

It was the first time I experienced a "live" demonstration of price discrimination; a literal face-to-face encounter between the salesperson and I. Price discrimination exists when the sale of identical goods or services are transacted at different prices from the same provider. Price discrimination is practiced in many industries on a daily basis, ranging from airlines companies, mobile phone network companies to even restaurants. However, with the prominence of perfect information or perfect substitutes, the pure existence of price discrimination falters. It can on be a feature in monopolistic and oligopolistic (a few competitors) markets, where market power can be exercise.

This unethical practice took place when I was hunting around for the perfect yoga package at a particular yoga centre here in Hong Kong yesterday. Yes, the market was oligopolistic, where there are currently two major players in the yoga industry. Nonetheless, the centre I approached had a competitive edge; not only did they offer yoga classes but pilates, spinning and dance classes as well. I was, indeed, thoroughly impressed.

But, what majorly put me off was the salesperson and the fact that the yoga centre did not have a proper price chart for various packages. Towards the end, she was pushy, a complete boot licker, annoying (because Carl and I had to rush off for dinner and she did not let us leave by stalling us with more codswollop = sales pitches) and had the audacity to change the price and the duration of the Unlimited Package THREE times:

a) HKD1,288 for 12 months (I was not interested as it was too costly)
b) HKD899 for 18 months 12 months (Duration of 18 months was too long, she changed it to 12)
c) HKD699 for 18 months (Price was reasonable but duration was too long)

At that point in time, I was extremely disgruntled, frustrated and desperately wanting to leave. Her manager even had to "dramatically" interject to offer the last price. "Why dramatic?", you might ask. Well, it is because it was all an act and I felt like my precious pennies were being cheated by crooks like them! Plus, they wanted me to sign up with their package there and then! Who would have known that the price and duration of packages were negotiable? Probably most, if not, all of their customers have been blindly cheated. Is this practice even legal?

Hence, from what I can decipher, there are a few determining price factors which the salesperson will take into consideration:

1) Appearance
2) Background
3) Contact with competitors i.e. what I love/hate about their competitors

This is one yoga centre, which I have lost all faith and trust in even though they offer awesome facilities and an amazing array classes. Perhaps they might call me in a few days to built rapport and to reinstill that sense of trust? Perhaps they might call me to offer an even more attractive package? Who knows? There is a lot of calculated malice and shoddy workmanship in the history of marketing. I am most definitely keeping my options open.

Moving Forward

 Friday, 13th August 2010, marks the end of a one year long nightmare and a truly unforgettable one. Coincidentally it had to fall on such a jinxed date/day too. Anyway, tomorrow marks the start of a new life filled with new challenges and friends in the new vibrant cosmopolitan of Hong Kong.

Here's a Carpe Diem quote: And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ~ Abraham Lincoln. 

It's definitely time for me to seize the day, or year in my case. Wish me luck! :)

Tofu Box

It's unbelievable how our fellow Hong Kong-ers can survive living in such a small, compact space. And how might one define "small space" you might ask? Well, by putting it simply, a 2-bedroom apartment compressed into a 400+ square feet space. Yes, one might agree that even the little fishes that live within the vicinity of an aquarium might possibly lead a better life.

Not only do flats in Hong Kong come in small sizes, they also come in big extortionate prices. A 400+ square feet, 2-bedroom apartment that is located in the neck of the woods of Hong Kong Island, might cost up to HKD2.8 million and above. Hence, it is evident that space is a scarce resource and if you have managed to secure/inherit yourself a decent living space in Hong Kong, please treat it like gold. Hong Kong, where East truly meets West, is an island of only 76 sq.km. with much of that being mountainous rock. Land for development is therefore at an absolute premium and must be used to its fullest advantage.

I do admit that we, Malaysians, do take space for granted.

However, I happen to stumble onto an interesting short and sweet excerpt from Design Tavern and a video from Youtube. The following links will give you some insight to how the architect, Gary Chang, craftily used his designing skills to fully utilise and maximize the space in his Hong Kong 32 square meter apartment.  Implementing the idea of sliding walls, Chang is able to convert his little apartment into a transforming domicile capable of changing into 24 different rooms. What a genius. I would definitely hire him to design my Hong Kong home in the future. :)

Small Living: Sliding Apartment 

WAO

Friends, the best kind of support. They share, talk and listen. So, break the silence on domestic violence, talk to a friend.

In order to carry out our company's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the Treasury Sales & Marketing department made a courtesy visit to the Women's Aid Organization (WAO) yesterday to learn more about their operations as well as to provide some funding. It's nice to know that our philanthropic exercise was positively received by the organization and our company.

The WAO Refuge in Kuala Lumpur shelters an average of 100 women and 100 children per year (the children usually come with their mothers). The background of these women ranges from being battered wives, unwed mothers to abused foreign domestic workers and trafficked women. These women usually come to seek shelter for a period of one to three months.

During their stay at the Refuge, these women receive counselling, legal advice and help in restarting their lives. The WAO social workers occasionally organize weekly programmes and sessions that will impart to the residents not only legal advice but self-confidence, self-worth and job skills to help them lead better lives independently.

I am writing this post to raise awareness to those women who are exposed to such acts of violence. This organization will offer a safe haven and counselling to women in crisis as well as their children. If you need more details or would like to help someone who is suffering from abuse, please call (03) 7956 3488.

 The spirit of giving continues for Treasury Sales and Marketing. :)

A Cry For Help

Malaysia is in dire need of an effective way to eliminate crime as crime is perceived to be one of the most pressing problems in society nowadays. Currently, Malaysia is the preferred destination for tourists and unfortunately, criminals. And it definitely does not help when feebleminded policemen, instead of carrying out their lawful duties to mitigate crime, set up unnecessary road blocks in order to make a living by blatantly demanding the public to contribute to corruption through paying bribes.

It does not help either if the government permits the employment of cheap, foreign labour, which also partially contributes to simple thefts, physical injuries caused by direct confrontation and simple wayward robbery. However, I suppose criminals have recently managed to take the progressive road to enhance themselves with investigative knowledge thus making the work of the police more arduous and difficult.

The reason why I decided to highlight this issue is because my boss just recently encountered an unfortunate theft episode in broad daylight, which involved two men on a motorcycle and herself, in her BMW. She happened to be stationary at the traffic lights of a busy crossroad in central Kuala Lumpur, when two men on a motorcycle casually approached the passenger side of her vehicle. Without warning, the backseat rider repeatedly thrust his elbow forcefully against the front passenger window until it shattered. And within the blink of an eye, he skillfully and swiftly grabbed her MYR8,000.00 Louis Vuitton handbag (the bag of course, costing more than its contents) and sped off instantaneously without even showing any signs of remorse. My boss was, of course, too stunned and petrified to react. If I am not mistaken, his arm was probably sheathed in something solid and strong enough to break the window of a BMW, some kind of tool.

Even though she was surrounded by other vehicles and onlookers, nobody was willing to help. Typical Malaysian mentality. Anyway, how can one ever expect lowlife criminals to show pangs of conscience? I suppose it does not take much effort to separate criminals from animals.

The moral of the story is anyhow: Ladies, do not leave your handbags on the passenger seat EVER and always be vigilant of your surroundings wherever you are.

Singapore Sling

Am currently basking in the glory of good ol' Singaporean sun with my old peers. Random walks and random chats with affable companions ignite the whole sense of familiarity and comfort despite the fact that I am on foreign shores. It's amazing how some have matured like fine wine into affluent individuals. Conversations like these are worth a king's ransom and I like this feeling of pure contentment; where people just laugh about silly things they did in the past without having to worry about being judged. Yes, humans do eventually learn to forgive, forget and move on. :)

Perhaps this complacent state of mind is also due to the fact that I just tendered my resignation and will soon feel absolutely liberalised from the overly-political and tiresome corporate world. As a result, I am now gradually acclimatizing myself to the long-forgotten days of being a student.

Hence, the oldfangled Summer days have now returned and am mentally, physically and spiritually ready to embark on another exciting journey to Hong Kong come August pronto!

 Sex On The Beach shots. Taken in Butter, Singapore on Friday, 16th July 2010.

Paradise Perhentian

 Exactly one month ago, my girlfriends and I ventured to the timeless island located along east Peninsular Malaysia, called Perhentian Island. This island hideaway offers beaches with stunning rock formations and fascinating caves and lush green forests. Let me highlight what makes this luscious island so irresistible.

The amazing crystal clear water.

Bubu Long Beach Resort, the resort which contributed to one of our comfortable hideouts for deep slumbers.
 

The perfect getaway for swimming, water sports and tanning. The setting was perfect - a little cabana on the beach, sand between our toes and cool breeze upon our faces.

  And of course, hilly hikes to the top most point of the island for a breathtaking view of the surroundings and neighbouring islands.

Jumping jacks during sunset.

Our fantastic barbeque seafood dinner.

The Sex and The City cast is complete. :) Just the girls and cocktails were sufficient to make this escapade a holiday to remember. Loving the homemade Caipirinhas, courtesy of Miss Cai Mei Khoo.

We met some backpackers along the way and had some memorable conversations/ humourous tales of their journeys around the globe. One British bloke had his belongings stolen from his shady accommodation on Perhentian Island, at least they had the courtesy to compensate him with several nights of free lodging and food. From Day I, luck was never on his side as this young chap even managed to run into several pickpockets at his other destinations around Asia, losing his camera twice and money thrice. Poor fella. 

Mysterious midnight sightings, ranging from turtles nesting by the sandy shores of Perhentian Island to tantalizing fire-breathing performances.

This island paradise is a perfect mix of simple, modern luxury with the great outdoors. Then there's the rustic charm of the timber villas within lush tropical greenery and secluded inlets that offer absolute privacy. Perhentian Island is definitely an island worth visiting.

Malaysia, truly Asia. :)