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Department stores `bag' lucky shoppers

To boost spending during the Lunar New Year holiday, two models hold "Fortune Bags" at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taipei on Jan. 23. PHOTO: CHO YI-CHUN, TAIPEI TIMES

Six automobiles and tens of thousands of prizes -- including scooters, designer bags, laptop computers, airline tickets and watches -- await lucky shoppers in Taipei's major department stores during the Lunar New Year holiday as retailers seek to recover from a year of declining spending.

To lure consumers into opening their wallets, stores have teamed up this year to launch the "Fortune Bags" (福袋) promotion.

Those visiting the department stores in Taipei today and tomorrow can spend as little as NT$1,000 (US$30) for a "Fortune Bag," a New Year tradition adopted from Japan. Inside the bag is a gift with a guaranteed minimum value of NT$1,000. The luckiest will be rewarded the top prize -- a new car.

It seems to be a sure-win deal, but shoppers must first purchase the bag, which may take some time standing in line.

Taipei department stores -- including the Living Mall (京華城), the Breeze Center (微風廣場), the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store (新光三越百貨) and the Pacific Sogo Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨) -- will launch their own "Fortune Bag" promotions.

"On New Year's Day, we provide customers with two Suzuki sedans as top prizes, one more than the previous year," said Josephine Chou (周永蓓), a public relations specialist at the Living Mall, which will offer 4,000 fortune bags.

She said that in addition to the top prizes, other items such as iPods, digital cameras, laptop computers and TVs are also up for grabs, adding that "it is worth spending NT$1,000 for a chance to win one of these products."

Meanwhile, a Mazda 3 car worth NT$565,000 (US$17,650) is listed as the top prize by the Breeze Center, which will sell 5,000 fortune bags.

"We wish to give our customers more value and better prizes," said Wu Ching-hua (吳青樺), a public relations specialist at the Breeze Center, adding that "fortune's favorite" will have the chance to dine with Taiwanese supermodel "Liz" on Valentine's Day next Thursday.

The "Fortune Bags" program helps boost spending in stores amid stagnating incomes, increasing consumer prices and a weak stock market.

According to a survey conducted by MasterCard, Taiwan's consumer confidence last year measured 29.7 on its index, which was 1.1 less than the previous year and the lowest among Asia-Pacific nations.

"We are infusing NT$10 million in preparing the Fortune Bag prizes this year," Chou said. "It may attract more customers to shop at the Living Mall during the holiday."

The Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, however, has no automobile up for grabs this year.

According to Johnny Liu (劉品洲), chief of Mitsukoshi's advertising and promotion section, the top prize in its four branches in Taipei's Xinyi District (信義) will be a four-day trip to Hong Kong and Macau.

"We're not giving out a big prize this year, but we are providing more and better gifts," Liu said, adding that 1,500 fortune bags would be available.

Another leading department store in Taipei, Pacific Sogo, does not have a mall-wide fortune bags program, but individual stores in the shopping center have various promotion plans.

"This enables our customers to choose the commodities they like," said Carol Wang (王思涵), a public relations specialist at Pacific Sogo.

"You will never know what is in a fortune bag, but here you can purchase the products you really like," she said.

She added that every customer who takes up a special offer also has the chance to win a Suzuki Swift car.
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