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Convenience stores cash in on cuteness

Collecting the queen of cuteness has become so popular, Web sites and market stalls are doing good business. PHOTO COURTESY OF PRESIDENT CHAIN STORE CORP

Even tough guys cannot resist the charms of Hello Kitty, who has been stealing hearts for 32 years and is presently employed by 7-Eleven to boost sales at their stores around the nation. The cute mute is being given away free of charge for purchases over NT$77 and has already become a collector's item.

A 38-badge set of kitties from countries around the world, called "Flower Nations," was officially revealed by 7-Eleven owner President Chain Store Corp (統一超商) last week, in a puff of feel-good publicity. The company's release of an edition of 3-D magnets in 2004 to mark the feline's 30th anniversary was wildly successful and a cultural phenomenon.

Women cooed and could not say no to all that free sweetness, while men were inspired to either collect for themselves or please their better halves by bringing home the Kitty. Foreign English teachers quickly learned the best way to inspire students was by rewarding them with the avatar of adorable. Web sites and market stalls sprang up after the 12-week promotional period ended to swap, buy and sell the magnets.

The other major convenience stores -- such as FamilyMart, Nikomart, OK and High-Life -- were forced to follow suit and give out themed badges or cartoon characters. 7-Eleven followed up with a Disney set late last year. But no-one has the pulling power of Hello Kitty.

Vivian Hsu (徐崇嵐), a public relations official of President Chain Store, said the idea of offering free gifts was borrowed from 7-Eleven in Hong Kong and proved so successful it was hard to stop.

"These kinds of promotions are not for profit, they are to give customers a nice surprise, a feeling of being lucky and satisfied. Taiwanese really like these kitties and cartoons, males and females alike. They just cannot resist her."

She said the figure of NT$77 was arrived at because it had the seven of 7-Eleven, it was easy to remember and was mid-way between a reasonable purchase price of NT$50 and NT$100.

"We have a 12-week marketing period because we don't want to make it so long that it becomes boring, but give customers enough time to collect them all."

The middle-aged cat from London was the brainchild of Japanese designers from Sanrio and is said to have no mouth because she speaks from the heart. She was named after a cat in Lewis Carrol's Alice Through the Looking Glass and owes her initial popu-larity to the adoration of Japanese girls -- who have elevated the cult of kawaii, or cuteness, to international respectability.

In addition to the TV cartoons, movies and games, there have been Hello Kitty credit cards,

cellphones, motorbikes and even a car. Celebrities including Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Carmen Electra and Nicky Hilton have all declared their fealty to the adorable cat.

President Chain Store Corp is aware of the Web sites and market stalls that are making money off the free Hello Kitty collecting phenomenon, but prefers to turn a blind eye.

One such store in the Longshan Temple night market this week was nevertheless nervous about being photographed. It already had the full Flower Nations collection but the owners insisted that the characters were acquired as the result of purchases.

They did present their pink business card, in Japanese-style script, but asked not to be named. One said, "This is really for fun not profit. It is a place for people to come and talk about their collections and get items they cannot find anywhere else."

The most expensive item was a boar from the 7-Eleven Disney collection that was priced at NT$100.

The Taipei Times could find only one Hello Kitty cynic, a self-described gangster called Xiao Ge (小哥) who owns a coffee shop in Ximending, Taipei.

"The whole thing is boring. When I get a Hello Kitty I take it but when I get home I just throw it away," he said. "No, I don't have a girlfriend."
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