Despite the prevalence of online electronic cards (e-cards), traditional paper Christmas cards are still popular among holiday shoppers in Taiwan, according to stationery and bookstore sales clerks.
"We focus on selling Christmas cards with unique designs and though they retail at higher prices, customers are still willing to buy them," said Lin Yi-hui (林怡卉), a representative of the project-planning department at a Taipei Eslite bookstore.
"I don't think that electronic cards have replaced the traditional cards at all," she said.
students
Lin said that students and office workers are the major buyers of the cards and give them to close friends and colleagues.
Most cards range from NT$30 (US$1) to NT$80, but customers buy cards priced at over NT$200 as well, she said.
Small stationery stores have not been experiencing a drop in Christmas card sales either.
A sales clerk of a stationery store in Taipei's Wanhua District said that elementary, junior high, and high-school students still come streaming in for Christmas cards over the holidays.
"Our prices are low and students can easily afford them," he said.
Christmas shoppers, however, reveal the real reason behind buying cards or sending e-cards.
preferences
"I prefer buying Christmas cards because I can actually pick them out. Of course you can design your own cards online, but they never turn out the way you want them to," said a sixth-grade student, Yang Shan-yu (楊善予).
Interestingly, most college students interviewed preferred sending e-cards.
"[Sending e-cards] is just a faster and more convenient way of keeping in touch with friends. College students have friends from elementary, junior high and high school to send cards to," a university student surnamed Wu said.
easy procedure
"Also, it might be because I'm lazy. E-cards are a two-step procedure. You key in your mailing list and click send," Wu said.
Another college shopper, surnamed Hsu, said that students probably use the Internet more often than other age groups and therefore use methods such as e-cards or e-mails to send their season's greetings.
"However, I prefer picking out traditional Christmas cards since it's more sincere. Plus, sometimes nicer e-cards actually cost money. The free ones are just horrid," Hsu said.
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