Taipei's sales-loving consumers left SARS fears at home yesterday and showed up en masse at Pacific Sogo Department Store (
The store opened its doors yesterday for the first time since last Friday after it was closed so the entire 12-story facility could be disinfected after last week's SARS scare. Promotions of up to 50 percent off on selected items succeeded in luring back customers.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"The super cheap discounts are so attractive that I couldn't resist," said Helen Chang (
"Of course I still feel uneasy about the disease, so I still wear my mask all the time," she added.
Chang arrived at Sogo at 10am, one hour before the department store opened, to be first in line.
The store closed last week of its own accord after one cashier and several customers allegedly came down with SARS symptoms.
To lure customers back, the retailer announced a three-day sale starting yesterday and running through tomorrow. The store marked down selected items on cosmetics, accessories and consumer electronics by as much as 50 percent. Everything in the store's supermarket yesterday was also discounted by 20 percent.
Consumer reaction to the sale surprised even Sogo staff.
"In less than 30 minutes, we sold out all [200] limited items," a salesperson at the Shu Uemura counter.
The Japanese cosmetic maker offered makeup remover, originally priced at NT$2,100 per bottle, for NT$1,000 yesterday.
According to Sogo, the department store attracted an estimated 80,000 shoppers yesterday, a slight increase over its average of 60,000 shoppers a day on weekdays.
"We are glad that consumers haven't forgotten us," said Lee Kuang-rong (李光榮), Sogo's spokesman. "After all we've done so much, such as store-wide disinfection."
But for consumers, bargains, rather than disinfection, were the key.
"I am here for the discounts ? I plan to leave as soon as I make my purchase," said Huang Kuang-huei (
The magnetism of the sale was overpowering for some.
"The discounts are even deeper than their annual sale, so I couldn't persuade myself not to come," said Hsiao Li-ting (
However, Sogo may still not be out of the woods yet.
The Taipei City Government's Bureau of Health yesterday said there was another suspected SARS case linked to the store's Tunhwa South Road branch.
A man, surnamed Lee, reportedly came down with fever and lung problems on May 10. He had worked part-time at the Tunhwa branch's supermarket between April 28 and May 1.
Spokesman Lee Kuang-rong said based on the date, the part-time worker's suspected infection "has nothing to do with Sogo."
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday said that its research institute has launched its first advanced artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) using traditional Chinese, with technology assistance from Nvidia Corp. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), said the LLM, FoxBrain, is expected to improve its data analysis capabilities for smart manufacturing, and electric vehicle and smart city development. An LLM is a type of AI trained on vast amounts of text data and uses deep learning techniques, particularly neural networks, to process and generate language. They are essential for building and improving AI-powered servers. Nvidia provided assistance
DOMESTIC SUPPLY: The probe comes as Donald Trump has called for the repeal of the US$52.7 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which the US Congress passed in 2022 The Office of the US Trade Representative is to hold a hearing tomorrow into older Chinese-made “legacy” semiconductors that could heap more US tariffs on chips from China that power everyday goods from cars to washing machines to telecoms equipment. The probe, which began during former US president Joe Biden’s tenure in December last year, aims to protect US and other semiconductor producers from China’s massive state-driven buildup of domestic chip supply. A 50 percent US tariff on Chinese semiconductors began on Jan. 1. Legacy chips use older manufacturing processes introduced more than a decade ago and are often far simpler than
STILL HOPEFUL: Delayed payment of NT$5.35 billion from an Indian server client sent its earnings plunging last year, but the firm expects a gradual pickup ahead Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), the world’s No. 5 PC vendor, yesterday reported an 87 percent slump in net profit for last year, dragged by a massive overdue payment from an Indian cloud service provider. The Indian customer has delayed payment totaling NT$5.35 billion (US$162.7 million), Asustek chief financial officer Nick Wu (吳長榮) told an online earnings conference. Asustek shipped servers to India between April and June last year. The customer told Asustek that it is launching multiple fundraising projects and expected to repay the debt in the short term, Wu said. The Indian customer accounted for less than 10 percent to Asustek’s
Gasoline and diesel prices this week are to decrease NT$0.5 and NT$1 per liter respectively as international crude prices continued to fall last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to decrease to NT$29.2, NT$30.7 and NT$32.7 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, while premium diesel is to cost NT$27.9 per liter at CPC stations and NT$27.7 at Formosa pumps, the companies said in separate statements. Global crude oil prices dropped last week after the eight OPEC+ members said they would
RSS