Cost of a Typhoon Holiday
So Friday was another typhoon holiday for us, announced to cheers around the gym where I was. And since a day off in itself isn't that fantastic (especially if the weather just sucks and anywhere you want to go means you have to get drenched even with your raincoat), I decided that I deserved to treat myself for every typhoon holiday. Why not? Something to lift the spirits on a downer moody kind of day, right?
Well, it turns out this holiday, I had a big treat in store, somewhat unexpectedly. Wandering around looking for a suit (for work), I stumbled into the basement of the Shinkong Mitsukoshi mall and into fnac (a French consumer-electronics-retailer-slash-bookstore). And there it was: the w800i on display. I giddily approached the display case and inquired.
"Is it released already??"
"No, not yet, sorry." A look of disappointment must have flashed across my face.
"But sir, if you like, you can pre-order it today for pick up on Monday."
The price they were asking was about $5 USD more than the best price I could find online, and I had the comfort of dealing with a major retail chain, and having my spot in the queue saved so I wouldn't need to line-up and fight for the limited stock with the rest of the gadget-hungry folk!So tomorrow, I should get a call that my phone is ready for pickup. I'll finish up my personal trainer session, shower, scoot on over, and happily plop down my AmEx for the $17,800 NTD ($555 USD). And then I take my new baby home.
Hurray for typhoons!
4 comments:
Ah Shinkong Mitsukoshi! This is the one near the Grand Hyatt/Taipei 101 right?
When I first arrived in Taiwan, that was the first place I wandered to! They were building a third installment -- which I'm sure is all completed by now.
The basement was the first place I explored. I like their breads and shaved ices!! :)
Typhoon Holiday, what a deal! :)
- aliasa
Yeah, it's the one close to the Taipei 101, across the street from Warner Village, Neo 19, and New York New York. (There's also another Shinkong Mitsukoshi that's clear across town by the Taipei Main Station.)
fnac just called me a few minutes ago from building A9 and floor B2, to let me know that my phone is ready for pickup. I have my little red sheet with me, and I'm itching to go!
Bottom lines: one typhoon holiday has cost me some drama, and the second one has cost me $555 USD.
That's a nice piece of metal Benben! Wish we had nice phones in Canada... =(
If you're willing to spend the dough, you guys can use any tri- or quad-band GSM/GPRS phone here too, you know. They come unlocked and save for a few tiny details are pretty much the same as the versions you might find there. But you have to be willing to part with the green, which for me has always been the biggest hurdle. (Of course, being single now is helping that a tiny bit. Not much, but a tiny bit.)
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