295. Can a vet afford a Louis Vuitton handbag?

May 4, 2006 10.30 pm

CAN A VET AFFORD TO GIVE A SINGAPORE GIRL A LV HANDBAG?

"If you have to ask about the price of the Louis Vuitton's handbag, you cannot afford it."

Can I afford a LV handbag as a present to a Singapore girl who never had one? Who has never heard of Louis Vuitton.

In the LV store, a shimmering pink purse bag cost NT$20,000 (S$1,000). A handbag would cost more.

If I have to ask about the price, I should not go into this shop. 2 young men in black suits guarded the entrance. A small lift for 2, lined by red soft padding could take customers to the 4th floor which is a book shop. The 2nd store also had books for sale. The first floor was for ladies. The 2nd floor had men's clothings and gleaming LV watches. The 3rd floor was for ladies.

So, should I bring this Singapore girl to the Louis Vuitton's new store Zhongshan Road? The store was opened 2 days ago. It was boring to visit the other departmental stores as these were present in Singapore. But a special building just to display and sell LV goods, I believe, does not exist in Singapore.

This road has all upscale department stores. So, it is the equivalent of Singapore's downtown Orchard Road.

I wanted to buy her a LV handbag. Singapore girls are crazy about shopping. Like most women. So visiting LV's new store was something interesting for the Singapore girl.

The bookshop was the one of interest to me. We took a lift to the 4th floor. Black shelves with brown laminated cupboards and bright spot lights. A young man in black with ear plugs (probably listening to MP3 music) was in attendance. The 4th floor had a few books. "Life-style books," he said when I asked about dog books. He produced one book, "Lump the Dog who ate a Picasso" by David Douglas.

There was no price sticker on the book. It must be true. If I have to ask about the price, I cannot afford to buy this book. This store does not display price tags. Not even for dog books.

I asked the Singapore girl if she had any interest in any LV handbag? She said no. Maybe she thought I could not afford it?

We walked down a few shops. There was a small shop making chops by hand. Such chops are used by Taiwanese and Japanese for stamping their cheques. Most Taiwanese banks require such chops.

"NT$3,200 (S$165) per chop with carrier case and wax ink which can last for 3 years. Not the stamping pad ink. Chops made with the wax ink are clearer and better. Handmade chops are not so easily imitated, unlike computer generated names made nowadays," the man in his forties said to me. He had inherited the shop from his aged father and uncle.

"The price is higher because this chop is made from bovine horns and will not chip" a Taiwanese woman in her forties said to me. She took out another chop made of other material and knocked on the table edge. Small pieces fell off the edge.

I had 2 chops made. One for myself and one for the Singapore girl. She was not Chinese educated, so she had difficulty writing her Chinese name. The chop maker was great. He took some Indian ink and wrote beautifully our Chinese names inside a circle to make the chops.

"Should be ready and delivered to your hotel tomorrow at 9 a.m" the chop maker said. He had customers from word of mouth and from web postings put up by clients in America and Japan. As for his business, he had no websites or emails.

"It is a pity," I said. "Taiwan is the world's largest maker of computers. Here you do not even use computers. The internet will increase your business globally. If prospects can know more about your business, it will be via the internet. They can contact you by e-mail and place orders." He did not believe me. I doubt his children will be interested in his business of handcrafting chops instead of using computers. It is a dying trade.

I left the shop with the Singapore girl. She said, "You have been conned." I was surprised she said that. Was a handcrafted chop at NT$1,600 not worth the hard work and expertise? It is hard to understand the Singapore girl.