For Chinese wives who love to shop til they drop, some malls have just the answer–“laogong jicun chu” or “husband cloakrooms.”
The latest one is available in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, in southwest China, according to gaming blog Kotaku. The idea took hold in cities like Shenzhen and Qiqihar in 2010, but has been around since at least 2006.
These “husband storage” areas have different pastimes on offer: you can watch television, surf the net, smoke, order refreshments, read books and magazines ... or just sleep if you prefer.
Photos of the new station in Guiyang show it is set up with glass walls, allowing wives to quickly pass by and check on their other halves, before getting straight back to shopping.
American readers on Kotaku were quick to joke about the phenomenon. “We have that in my local mall too. We call it GameStop though,” commented one.
Another said: “But if your husband is in storage, who’s carrying all the stuff you just bought? Use your heads, Chinese wives.”
A third quipped: “Now only if the Chinese invented some sort of mute button for wives...”
