Taobaotopia?

I have, for a long time, imagined a Taobaotopia. A world where online shopping has drastically reduced the need for retail brick-and-mortars. Less demand for retail real estate means cheaper office and housing space. Or more space for parks. Swimming pools. Unicorns.

But now, Taobao has thrown my world into a tailspin by opening a giant showroom. Not an online showroom, but a real, physical showroom. Has my Taobaotopia gone wrong?

The Taobao furniture showroom: a half an Ikea

It turns out, Taobao understands me better than I understand myself. One of the few real-world places that I still shop is Ikea. But it is always a half-nasty experience.

The crowds are terrible, and can be especially dangerous when you introduce shopping carts full of curtain rods and overstuffed bags of pillows.. Making the journey from the showroom to the warehouse is like descending into the dark pits of hell. And the weekend checkout lines are a disaster. Would you like it delivered? A second checkout line awaits!

The Taobao Furniture Showroom promises to scrub all that by putting transaction Online where it can be handled cleanly. Taobao, you have done it again!

Apart from the pack-it-flat, build-it-yourself principle, one of Ikea’s big efficiency innovations was to let customers find their own stuff in their big warehouse. But that part always sucks, as does the negotiation with the SUV drivers waiting outside Ikea.

Time to give it a try

I say it is time we head on over to Taobao’s 25,000-square-meter Beijing mall. This mall displays 22,000 items from over 300 suppliers. Orders and payment only take place online. Taobao says it plans to open similar showrooms in other major Chinese cities.

Be prepared!

When the inevitable zombie apocylapse arrives, you can be sure that you’ll get chased from your home in your robe and slippers. So make sure that your slippers are up to task with a few tactical upgrades.

Household shoes - 居家鞋

The New Blend

Starbucks has just recently started offering coffee from China’s southwestern province of Yunnan. The new blend is currently offered only in Starbuck’s mainland China outlets, but Starbucks has confirmed that it could expand to other countries. Word on the street is that the President of Starbucks China wants to make China’s coffee as well-known as China’s tea.

Yunnan coffee is delicous. But for the price of a Starbucks latte, you can buy whole-bean coffee fresh from the farm. And your money will go directly to China’s coffee growers in the mountains of Yunnan Province.

Here is a good seller that ships directly from Yunnan. Yunnan Coffee Beans.

Yunnan’s environment is well-suited to growing coffee. Yunnan’s temperate climate, height above sea level and general geographical situation make the growing conditions comparable with both Indonesia and Colombia. You’ll enjoy it.

If you are just getting started with whole beans, you will need to get a coffee bean grinder as well. Search for 电动磨豆机 You should be able to find a good one for around Y90.

Electric coffee grinder - about 90rmb

You also need a coffee or espresso maker. In this case, you have some options, with coffee makers available for around Y120, and espresso makers starting at around Y500 (and ranging up to Y32,000, ouch!).

Coffee machine – 120rmb

Espresso machine – 800rmb

Single-shot espresso machine – 500rmb

What do you think – have you tried Yunnan coffee? How do you think it stacks up to other regions?

Yunnan Cofee Beans: 云南 咖啡豆