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<From Overseas Office> [China] Shanghai Lockdown 2022

The lockdown will be gradually lifted in blocks and apartment complexes, but it is likely to continue in many areas until around the end of the Golden Week holidays.

People are not allowed to go out of their houses, but they can go to PCR inspections that will be conducted every few days in apartment complexes and other designated areas.

Many businesses are unable to operate normally, and schools have been online for over a month.

As of late April, all transportation, including cabs, was suspended.

Many stores and logistics operations have either stopped or are operating sporadically because employees are unable to go to work.

The chaotic period from late March to early April has passed, and although there is a sense of recovery compared to that time, the streets of Shanghai are still very lonely.

The battle for food

This is what the citizens of Shanghai do best on a daily basis. Many people wake up early in the morning each day and begin by struggling with the application. Stores in general sell out as soon as sales start and close today within a minute. It is said that the success rate of ordering on an individual basis is less than 5%. Of course, you will never be able to buy all the items you wanted to buy because they are always sold out.

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Set alarms according to the timing of orders for various services

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Out of stock immediately after sales start “补货中”

Relief Supplies/Rations

Supplies are distributed by the government on an irregular basis, varying from district to district. At the beginning of the blockade, the foodstuffs were minimal, but gradually the supplies became more varied

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Cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers at the first distribution; dried noodles, Spam, and sausages at the second distribution.

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Baked goods, seasonings, household goods and medicines.

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Some companies have made separate arrangements for relief supplies so that their employees can work without worry.

Group Purchasing

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Examples of group purchases and order consolidation

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The author exchanged 1 bottle of soy sauce for 4 oranges and 4 apples, and 1 bottle of cola for 2 ice creams with a neighbor in the same apartment.

Ingredients that are difficult to obtain

Foodstuffs that can be preserved are relatively easy to obtain, while leafy vegetables and fish that cannot be preserved are difficult to obtain. At one time, families that owned a lot of vegetables were considered “wealthy” and lettuce was said to be worth “chanel”. Many people began growing aromatic vegetables (leeks, garlic, ginger, etc.) because of the difficulty in obtaining them in the early days of the blockade. Coke and alcohol were difficult to obtain in the grocery, and many people craved them.

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My family is one of the “wealthy” in a different sense

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A friend of mine growing leeks and garlic sprouts

The joys of living in a closed-off area

This is similar in many ways to the self-restraint lifestyle in Japan. I enjoy hobbies such as video games and mahjong, remote live, remote training, remote disco…, and cooking such as making dumplings and breads. Communication with his family has also increased. Some people say that they look forward to PCR tests that allow them to take light walks while they are at it, and I think Shanghai residents can relate to this, albeit in a humble way.

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Making buns and bread

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Participating in a remote concert

Although the situation differs slightly depending on where you live, there is no doubt that life during the blockade is made possible by the community. Volunteers are also active in the community, and I am impressed and grateful for their hard work every day.

Demand for stocks as crisis management

Households that normally do not eat many vegetables are now stocking their refrigerators with more vegetables. This is due to the awareness of the need to stock vegetables when they are available and the sense of security that comes with having a stock of vegetables in the fridge. In addition to foodstuffs, demand for seasonings, beverages (water, milk, cola, coffee, and other beverages, alcohol, etc.), daily necessities (especially paper products and disinfectants), and medicine is also increasing as long as they are available. Compared to Japan, China has always had a tendency to stock up, but in the past, the main motivation was because it was cheaper to buy in bulk or during sales represented by W11, and now that the blockade has been experienced, the main motivation is preparedness.

What they want after logistics are restored

A big refrigerator, a freezer, a vegetable garden… This may be the voice of some, but it seems that many citizens share this as well.

What they want to do after the blockade is lifted

Health consciousness has been growing in China, but junky foods such as hamburgers, grilled meat, cakes, milk tea, etc. are mentioned as things they would like to eat after the blockade is lifted. With the blockade preventing people from feeling spring, and with winter about to turn into summer all at once, the desire to go on a trip to experience the great outdoors is also very high. After the blockade is lifted, there will likely be some stress-relieving splurges for a while.

In the event of overstocking, demand for stocking up is likely to continue, as means have been created for sharing and private sales through the community.

<Finally>

The blockade will eventually be lifted and life will return to normal, but perhaps the group purchasing route will take root, and the growing demand for stock will influence the brand switch of Shanghai people who love new products. It is unlikely that the community created this time will disband after the blockade is lifted, and the real-digital mix of interaction will continue.

Furthermore, the infection in China has spread not only to Shanghai but also to other cities, which may bring about a change in the mindset of the Chinese people.

Hopefully, by the time this column is published, the blockade will have been lifted in many districts…

If you would like to exchange the latest information on Shanghai (China) with an Intage China representative, please contact us
here.


  • Intage Inc

    Author profile
    Luo Na

    Client Account Director, INTAGE CHINA.
    Chinese, graduated from university in Japan and joined INTAGE. She has 14 years of experience and is familiar with many research methods. Currently in Shanghai, she is in charge of Japanese companies operating in China, always striving to understand customer needs more deeply and to make precise proposals according to the issues.

  • Intage Inc

    Editor profile
    Yuka Sekio

    Joined INTAGE in 2007.Currently resides in Shanghai.She finds it interesting to encounter products he would never buy himself through rationing during the blockade.One of her recent concerns is that she only has two more rolls of toilet paper in stock.

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