Shopping Companions Carve a Niche

Qinghai Daily September 19



Shopping Companions Carve a Niche

Qinghai Daily September 19

VOLLEYBALL STAR JOINS TURKISH LEAGUE

Zhu Ting， China’s star spiker and the Rio Olympic volleyball tournament’s Most Valuable Player（MVP）， arrived in Turkey on September 17， becoming the first Chinese female volleyball player to take part in a professional league in Europe.

Zhu， 21 years old and 1.98 meters （6 feet and 6 inches） tall， will play for Vakifbank Istanbul，one of the most successful women’s volleyball clubs in Turkey， from October 2016 to May 2017. She will debut for her new club in this year’s FIVB World Women’s Club Championship in the Philippines in October.

China won the Rio gold medal after defeating Serbia in the final on August 20. Zhu finished as the top scorer in the tournament with a total of 179 points.

She signed with Vakifbank Istanbul in April in a deal proposed by Lang Ping， head coach of the Chinese Women’s Volleyball Team.

Zhu hails from a village in Zhoukou City of central China’s Henan Province. She was chosen to become a volleyball player in 2007 for her height， outstanding flexibility and physical coordination. She started to play for the national team in 2013 and has since registered remarkable performances in a number of international competitions including the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup， where she was named MVP.

A new profession called “shopping companion” is gaining popularity in China. A shopping companion not only provides customers with information about shopping items， but also helps the latter carry their handbags and the goods purchased.

The emergence of the new profession indicates that the division of labor has become increasingly elaborate. Shopping companions provide services for customers using their expertise and labor. They receive financial rewards as well as respect and trust from consumers and realize their personal value through the job.

However， ensuring the sound development of this fledging profession remains a challenge. The lack of a service contract between consumers and shopping companions can easily lead to disputes. Also， shopping companions’ work ethics are hard to guarantee given the absence of admission thresholds for practitioners. As a result， customers’ property may be at risk， and their privacy may be infringed upon.

For those who have difficulty choosing their purchases， a shopping companion can solve their problem. However， consumers should remember to protect their rights and interests by signing contracts with such service providers. The occupation both increases employment and benefits consumers， but only when it is subject to strict regulations can risks to property and privacy be averted.

“The priority is to increase humanitarian assistance and protect the basic dignity and security of all refugees.”

Premier Li Keqiang， speaking at a leaders’summit on refugees during the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 20

“We should not be blindly optimistic about the outlook for China’s foreign trade.”

Shen Danyang， spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce， on September 20 warning against the weak performance of China’s foreign trade，although trade data in August suggest an improving trend