(Central Station) Gucci sends vegetables to VIP customers in Shanghai

Luxury brands in Shanghai sent food, vegetables, and fruits to their VIP customers, as most residents struggle with a shortage of supplies under the city’s stringent Covid restrictions.

Images circulating online showed fresh vegetables and meals sent to customers in gift boxes, alongside cards on which the companies showed their care and thanked their clients for their support.

Some gift boxes contained local delicacies such as braised bamboo shoots, beef ribs, and lion’s head. Gucci sent cabbage in expensive-looking wraps.

The generosity did not sit well with some netizens, who said that the gifts highlight the big divide between the poor and the rich.

Many residents are worried about food supplies, and some said they need to set an alarm clock to wake early in the morning to get fruits and vegetables from online stores before the items are quickly bought up. 

“Although this is the brands’ way to maintain customer relationships, it may be better to keep quiet of what you have done when so many others are really facing difficulties buying food and seeing doctors,” one commented.   

Others said sending gifts is a standard business practice, and there is no need for people to get angry.

Instead of avoiding the topic or giving an apology, Gucci China confirmed the pictures were genuine. It said that the gifts had nothing to do with how much customers spent in stores.

A netizen said the brand knows well that those who complain about the internet are not their potential customers: “The more these people yell at them, the happier their real customers will be as they will gain a greater sense of identity, superiority, and prestige.”