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WeChat ID shanghaiwoweng Intro Shanghai WOW! is the ultimate guide to HIGH QUALITY LIFESTYLE in megacity Shanghai. You probably know what fidget spinner are by now, but in case you don’t, here’s what Wikipedia has to say:   A fidget spinner is a type of toy, whose marketers claim it relieves stress. A basic fidget spinner consists of a bearing in the center of a design made from any of a variety of materials …The toy has been advertised as helping people who have trouble with focusing or fidgeting (such as those with ADHD, autism, or anxiety) by acting as a release mechanism for nervous energy or psychological stress.     Google searchs for fidget spinners in 2017   Most are surprised to find out that fidget spinners were actually invented in 1993 by an Orlando, FL woman named Catherine Hettinger. Unfortunately for her, the 1997 patent she owned on the product expired earlier this year, which means she’s not financially benefiting from the toy’s sudden popularity.   Catherine Hettinger. Photo source: news.com.au   Their popularity has exploded, and no one seems to know why. The general storyline seems to be this: a late 2016 article about the toy in Forbes Magazine let to a bump in use, which then led to a flood of videos and memes about them on YouTube and reddit.    So, are they in Shanghai??? No one in our office has seen them anywhere, I went out to investigate.   SCIENCE AND TECH FAKE MARKET? First stop is the Science and Tech Fake Market. …   Yes. Yes they’re everywhere. A conservative estimate is that 40% of the booths have them. And they know it’s a hot item, spinners are front and center of the booths that have them and most sales people are themselves fidget spinning.    They’ve got all shapes, sizes, colors, even some that light up. The general price range seems to be RMB10-20 for a low level spinner, RMB60+ for ones with all the bells and whistles. I bought 3 and left.    EAST NANJING?    I figured this would be a good place to check if they’re retailing anywhere. It’s a safe bet they’re anywhere that has a fake market sort of vibe, but I’m unsure about legit shops.   I found fidget spinners before I even got out of the metro station, along one of the exit stairwells a lady had some. Not a huge variety but same general selection and price range.   After that though... nothing, I checked numerous retail stores in the surrounding areas that sold techie stuff like headphones and phone cases, nada.    PEOPLE’S SQUARE METRO MARKET? Because I was in the neighborhood anyway, I swung by the People’s Square metro market. Although it’s mostly clothing and shoes I thought it might be a good indication of how popular spinners are.   Bingo, spinners. Strangely though I only found one place that had them, a guy with a booth selling iPhone covers and hats, and his selection was pretty slim.   TAOBAO? Aaaaaaand yes, of course, how dumb of me to think they might not be on Taobao. They’re everywhere, usually referred to as ‘HandSpinners.’   The come in quite a wide variety: AND THIS ONE HAS SPEAKERS!!!!!     CONSLUSIONS They’re here, for sure, but retail stores, toy shops and the local population in general doesn’t seem to have quite caught on to the fad yet. Surprisingly I didn’t see a single person spinning aside from the salespeople. I also didn’t see anyone browsing spinners as if they were in the market for one. As for my purchased spinners, they were not very cool to be frank. One broke after 4 or 5 hard spins (a bearing fell out). No one in our office seemed to know what they were or what the hell I’m writing about. They will though, soon enough. Weird Sh*t on Taobao (summer edition) How Many Calories Does Your Junk Food Have? Reward 长按二维码向我转账 受苹果公司新规定影响,微信 iOS 版的赞赏功能被关闭,可通过二维码转账支持公众号。 Scan QR Code via WeChat to follow Official Account

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