Muji is a Japanese retail company which sells a wide variety of household goods. Its earth-friendliness and no-logo policy make it popular among the youth. In fact, a friend of mine in Xiamen even flied to Shanghai to buy some Muji skin care products.

The company opened its first shop in Beijing this year, located inside Joy City Plaza of the famous Xidan area. Inside I found goods ranging from pens, notebooks, apparel, and even appliances.

A trademark of the company is inventive uses for materials that might otherwise have been discarded or ignored. This result in products made from recycled materials and sold at low prices. For example, a 10-pack envelop made with recycled paper cost only RMB 10 to 20.

Shop assistant could not speak English. However, the price tags are clear, and you can't bargain.

What I Appreciate:
Earth-friendliness products

What Customer Appreciate:
No expensive packaging, earth-friendliness products

With so much hype recently for Uniqlo's third store in Beijing, I decided to see just what Japan's leading clothing chain is about. In case you're not familiar with the brand, the name Uniqlo stands for "unique clothing", which is what it offers.

The store is spacious, occupying almost half the floor. Although there are jeans and skirts, most of floor is covered with T-shirts. T-shirt costs RMB 150 to RMB 250 each at regular prices. While Jeans range from RMB 200 to RMB 600. I happened to enter a sale period, where the shirts were sold for RMB 99, or two for RMB 169.

What attracted my attention is the UT Project. UNIQLO launched the UT Project in 2007, featuring limited-edition t-shirts designed by renowned artists, designers, photographers and musicians. I like the T-shirt patterned with Jean-Michel Basquiat works. Those depicting skeletal figures and mask-like faces feature boldness and self-meditation.As with other T-shirts during the sales period, it cost RMB 99.

Shop assistant could not speak English, but it’s not necessary as all prices are clearly marked.

What I Appreciate:
UT project T-shirt

What Customer Appreciate:
Large selection of T-shirt , reasonable price