Restaurants and stores are vying to offer the most attractive promotions, to make the most of our switch to Level 2, and the return of in-person spending. The government’s consumer stimulus vouchers are not out yet, but stores hope big discounts will tempt shoppers out early. Let’s take a look at the variety of offers across the market.

This is not the normal crowd for a weekday afternoon in a major department store. But some shoppers can be seen carrying their precious bounty home.

Promotions gave them a bargain haul today, say shoppers. The government’s consumer stimulus vouchers aren’t here yet, but stores have gotten their own promotions started early.

At Sogo, you can get a NT$6,400 discount voucher when you download their app – NT$200 off every NT$3,000 or NT$400 off every NT$5,000. At Shinkong Mitsukoshi, downloading the app gives you a NT$1,000 voucher good for 10% off online purchases. Global Mall is offering digital “End of Lockdown Fun” vouchers, with up to NT$200 off store or restaurant sales.

Tsao Chun-hui
Department store PR manager
Of course, everyone in Taiwan has been cooped up for almost two months, so we should really encourage everyone and get that shopping fever back.

It’s 3 p.m. and this Hong Kong restaurant is juggling a rush of takeout orders. From July 27, the restaurant is offering a special takeout meal promotion on everything, from fried honey-glazed chicken and char siu bowls, to spare ribs in spicy seafood sauce. Buy three meals and get 5% off; buy five meals and get 12% off; buy seven meals and get 15% off.

Huang Tiao-cheh
Restaurant business manager
Since the alert level was reduced, there’ll be some office workers starting to go back into work in person. So we thought we’d encourage them to buy meals together at work.

You can get 12% off plus a NT$300 voucher when you spend NT$600 at Tim Ho Wan dim sum restaurant or NT$500 at Hawker Chan. Dine in at Hi-Lai Foods before Aug. 8 to receive a thank you card and a NT$100 voucher. Meanwhile, beef steaks are buy one get one free at Royal Host.

And convenience stores are not to be outdone, either. 7-Eleven is offering a lottery for shopping carts over NT$500. The grand prize is a NT$10,000 gift card.

And until Aug. 8, there are numerous extra discounts: 20% or 25% for multiple purchases on selected products. At FamilyMart, collect a badge for each $200 spent. Three badges win you a NT$100 voucher. At OKMart until July 30, membership points are all doubled. So wherever you normally would be shopping, there’s probably a little something extra coming your way.