September 2, 2010

  • 台式茶店

     

    上年夏天，我家附近開了一間外賣台式茶店，有時會在那裡買杯奶茶，回家中邊做論文邊飲茶。以茶論茶，水準是不錯的，十一二元一杯，間中一次還是揮霍得起的。

     

    今年夏天，我家15分鐘腳程範圍之內，已開了至少七間同類的外賣茶店！好些本來是長期由魚蛋燒賣佔據的黃金旺舖，也讓了路給這些茶店。

     

    這種大爆發式的開業潮說明了什麼呢？

     

    說明了有人「發現」了需求，第一批經營者（大概是上年夏天已經開業的）嘗到了甜頭，行業存在很大的利潤空間，吸引了大批後來者加入競爭。它們能進佔租金最昂貴的地點，證明了他們的盈利能力很高。

     

    不過，在可見的將來，這種四處都是茶店的景象一定會過去，就好像當年日式芝士蛋糕和台式沙冰一樣，就算不是完全消失，也要尋求轉營。這種大起大落的風潮通常有幾個特徵，包括興起的是舶來品、經營者數目突然暴增、熱潮來得快去得快等。

     

    有人說是香港人最會玩殘潮流，即是說潮流來的時候消費者會狂買，經營者會瘋狂加入，但消費者又會很容易愛上其他東西，結果經營者便要止蝕離場。有些人會很不齒這種現象，批評香港人的一窩風心態。

     

    可是我們不要忘記，從來突然出現然後無聲無色消失的都是新奇的舶來品，這些東西都沒有本土文化的根源，甚至在它們來的地方也沒有深厚的飲食文化基礎。君不見植根香港幾十年的魚蛋燒賣會突然興起消失嗎？

     

    有人說是香港的昂貴租金沒有讓這些「新興行業」建立起商譽和基礎，那似乎是因果倒置了，這些新興商戶最初是在最貴的地點出現，說明了他們最初的營利能力本來是高的，他們的死亡，是因為後來需求委縮，令他們再支付不起黃金地段的租金。

     

    其實對於加入競爭的經營者而言，他們加入的一刻已經預計要割禾青，到潮流一過便及早離場。這種來得快去得快的經營文化，無什麼可質疑的，他們所做的就好像逐水草而居的牧民一樣，而且反應敏銳的小本經營起家，不正正是香港經濟成長故事的寫照嗎？（制度是否對小本經營者愈來愈不友善則是另一個可以深入討論的題目了）

     

    是不是想得太多了？其實這時候手上是有一杯愛玉冰未飲 (那是小時候在台灣的《漢聲小百科》看到的，後來吃過就很喜歡，遲一點一定要寫一篇《漢聲小百科》)。

     


    (上年夏年在我家附近開業的店，自從周圍多了七個競爭者之後，最近好像經營得有點吃力。　[圖片來自openrice])


    (這是灣仔地鐵站旁邊的黃金位置，過去十幾年都是賣魚旦燒賣的，早兩個月被這間連鎖茶店取代了，值明它的交租能力很強。 [圖片來自我自己])

     

Comments (7)

  • 原來是comebuy。這間小店早就在澳門霸了半個台式奶茶市場。

  • 熱潮來得快去得快, exactly!  The new wave of 'pearl milk tea' will just die soon, like last time, haha.  

    Btw, you must be living in a very crowed area, as there are NONE of such specialist drink stores next to my place, poor me......       

  • 後來需求委縮 (isn't it 萎縮 by the way?) is not SOOOOO true, just as there are too many competitors, the supply has shifted and the equilibrium can no longer be maintained......  If people buy 100 cups per day, when there were only 2 stores, the revenue per store is 50 cups, but now there are 5 or even 10 stores around, each store can only sell 10 to 20 cups, how can they survive???  

    I feel that this time (with the trend having lasted for more than one year already), people's demand has got stable, as such tea drinks have really become popular and widely accepted as a part of local 'scene', it is just that too many similar stores have BOOMED, and finally the market can't grow as fast and they can't all survive......  
    Let's see WHEN the trend will stop and HOW these stores will fall......      

  • @doctorandrewtam - 所以有佔最旺的舖位的能力

    @Frostig - poor me就真，我住響人多擠迫既鬧市。

    關於個demand問題，多咗競爭者會令收入減少，本來經營能力較弱的經營者會止蝕離場，但唔會大家一齊死，而係會死剩最能賺錢的。至於點解會全部消失，就如你所講，佢地唔能夠形成消費習慣，熱潮過後就冇人買到一個程度連死剩既winners都死埋。

  • Haha, I saw that store opened!  (I was still working in WC a couple of months ago, hehee...)  

      Actually, the trend has spread slower in WC already, as I felt.  While there are ten, fifteen such stores in MK already, there were not so many in WC.  I had to go all the way to Spring Garden Lane (Lane?  Road?  anyway...  ) to buy one, haha.  
    Well, if you also count the transport time and cost, living in a more rural area is really inconvenient, as the seemingly less expensive rent would not be able to compensate the time and money spent in transport.  
    (I will work in CB soon, so, the transport cost remains, haha.)   P.S.:  I LOVE certain kinds of such teas, and would try this 愛玉冰 you recommended, hehee......  The good thing of this trend is that those drinks are actually inexpensive (as compared with any drink in a local fast food resto) and they are BIG in size, hehee......    From the previous 'Taiwan tea drink trend', only those 仙XX survived, which have been far too expensive for me, and this time I hope the trend will not totally die, haha.   P.P.S.:  I myself know how to make those 'pearl milk tea' in fact, just I would NOT buy the ingredients to make at home.    I don't like those 'pearl' so much actually.  I like the other jellies more.    

  • "早兩個月被這間連鎖茶店取代了，值明它的交租能力很強"

    這證明它的蝕錢能力很強. 哈哈哈哈哈. 

  • comebuy開係嗰個位之後..我都好少再去麻吉買完之後上地鐵飲

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