Manufacturers back-ordered as people snatch up pig-themed goods
As this year is traditionally known as the "Year of the Golden Pig," which comes around every 600 years, piggy banks are selling briskly. With many companies purchasing the porcine depositories in large quantities for resale, stock is in short supply. One piggy bank maker has been receiving orders of about 200,000-300,000 banks a week since the end of last November. According to a representative of the company, due to a flood of orders, his company cannot take orders any more. The situation is the same for other makers. A man who sells piggy banks produced in China on an online open market said he had to pay a premium to buy goods because factories in China could not cope with the boost in orders. "It is so hard to buy piggy banks that South Korean merchants are waiting in line in front of the factories," he said. Another company selling piggy banks made in Korea and China is supplied small-sized banks from Korean manufacturers as if they were rationed goods.Nam Chang-gil, an official at major online shopping mall Interpark, said, "From December, orders for not only piggy banks, but also smaller articles such as golden piggy key chains, have increased to a level about 50 times more than usual." Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
