Ghost Mall Shop Assistants

Despite efforts to smash the notion of “the iron rice bowl”, the Chinese government’s legitimacy still relies on its ability to cater to the millions of job seekers who enter the Chinese work force every year. This quest to create jobs has reached a point where supply surpasses demand, leading to phenomena including ‘ghost malls’ stocked full of items, and shop assistants who busy themselves with texting, napping and inventory. This is a voyeuristic view of those who work in this consumer-less frontline of customer service in Shanghai’s ghost malls.