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Shein’s pop-up store in Brazil caused fistfights

Diego Mendoza is a Breaking News reporter. You can reach him at . , our daily newsletter that distills what’s happening in the world into a concise, insightful morning read.

Nov 21, 2022, 12:19pm EST
South America
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The Videos

Shein’s five-day pop-up store in Sao Paulo last week, saw thousands line up outside, with viral videos showing customers getting into fights while waiting.

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Know More

China e-commerce giant Shein -- the world’s largest fashion retailer -- opened its store at one of Sao Paulo’s biggest malls on Nov. 12. Tens of thousands of shoppers visited the pop-up, according to the China Global South Project. People were still waiting in lines more than a kilometer long on the last day.

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Local media outlets reported scenes of chaos and disorderly conduct outside the storefront, as increasingly impatient customers tried to get to the front. Store managers were forced to issue a capacity limit of 40 people at a time, with customers having only 20 minutes to shop, according to Brazilian news site G1.

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Step Back

Clothing prices are up 19% in Brazil, according to the China Global South Project, making retailers with low prices like Shein more appealing to a growing middle class plagued with worldwide inflation. G1 reported that the most expensive item of clothing at the Shein pop-up store cost 167 real ($31).

Shein is particularly popular among young adults, with global TikTok influencers frequently uploading “Shein haul” videos. The company faces accusations of using forced labor in Xinjiang.

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Notable

Semafor’s Louise Matsakis explains how Chinese e-commerce companies like Shein have filled in the gaps for customer demand of cheap goods after Amazon banned many Chinese sellers on their platform.

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