"Xuzhen Supermarket" has all the trappings of a legitimate business — except that the products on the shelves are nothing more than empty packages. (Photo/Shanghai Morning Post)
(ECNS) -- A "supermarket" in Shanghai is leaving many shoppers empty-handed and bewildered.
With its fully stocked, well-organized product zones, surveillance cameras, and authentic receipts, the "Xuzhen Supermarket" has all the trappings of a legitimate business — except that the products on the shelves are nothing more than empty packages.
Xu Zhen is the "founder" of the supermarket, an art installation on Huiyuan Street in Shanghai's Changning District.
Shop assistants, volunteers and college students remind visitors that everything sold at the store is just a package, but at the same price as on e-commerce sites.
Residents living nearby sometimes visit the supermarket, but rarely buy anything.
Most visitors to this mixed-media installation are younger people. The first one happened to be a foreigner who spent 140 yuan ($21) on packages, while a young Chinese bought a box of condoms for 78 yuan, knowing there was nothing inside.
An average of 20 people visit the supermarket daily, according to a staff member.
Staff working for the art project said they were amused when children looked confused after finding nothing inside packages.
The project runs until April 29 and is open from 7 a.m. to midnight every day.
The Xuzhen Supermarket made its debut in 2007, and had subsequent solo exhibitions at the James Cohan Gallery in New York and other leading museums across the world. The project is said to inspire visitors to be aware of the powerful influence of consumerism on society.
