A surviving receipt from KPS Video Express, and what it reveals about Hong Kong's past.
A surviving receipt from KPS Video Express, and what it reveals about Hong Kong's past.
Update: May 2020
KPS Video Express used a distinct receipt which had a yellow hue, and was printed on a dot matrix printer as was most receipts back in the day. The scans here are probably one of the very last remaining receipts left from those days, and they have deliberately been left without touch up as this is actually how the original copies look like. They are available for high resolution download in the links below.
The receipts themselves also hold some some interesting tidbits about Hong Kong back in the 1990s.
Phone Numbers
You can see on the phone number that Hong Kong used to use a 7 digit phone number system. The "2" which seems a bit lost on the receipt was only added when the city moved to an 8 digit system, which has stayed constant for over a decade now. Prior to that Hong Kong operated on a 6 digit system in the 1980s.
Member Address and Coupons
In the top left box, we can see that personal information such as the member's name and address is hidden. Until 1995, the box was not obscured and so the information was fully visible.
Also in the top box we can see a line which says "Credit". Customers were able to purchase packs of coupons which would have been cheaper than paying for rental individually. Such a system provided KPS with a large amount of capital for expansion.
Ironically, it was the coupon system which led to KPS's collapse. Rumours on the internet that KPS was unable to honour their coupons led to panic use of coupons among consumers in a short amount of time. The resulting financial chaos caused KPS to abandon their coupon system, ultimately leading to lawsuits which KPS lost, forcing them to pay customers for the cost of their coupons. As a direct result, they filed for bankruptcy.
Megastores
KPS developed megastores throughout Hong Kong. Some of the largest ones were found on the 4th floor of Prince's Building, which used to be right beside an equally large Watsons store. Both KPS and Watsons no longer exist as tenants, and they've been replaced by smaller stores. As of 2020, the original site occupied by KPS in Princes Building is now a can‧teen restaurant (HK style fast food owned by Maxims).
Another megastore was located in Causeway Bay in Capitol Centre, opposite Sogo. It occupied the entire 4th floor of the complex, which was massive in Hong Kong terms. The 4th floor has now been partitioned into smaller shops and restaurants.
Downloads
Update: May 2020
KPS Video Express used a distinct receipt which had a yellow hue, and was printed on a dot matrix printer as was most receipts back in the day. The scans here are probably one of the very last remaining receipts left from those days, and they have deliberately been left without touch up as this is actually how the original copies look like. They are available for high resolution download in the links below.
The receipts themselves also hold some some interesting tidbits about Hong Kong back in the 1990s.
Phone Numbers
You can see on the phone number that Hong Kong used to use a 7 digit phone number system. The "2" which seems a bit lost on the receipt was only added when the city moved to an 8 digit system, which has stayed constant for over a decade now. Prior to that Hong Kong operated on a 6 digit system in the 1980s.
Member Address and Coupons
In the top left box, we can see that personal information such as the member's name and address is hidden. Until 1995, the box was not obscured and so the information was fully visible.
Also in the top box we can see a line which says "Credit". Customers were able to purchase packs of coupons which would have been cheaper than paying for rental individually. Such a system provided KPS with a large amount of capital for expansion.
Ironically, it was the coupon system which led to KPS's collapse. Rumours on the internet that KPS was unable to honour their coupons led to panic use of coupons among consumers in a short amount of time. The resulting financial chaos caused KPS to abandon their coupon system, ultimately leading to lawsuits which KPS lost, forcing them to pay customers for the cost of their coupons. As a direct result, they filed for bankruptcy.
Megastores
KPS developed megastores throughout Hong Kong. Some of the largest ones were found on the 4th floor of Prince's Building, which used to be right beside an equally large Watsons store. Both KPS and Watsons no longer exist as tenants, and they've been replaced by smaller stores. As of 2020, the original site occupied by KPS in Princes Building is now a can‧teen restaurant (HK style fast food owned by Maxims).
Another megastore was located in Causeway Bay in Capitol Centre, opposite Sogo. It occupied the entire 4th floor of the complex, which was massive in Hong Kong terms. The 4th floor has now been partitioned into smaller shops and restaurants.
Downloads
- Front of Receipt 1 [.jpg | 18.8 mb]
- Front of Receipt 2 [.jpg | 15.9 mb]
These two receipts are the only remaining samples left. - Back of Receipt [.jpg | 16.7 mb]
- Terms and Conditions on Receipt [.doc | 29k] This excerpt is a direct copy of the terms and conditions found on the back of the receipt. The misspelling and capitalization is left unchanged from the original.
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