Hebei shopping mall offers ‘shareable boyfriends’ for lonely shoppers

Coming soon to a mall near you?

In a craze that is apparently sweeping the nation, a shopping mall in the Hebei city of Handan introduced a group of potential “boyfriends” for share on Thursday.

Simply scan the QR code, pay 1 yuan, and one of these guys is all yours for an entire half-hour. He will follow you around, carry your bag, take your picture, and engage in chit-chat while pretending not to be bored.

After 30 minutes, he must be returned back to his box to await his next suitor. There’s no deposit or down-payment required, so it’s unclear what happens if you accidentally break or purposely steal him.

This gimmick was first tried out during Christmastime last year at a shopping mall in Hainan province, which offered “shareable boyfriends” at the more generous rate of 1 yuan for 1 hour.

Last week, a Guangdong mall put a twist on this ploy by offering “shareable girlfriends.” However, that scheme didn’t appear quite as successful with most of the women left standing and checking their phones.

“Shareable boyfriends,” on the other hand, are likely coming soon to a mall near you.

[Images via NetEase]