Man commits suicide at Xuzhou, China mall when girlfriend won't stop shopping, report says

[Bonobo]

http://www.newsday.com/news/man-commits-suicide-at-xuzhou-china-mall-when-girlfriend-won-t-stop-shopping-report-says-1.6572038

Reports say that Tao Hsiao, 38, was shopping with his girlfriend for five hours at the crowded Golden Eagle International Shopping Center when he decided he'd had enough. But when he tried to get her to leave, Tao's girlfriend demanded they stop in one more shoe store, resulting in a heated argument.

"He told her she already had enough shoes, more shoes than she could wear in a lifetime and it was pointless buying any more," an eyewitness was quoted as saying. "She started shouting at him accusing him of being a [cheapskate] and of spoiling Christmas; it was a really heated argument."

After reviewing the mall's security footage, Chinese authorities reported that Tao, who appeared angry, threw the shopping bags before jumping over the almost 5-foot-high railing. He landed on a cosmetics display seven floors below and died upon impact.

A mall spokesperson said that Tao's fall did not injure any shoppers, but crowds gathered around his body until he was rushed away on a gurney by emergency personnel.

[Major Nikon]

1. A very sad situation

I'm sure there's a lot more to the story, but the societal pressures on men in China are enormous given their gender imbalance. This time of year seems to generate a lot of these situations the world over.

[loli phabay]

2. so been close to there, there are only so many stores i can take then i am thinking kill me now

[HappyMe]

3. There's a lot more to this.

Maybe the credit cards are maxed out and there are financial worries.

[Major Nikon]

9. The Chinese don't seem to be as credit happy as Americans

At least that's been my observation. They tend to pay cash for things a lot more often. That doesn't mean they don't have other financial worries which seem to be significant. Life in Chinese cities seems to be very expensive relative to their incomes. Even though new housing construction is growing at an incredible rate, there still doesn't seem to be enough of it to go around and the prices reflect that.

[Upton]

4. When this happens to me..

and I'm getting tired and fed up, I've tried telling her I'll be waiting in the car. Unfortunately, I found that didn't work either. So, we've come to an understanding...the only sure cure is for her to go shopping by herself.

[In_The_Wind]

5. I feel sorry for the poor man.

[Bonobo]

6. He must have been in a lot of pain. nt

[In_The_Wind]

7. Sounds like he gave up on trying to make her happy.

Too bad that he also gave up on himself and the hope of a better life.

[AAO]

8. Yeah, women can do that to you.