The standard practice of having electronic goods tested in-store by plugging them in and showing the customer that they function before accepting money (here featuring Apple (off-)branded charger, underscoring the failure in this context of a “brand” to inspire the same confidence in something actually working once one takes it home from the store).

The ingrained standard of skepticism towards quality of electrical goods in general and the corollary demands of a customer being worked into the very fabric of the retail process in Myanmar. What were the roots of this practice? Consider the dual-purposed role: Not only is it protecting the customer from purchasing a potentially faulty product, but it also protects the retailer from being taken advantage of by the customer were they to break the product soon after bringing it home. In Myanmar, with a few exceptions, this is the closest thing to a “warranty” that is available.