YOU might have seen groups of people dashing wildly down Orchard Road last Saturday dressed in saris and Punjabi suits.

This was the madness created by the Great Singapore Shopping Challenge 2008. The event launched this year's Great Singapore Sale.

Taking part were 19 international teams from countries such as Germany and Korea, and eight local teams.

The New Paper and Radio 91.3 were also present.

Participants had to purchase items from a pre-determined category at specific shopping centres, while completing other tasks in between, within three hours.

Teams were given $1,000, and those who had the best discounts on their products would win $10,000.

When the horn was sounded at noon, participants made a mad dash for Centrepoint, the first stop on the list.

The next stop was Marina Square.

The teams then proceeded to Little India, where they had to buy a set of traditional Indian attire and put it on for the rest of the challenge.

Teams then made their way to Wisma Atria for the final  challenge and purchase.

Judy Frances See and Gelyn Theresa See of The Philippines won in the international  category. They managed to save $6,000 on their purchases.

Most of it came from assorted apparel from Calvin Klein at Wisma Atria, which had  their prices slashed by nearly 80 per cent.

The local winning team, married couple Edmund Chia and Jesslyn Tan, purchased a large number of Korean drama VCDS, which made up a large part of their $4,000 savings.

But at the end of the day, it wasn?t about winning, but having fun.

The team from Vietnam,  comprising Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy, 19, and actor Tri Nguyen, 34, were participating for the first time.

"It was a very interesting experience, though it was very tiring," Mai told The New Paper.

HOT BUT FUN

And even though they could not speak English well, the Korean team of high-school friends Hong Sung Eun, 19, and O Si Eun, 17, managed to purchase some jewellery at 80 per cent off, saving about $2,800 in the process.

"It was hot and humid but very interesting, because Korea does not have such a similar mass sale," said Sung Eun.

Seems like shopping really is a universal activity for everyone.

As for the media teams, The New Paper team managed to save around $1,600 - courtesy of a Calvin Klein suit which saw its price slashed from $1,200 to just $350 and a pair of Mui Mui sunglasses that went for $160, down from $800.  

The two-person team from Vietnam - Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy and actor Tri Nguyen - are easy on the eyes. Student O Si Eun, from Team Korea, making a face while being measured for a sari.

This article was first published in The New Paper on May 29, 2008.