According to a report in the state-run news site The Paper, each individual "husband rest cabin" has a chair, monitor, computer and gamepad. Billboards in the shopping centre have been advertising the pods over the past month, and they have so far proved popular with husbands keen to stay in one place while their wives shop.

Some of the men who tried out the pods told The Paper that they liked the devices, but that they were in need of improvements.

One shopper, Mr Wu, said that the first time he saw the husband rest cabin, he thought the idea was great. "I do not like to accompany my girlfriend shopping, so whenever we go out shopping I will look for a movie to see or find a place to eat and sit," he said.