Chinese shoppers worried about the economy and overwhelmed by near-constant retail promotions are growing weary of the annual “Singles Day” sales bonanza, a discouraging sign as the government tries to boost consumption.

“Singles Day” — named for its 11/11 date and first launched by tech giant Alibaba in 2009 — has ballooned into a month-long promotional period for e-commerce platforms.

The shopping spree was once an annual opportunity for Alibaba and major rival JD.com to announce new purchase records, but they have withheld detailed sales totals in recent years.

“The discounts aren’t as attractive now,” said 29-year-old Shanghai resident Zhang Jing, who told AFP she bought “nothing” during this year’s sales.

Zhang said she was discouraged by online platforms’ increasingly complex pro

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