What Are 'Husband Storage' Pods? Chinese Mall Offers Glass 'Man Caves'

One mall in China offers "husband storage" pods for bored husbands who would rather be playing video games than shopping with their wives. The glass "man caves" were erected in Shanghai's Global Harbour mall and include a chair, monitor, and computer that offers video games from the '90s.

The pods are currently free to use but the mall's staff told Shanghai news outlet The Paper that pod users "will be able to scan a QR code and pay a small sum for the service using their mobile phones," according to a report Friday from the BBC.

BBC reported two Chinese men who experienced the pods themselves and were identified as Mr. Yang and Mr. Wu. Both gave the concept positive reviews.

Mr. Yang said that the pods were "really great," and expressed an affinity for the video games he played when he was younger. "I've just played Tekken 3 and felt like I was back at school!" Mr. Yang said.

Mr Wu agreed with Mr. Yang but added that the idea could use some improvements, "There's no ventilation or air conditioning, I sat playing for five minutes and was drenched in sweat."

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The idea and pictures of men in the pods were met with jokes and ridicule on social media platforms like Twitter. Commenting on the BBC's link to the article, mostly male British users dryly compared the pods to the local pub.

One British husband went further and offered his solution to avoid shopping with his wife: Go to the pub and let her take selfies of outfits to send to him.

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Women on Twitter chimed in. Some gave their own solutions to entertain their disinterested and restless husbands, while most wondered: Why not just leave their husbands at home?

Occasionally users engaged in discussions about the role that gender plays in marital dynamics, and others asked whether or not the pods should be considered sexist because it's designed to only appeal to one gender.

Are husbands pods a thing of the future?