Uniqlo, 7-Eleven entice thrifty shoppers with little luxuries

Thrifty shoppers in 7-Eleven?

7-11 coffee is a welcome addition. A big cup of freshly-ground for 150yen. A regular stopoff for me on my way to work in the mornings.

The THICK wool turtle-necks and sweaters that I need when it really gets cold don't seem to be sold at all anymore, because they are scrimping on natural materials. Ones I bought years ago in Japan are all frayed and developing holes, but I need them to stay warm throughout the winter months. Short of spending tens of thousands of yen, where can this need be met?

The coffee is not great, but at that price - who's complaining? :)

Shinzo Abe’s aggressive economic stimulus has done little to loosen the purse strings of Japan’s traditionally frugal consumers.

Yes! But it has helped boost the sales of high end cars such as Lamborghinis (up 14%) and Ferraris (up 28%). There is even a one year waiting period in Japan for the $400,000 Lamborghini Aventador, according to Business Insider. Also, sales of high-end watches, art, jewelry and precious metals rose 18.3% in August and 14.2% in July, after a steady rise all year.

In the meantime, for those who are not chumming with Abe and his gang, wages remain stagnant, prices are rising and now we get the present of an increased consumer tax.

Dictionary: Abe-nomics: a deceptive word for class warfare

A big cup of freshly-ground for 150yen.

That's certainly cheaper than Starbucks but how's the quality? Is Mister Donut even a contender in the coffee market?

Surely if you are penny pinching you will get your wife or daughter to make you a jumper, better quality and cheaper.

I don't think the Japanese understand that if they don't lift the country out of deflation then in essence "Abenomics" will fail and there will be more dire consequences then having another 30,000-50,000 yen in the bank. Japan has no choice to lift the sales tax because with so much debt, the country could be downgraded without means to pay it down. If country gets downgraded then their bond yield will become more expensive to pay. It will all spiral out of control & will be dooms day for Japan. When that day comes then corporations & the Japanese people are both to blame.