Department store sales fall 2.8% in first half

Saturday 19th July, 04:48 AM JST

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8 Comments

westurn at 07:21 AM JST - 19th July

No surprise. What is a surprise though is they have stopped blaming these plummeting numbers on "poor weather conditions" ! Bwahaha ! In any case, I suggest these department stores in Japan try to offer the customers something they want at a reasonable price. With the exchange rate at 104 to the dollar I had hoped the Dept store industry would import goods from the US, but I was obviously mistaken... that would be too logical. So instead they sit and wallow in more poor sales figures and disrupt the global economic recovery by handstrapping domestic spending ! Yep... look no further than the reason for part of the world's economic woes... the Japanese are simply not spending ! It is having a huge effect on the global economy. Thanx Japan !
RepublicofTexas at 07:24 AM JST - 19th July

By department stores do they mean the higher end ones like Mitsukoshi, the lower one's like Saty, or all of them? Whenever I go to Ikebukuro, the department stores are always packed and everyone's carrying multiple bags.
westurn at 07:33 AM JST - 19th July

"Whenever I go to Ikebukuro, the department stores are always packed and everyone's carrying multiple bags."

Yeh packed with children trying to get outta their rabit hutch homes. And those bags ? Well according to sales stats, aren't full of much ! But then again I bought a 100 yen biscuit yesterday that was placed in a plastic bag the size of a duffle bag ! So much for eco shopping !
RepublicofTexas at 07:57 AM JST - 19th July

But then again I bought a 100 yen biscuit yesterday that was placed in a plastic bag the size of a duffle bag ! So much for eco shopping !

If your so concerned with the environment, why don't you bring your own fabric bag when you go shopping. Many of my Japanese friends do that to cut down on plastic. The department stores are happy to do that as well.
westurn at 08:00 AM JST - 19th July

Nope ! Not concerned personally ! Just explaining why you think you saw "multiple bags". Filled with a whole lotta nothin... at least according to sales figures the past deacde and a half. You might want to focus on "that" reality R.O.T. There-in lies the discussion... not plastic bags !
RepublicofTexas at 08:01 AM JST - 19th July

I'm just commenting on your complaints about your 100 Yen biscuit which seems rather irrelevant if you don't care as you claim in your recent post.
some14some at 08:39 AM JST - 19th July

I am surprised, still they are operating 280 (two hundred eighty) Department Stores when the birth rate and economy is declining ever since the bust of so called bubble economy...so? atleast reduce to half. then do enough research, and go on reducing/increasing depending on circumstances.
westurn at 08:45 AM JST - 19th July

ROT.. still missing the point. Which is, Japanese stores have a tendancy to put "small things in large bags" ! Pretty simple to understand... as is the dismal figures reported here for department store sales ! You may be surprised but many of us are not. Japan has simply not addressed the issue of domestic spending. Japan has yet to explain why it still discourages importing on a large scale basis when all the evidence (Costco) suggests otherwise ! I for one have no sympathy for this industry or the consumers in general... they continue to cut off their own noses to spite their face ! Shoganai !