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Picture of the Day ( 21 )
Hundreds of young girls swap the contents of their lucky bags (“fukubukuro”) outside Shibuya’s 109 store in Tokyo on Wednesday. Tens of thousands of girls swarmed into the store throughout the day. More than 100 security personnel were on duty to keep things from getting too chaotic. The store is so popular with teenagers that several hundred, including some as young as 14, waited in line from as early as 6 a.m. on both New Year’s Day and Wednesday to take advantage of the sales. The store is holding a one-week sale through Jan 8 with discounts of up to 80%.
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21 Comments
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0
Korlacan Khanthavilay
I'm guessing the store opens at 10 am.
3
sensei258
They call them "lucky bags" because you're lucky if what you get is worth what you paid. And the store are lucky there are shopaholics who will pay good money without seeing what they're paying for.
0
theResident
Haha - Good to see the lack of humour of most posters has continued into 2013~ Don't knock it, this has been going on in Japan for years. Why do you have to be so negative? Wjy not just laugh about it and appreciate it for what it is!
1
smithinjapan
theResident: " Why do you have to be so negative? Wjy not just laugh about it and appreciate it for what it is!"
Because it lacks all common sense. You pay 10,000 yen to receive a couple thousand yen in junk the store cannot sell, then trade it because you don't like it. In fact, some shops or travel companies offer 'lucky bags' that say what's in it and I've STILL heard people who bought them and were disappointed.
3
corner-of-my-eye
Cmon, it's a lucky draw because one of the bag's contents will be worth more than what you paid for, the girls all seem excited and having fun, it's their favorite store! Looks like fun I reckon.
4
edojin
Actually, this has become just another "festival" here in Japan. The lines start forming well before midnight and the mostly young women enjoy spending the night in a celebratory atmosphere. When the shopping portion begins, that is the height of excitement for them. Then when they realize they didn't get what they want or they don't like what they have, the bartering & swapping begins.
Venturing into Shinjuku today to take advantage of Kinokuniya book store's 20% discount on all foreign books, I was surprised at how crowded everywhere was. And I noticed that quite a few young ladies, mothers and even grandmothers were tugging those “fukubukuro” bags with them. And everybody seemed to be as happy as a lark ...
So in a nutshell, for them, the fukubukuro shoppers, it's happy holidays ... a nice way to begin 2013 ...
2
Pukey2
the Resident:
I AM laughing - believe you me.
And this is why my mother always ends up with crap like unused cups, dishes, etc which, a few years down the road, I have to end up selling for her. I ask her why buy them in the first place. The response is 'Because they were discounted'.
-8
smithinjapan
The lucky bags are a farce -- a way of selling products that they could not sell otherwise. And it's well-known almost nobody receives something they can want or use, or else why the annual swap picture? I have relatives and friends who waste their money on these things and always, with no exceptions, say they are disappointed and throw away, give away, trade away, or just ignore the things they got. I would rather see that money better spent. I'm sure if you made a line-up to something better they'd all join in and be happier with the end result.
2
genjuro
That's pretty much what it comes down to, a festival of sorts. Part of the fun for them must be the bartering part, even if they didn't get what they want they have a chance to exchange with others. That said, with the the multitude of shoppers there I wonder if they've developed some kind system amongst themselves on how to initiate a barter transaction. Must be chaotic as a swap meet.
-8
smithinjapan
And BTW, can anyone tell me how many thrilled people they see in this pic? I see four smiles, tops, and two are police who are no doubt laughing about what's going on and/or ogling the ladies. Everyone else looks disinterested or annoyed. At a festival I would be smiling and enjoying myself, not p--sed off an in a furious rush.
0
badsey3
That polka-dot red dress and pink shoes will be difficult to trade (and she obviously wants to move them (both if possible) and I think the other girls around the guy in white jacket know that. =sucker. This is why guys do not belong at fukubukuru.
The lady trying to peddle the pink dolka dot dress may have even traded to match that with those shoes. =Easier trading as a horrible matching pair than as an individual. =She is a pro and that is how you do it at these things. She probably looked around for the most clueless fashion victim she could find, -saw a guy that was well dressed and felt that was even better (lucky he had something good).
The trading stories are actually better than the commodity and going as a group has distinct advantages.
-4
smithinjapan
badsey: "The trading stories are actually better than the commodity and going as a group has distinct advantages."
True dat. I think that's part of what the shops rely on.
5
UsagitoSaru
I wasn't disappointed with mine and neither was my mother in law. She bought a 10000 yen bag at laura ashley and got 40000 yen worth of nice looking clothes inside. I bought a 5000 yen bag at a store called Plus Heart and got about 20000 yen worth if stuff inside and wasn't disappointed at all with the contents.
0
badsey3
opposite story on guy with white jacket: He just scored that black sweater/shawl for his kid behind him who is really happy (one of the few that are)
Alot of these traders have the same junk to trade (same item different color or design), -by filling your pockets with something different (like jewelry/gloves that you found cheap elsewhere) you can make some more interesting trades and make people happy. Or just leave and hit a park and trade with others there where there will be more choices.
4
AgentZero
NOBODY is forcing YOU to buy a bag, smithinjapan. Quit being a sourpuss. If the consumer chooses to buy a bag and chooses to get caught up in the hype, so be it. Why the analysis over who is smiling and who is not? (rolls eyes)
-1
Serrano
"a one-week sale through Jan 8 with discounts of up to 80%"
Wow!
-3
smithinjapan
"If the consumer chooses to buy a bag and chooses to get caught up in the hype, so be it."
Very true. It's just a shame everyone after the fact complains about what they got, UsagitoSaru being the sole exception I have ever heard of.
1
badsey3
http://www.techinasia.com/apple-lucky-bag-sale-new-year-2013/ -Apple Lucky Bag score
I still would want an iPad mini with the cell-phone capability. And some of the stuff (50%) would be traded.
0
badsey3
http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2135708763267817601
0
smithinjapan
badsey: "Apple Lucky Bag score"
The 'lucky bag' for the boys, I guess. And girls, of course, though I guess that's where all the boys (save one) in the pic above are instead of the clothing shop across from the pachinko parlor. Problem is if you got crap you don't want in the form of electronics and accessories you REALLY couldn't use them. At least if you got stuck with a crappy shirt you could use it at home.
1
Debucho
80% discount in Japan = 50% mark up, 30% off
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