Due to the continued economic downturn, prices in the Japanese consumer market have not changed much over the years. The prices of daily necessities such as clothing, shoes and hats are also declining year by year. However, after the implementation of this new consumption tax, commodity prices have increased significantly, and the pricing methods have also changed.
Product prices have increased
The reporter saw in some shopping places that he frequently visited in previous years that after the implementation of the new consumption tax, the prices of goods increased significantly. A pair of stockings that used to cost 550 yen now costs 660 yen; a pair of finger clip scissors with a magnifying glass that used to cost more than 800 yen now costs 1,000 yen; Chinese tourists like to buy thermos cups. Prices have also increased slightly.
This is mainly due to the increase in consumption tax, which increases the final selling price of goods. But the reporter also found that merchants are also adjusting their product mix, and some products with too low prices have disappeared from the containers. At the Uniqlo store in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, the reporter saw jeans that cost less than 1,000 yen a pair in previous years, and short-sleeved T-shirts that cost more than 500 yen a piece. Perhaps it is because the crazy sales season after the implementation of the new consumption tax has just passed. On April 14, reporters saw in some shopping malls and specialty stores in Osaka that there were much fewer products on sale than at this time in previous years.
Some Chinese exhibitors participating in the Japan China Textile and Clothing Fair (CFF) held in Osaka told reporters that clothing prices in Japan’s terminal consumer market have increased significantly. An exhibitor from Shandong told reporters that the shirt he bought at Uniforms last year for more than 1,700 yen, this year the shirt of the same style and fabric has increased to more than 2,100 yen.
The pricing method has changed
The reporter also observed that the pricing of goods in Japanese shopping malls has some new features this year. In previous years, the price of goods was mostly tax-included, and the specific amount of “including consumption tax” was specified in parentheses. This year, some products are marked with a “tax-exclusive” price in a larger font size, and then the specific amount of consumption tax is marked in a smaller font size. The “tax-exclusive” price is the price without consumption tax. For goods priced in this way, consumers must add consumption tax to the actual purchase price.
Some stores also use larger characters to mark the price, but use smaller characters to mark “tax not included” next to it. The “excluding tax” is often ignored by consumers, who only find out that the amount charged by the store is higher than the listed price when they check out.
According to relevant media reports, in Japan, the government has required the retail market to price in the form of a “total” including consumption tax since 2004. On the one hand, consumers can understand at a glance the amount they need to pay, and on the other hand, the state uses this to allow consumers to adapt to the collection of consumption tax. However, with the consumption tax increase as the key point, the rigid requirement of “total markup” was canceled in October last year, and more and more merchants began to mark the physical price of goods “excluding tax”.
The reporter saw in the Osaka market that the prices of goods in the Japanese retail market are very confusing. Some products are marked with a “tax-exclusive” price, and some are marked with a “tax-in” price; some are marked with a product price plus tax, and some are marked with a total price of the product, with the amount of consumption tax in brackets at the end.
The sales staff who understand Chinese are overwhelmed
Due to their strong purchasing power, Chinese tourists have become an important source of customers favored by Japanese businesses in recent years. In order to better attract Chinese consumers, many stores in Japan now have salespeople who understand Chinese.
There is often more than one salesperson in a duty-free shop who understands Chinese. The reporter arrived in Osaka on the evening of April 13 and had dinner at Shanghai Xintiandi in Nihonbashi, Osaka. There was a duty-free shop on the first floor of the restaurant. Since it was still half an hour before leaving the car, all the Chinese tourists who came with them crowded into the duty-free shop. Ceramic knives, thermos mugs, and razors are all popular products that Chinese tourists are rushing to buy in many people’s shopping baskets. In less than half an hour of shopping, a few tourists even bought SLR cameras and watches. When a reporter asked him why he was in such a hurry to buy, he replied: “It’s no better than having time to see and compare at home. When traveling abroad, you have to make a move immediately if you like it. Otherwise, there would be no such store in this village.” Although this store There are four or five salespeople who understand Chinese in the duty-free shop, but so many Chinese people are enthusiastic about buying goods in a short period of time, which still makes the salespersons busy.
BicCamera, a large Japanese electrical appliance chain store, is also a favorite shopping destination for Chinese people. This is not only because BicCamera has a full range of electrical appliances, but also the prices are cheaper than other channels. On the evening of April 14, the reporter saw a salesperson who knew Chinese being surrounded by Chinese tourists on the fourth floor of Biku in Shinsaibashi. I had just helped a young man and woman buy razors when I was immediately stopped by a middle-aged woman who asked about purchasing beauty devices and massagers. Not far away, a young girl was waiting for the salesperson to help her choose a rice cooker. The reporter took the time to learn from the salesperson that Biku has shopping guides who understand Chinese on each floor. But because there are so many Chinese tourists, shopping guides who understand Chinese are always overwhelmed.
The shopping guide told reporters that Japanese electrical appliances are deeply loved by Chinese consumers. Shavers, beauty devices, digital products, rice cookers, etc.Popular items purchased by customers. In recent years, due to air pollution problems, various types of air purifiers sold on Bikou have also become popular products among Chinese tourists.
