Welcome to Japan, the land of commercialism.
In what is a New Year's tradition in Japan, many department stores and speciality shops hold an annual 'lucky bag' hunt, in which sealed bags are sold to customers like a lottery ticket, except that instead of money, there's a chance to win something else.
Boy, that came out sounding stupid.
Prior to 2013's Year of the Snake, stores would place out a selection of sealed bags. Customers would come and purchase these bags - sight unseen - go home and discover what wonderful surprise was in it.
This year, the shops have made it a bit more palpable, actually telling shoppers what type of goods (and services) are available in the bags, in the hopes of generating greater sales, though there is always a supreme prize - a lucky bag. A bag you want to be left holding when your shopping frenzy is done.
And it's working.
But, like usual, greedy shoppers buy as many mystery bags as possible hoping to find the ultimate lucky prize - which varies from store to store, of course.
Known as fukubukuro (lucky bag), the lucky bags are getting more and more extreme - as are the prices to purchase the bags.
For example, a Tokyo-based beauty clinic is selling individual 'lucky bags' for ¥20-million - that's about US/Cdn $226,000.
What the hell could - and I repeat 'COULD' one win? Well, Shonan Beauty Clinic's top prize offers a lifetime of unlimited cosmetic surgery, including aftercare, at your choice of its 22 branches across Japan.
That's still a lot of money for a 'chance' to win something, because… let's face it, oh saggy one, if you have enough money to waste on a 'chance' to be left holding the bag, so to speak, you (or your husband or benefactor) probably already have enough money in the wallet to pay for all the cosmetic surgery you will ever need. Unless he's involved in the auto business in China.
How much cosmetic surgery does one need? We are talking cosmetic, rather than medical here, right? How much do fake boobs cost in Japan? Eye surgery to look more Western? Butt implants? Surely it's not to just stretch the skin and remove a few wrinkles? You know you aren't fooling anyone, right? Collagen-injected lips?
You know… you fell in love with his money, and he with your beauty and ability to look past his hideous breath and physique. He doesn't need you to look prettier now that you have hit the ripe old age of 30.
Sure… go ahead and have a breast lift. We can live with that… but why on Earth would you need unlimited cosmetic surgeries won through a grand prize lucky bag?
Okay… I got off topic. Sort off. I did forget about the nose job. How ugly were you before this? You were financially well off. That beats being pretty.
Okay… my sarcasm is showing, along with my epidermis.
Anyhow… by purchasing a lucky bag, the shopper was guaranteed that his or her bag would contain a value that exceeds the purchase price of the lucky bag. You just didn't know if it was something you wanted or needed. (I'll say 'wanted', because if you needed it, you would have bought it.)
At the Matsuya department store, it prepared a total of 70 lucky bags containing about ¥100,000 (US/Cdn $1,130) worth of goodies, but was prepared to sell them for the bargain price of ¥10,000 ($130).
One minute after going on sale, they were gone, snatched up by a pulsating frenzy of pushy Japanese broads. Yes, I am using the insulting term 'broads' rather than 'women'.
For the stores, this is an excellent way of getting rid of excessive inventory, or even last year's inventory.
For the shopper, this is a way to show your greed. After all, there is no guarantee that your expensive prize is actually something you want.
Is nothing sacred?
Until recently, stores did not have their lucky bag sales on January 1, as that auspicious date was reserved for going to the temple to pray, and to visit relatives and to avoid choking on mochi (death-causing, thick, gooey balls of pounded rice).
But, just as the 1st of January is the day the western world nurses a hangover, Japan celebrates by starting the shopping now. Now! NOW!!!
It's to get a headstart on the competition… of course, if the competition is also doing this, there is no headstart.
Look… we have Black sales days, where electronics stores have massive blow out sales. But now other industry stores have something similar. In fact… the "Black" sales days have evolved into Black sales weeks. Whatever will grab your dollar or yen, eh?
Seibu, in an effort to gain more money, effectively pissed off its employees by opening up all of its stores on January 1, this year. Sorry, oh stupid workers. You have to work on a day normally given off to spend with your family.
An estimated 20,000 shoppers lined up outside the stores hours earlier in the colder-than-usual weather showing that they haven't dug down into their pockets as deep as they could have to help the less fortunate still suffering the effects of the tsunami, earthquake and the radiation contamination… of course, that is the Government of Japan's business, and not its populace. Right.
Anyhow… Seibu had 15,000 lucky bags available. I will assume that MORE than 5,000 unlucky people went home empty-handed, as I am sure many shoppers purchased multiple lucky bags.
Look.. I understand. Everyone loves a bargain. But it better be for something you really want.
Anyhow… Seibu was very happy with their results. Other stores that opened up a more sacred and responsible January 2, say that their sales were not as good as expected, as we can only assume that the majority of people who were lucky bag hunting were now too broke to go out the next day on their snipe hunt.
Now… of course there other great opportunities to win big or go home:
- Seibu’s flagship store at Ikebukuro in Tokyo offered a 20 million yen lucky bag that includes a platinum tiara studded with sapphires, a necklace featuring big pearls, a diamond ring and a dainty hand mirror – the latter presumably for checking at all times that the tiara is firmly lodged on one’s head.
- The Hankyu men’s store in Tokyo’s Yurakucho district had a lucky bag priced at 22 million yen that includes an Audi sports car and tour tickets for two persons to watch the 24-hour Le Mans car race in France.
- Some stores have been selling lucky bags every year that promise not only a brand new apartment but free furniture as well.
- Mitsukoshi’s Ginza store offers an unusual lucky bag for the city dweller that secretly yearns for a life in the countryside with the Y600,000 yen lucky bag winner getting to own a 3,000-square-meter parcel of a ricefield in Minami-Uonuma, Niigata-ken, the premier rice-growing area in Japan. Of course, the lucky winner will also receive 1,190 kilograms of rice and the opportunity to take part in rice-planting and harvesting and of course mixing with the local farmers. Oh… and because nothing says low-class peasant as much as an achy tanned farmer, you also get tickets to the nearby onsen where you can tell everyone you are a rich landowner.
- Apple Japan put out some lucky bags on January 2, but would not tell anyone what was in it (old-time tradition!!!! Sarcasm!!!!).
Of course… and I'm just wondering here… if you are an Apple fan, won't you already have all of the Apple products you want? If you didn't before this, I'm not sure Apple wants you as a customer.
Seriously… what if you are after an Macbook Air, and you 'only' win an iPod… which you already have?
What would you do? Hide your head in shame? Or perhaps you were lucky enough to win the cosmetic surgery package and can alter your appearance.
I think these lucky bag 'lotteries' are a great way for stores to drum up business. But purchasing items sight unseen is a sucker's bet. I did it, in a way.
Hotwheels sells blacked out mystery packs of toy cars. Which one will you get?
LEGO - what minifigure is in the sealed mystery pack? I just feel up the packs nowadays to get what I want.. but it takes time.
Sports, Pokemon cards et al - buy a pack and hope you get what you want.
So yes… we are all guilty of it.
But… this blatant cash grab by the stores themselves (while working) is also preying on the consumer to give up time at the temple and at home with the relatives… causing them to spit in the eye of Japanese tradition.
And while I see the need to keep the Japanese manufacturing sector humming along, it's bad for the Japanese soul.
Soon enough, someone will create a lucky bag sale for another time of the year.
Oh, please don't let me have been the one to give someone that idea...
Somewhere on a pedestal I won (I wanted ivory, and only got the aluminum one),
Andrew Joseph
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