Shopping

If you were expecting this to be about shopping Ginza for fancy brands, stop reading here. Instead it's about the likes of Ikea and Costco, both of which are in Japan these days. I haven't been to either yet, but look forward to that cultural experience someday.

Years ago I was often asked in Japan whether we have 7-11 in the US. Of course I always responded that, actually, though they are also everywhere in Japan, 7-11 is an American company. Some years later I heard that 7-11 was purchased by a Japanese company, and wondered if it was something I'd said.

Nowadays 7-11 owns a grocery store named Ito Yokado, a bank, and other properties. I think the parent brand is something like 7&I Holdings.

I had read in years past that Wal-Mart was looking for a way to get into this market. Then, the other day at Seiyu, a grocery store where we've shopped for years, I saw an advertisement for a Wal-Mart credit card, and wondered if they had entered with their credit business first. But then I noticed that there were also Wal-Mart's Great Value branded items on the shelves. I believe Wal-Mart must have bought the chain.

But the chain in Japan that's most often compared to America's Wal-Marts is called Don Quixote. It carries all sorts of things and some locations are open 24 hours. 

But I laughed when first I heard the name. Isn't that book about futility? So I guess I shouldn't expect to find what I'm looking for there? A sort of bricks and mortar understock.com, as it were.