Osaka's Customer Service

Vaguely suspicious looking lady bug decorations in one of Osaka's shopping arcades

A good part of my trip to Osaka involved shopping. While we were there for fun, we always have to pick up souvenirs and it's not easy to know what you're going to find in what shop in a city you haven't been to before.

So I did more shopping in unknown places that are more used to foreigners who don't know Japanese or Japanese customs. This was not a good thing.

At Osaka tower, it was just not reading my total to me or talking to me at all. I responded by reading the total to them in Japanese and then putting down exact change and leaving. I've had similar experiences, albeit rarely, in Sendai.

At one shop in the arcade, it was worse. I watched the woman place no fewer than five individual purchases each in their own little gift envelopes for the Japanese woman in front of me.

Because I was talking to my daughter in English as we approached the counter, the woman didn't talk to me. She rang up the total and pointed. Since one gift was for a student, I wanted a gift envelope/bag/thing. I asked in Japanese. She stared at me like I hadn't said anything at all.

I found where the damn things were and pointed, using Japanese again.

これを上げますか?

Kore o agemasu ka?

Can this be given?

(I might have used もらえます moraemasu receive, which would have made more sense but this was weeks ago and I was upset. I do not remember.)

Finally she stopped acting like talking to me was illegal and asked how many.

I asked for one.

It was slightly crumpled in the bag.

She doesn't bother to read the total. I put the money down. She hands me the bag. I walk away.

As I walk, I hear a man on the other side of the store yell. He sounds angry. I'm angry. I'm leaving. I'm focussed on the door.

Then there's a flurry of movement and someone touches my shoulder.

I turn and there's the woman who didn't want to talk to me, trying to drop the 200 yen of change she hadn't bothered to give me and my receipt into my hand.

I instinctively pull my hand back.

The change drops to the floor and the angry man comes to help, shooing the unhelpful register staff back to her normal job.

He helps pick up one coin and hands it to my kid who also picks up the other coin and we leave.

Worse customer service experience of the year.

Most of our shopping in Osaka was perfectly fine and normal by Japanese standards, but I usually only have one negative social experience in Japan every 6-12 months. Having 2 in a week was a lot for me.