Japan's consumer prices fall at decade-fast pace, adding to deflation fears

The cost of fresh foods has gone up in recent weeks.

The cost of many things outside the CPI basket is going up dramatically. The CPI is constructed in such a way as to fool the public into not realising their currency is being debased and wealth vanishing.

I doubt it.......

On second hand sales sites such as Mercari and Yahoo auctions, items can be on sale for months and never be sold.

You would think that the seller would eventually lower their prices.

Not in Japan.

For some reason many people tend to RAISE their price if it doesn't sell for a long period.

I will never understand this logic.

Really? I can't say I've noticed.

Lower prices are always written about as if it is a disease while inflation is referred to as gift from the gods. The press is complicit in this propaganda.

@Matej

There is new trick as price tag for some product say yoghurt is same but weight of contents is lower.Dont need to mention butter packages,chocolate packages etc...all have "shrinked".

You’re absolutely right about that. I’ve been noticing it for the past 3-4 years actually. The quantity of an item decreases but the price remains the same. It’s a sneaky way of increasing prices.

For some reason many people tend to RAISE their price if it doesn't sell for a long period.

I will never understand this logic.

Actually there is some logic to this. 

When Bistro Gravy launched about 100 years ago their sales were dismal.  They doubled the price and have never looked back.

On a personal experience I can tell you this:  I used to breed budgerigars (budgies).  One spring I had more baby budgies than I could point a stick at.  So at work, where there were about 50 people, I put up a poster that said if anyone wanted a budgie for free to contact me.  Not a single response.  So a week later I changed the message to "Budgies for sale - $12 each (it was a long time ago - more like $40 each these days).  Sold ten or so in no time at all.

For some reason many people tend to RAISE their price if it doesn't sell for a long period.

"Apples" sell that way too. They raise the price of Apples and people go crazy buying more and more, even though they all taste the same.

Actually I really don't mind prices falling. I can get more for my money. Especially here in the middle of Tokyo.

The price drop is core items is the result of retailers being desperate to make a sale. Their fears of deflation and mass poverty are real and pending.

@SimondB So,the budgies were going cheep?

Budgies for sale

I see, that's good to know.

The next time I need some Budgies, I'll definitely give you the nudgies!

Deflation. Good. As wages and salaries are reduced due to reduction in work hours, job loss, business failure any offset is welcome. Though one must consider profit margins to producers and manufacturers - but those offsets are easily resolved by direct payment from government sources. It would be helpful to print-up more money and hand it out to the populous, other than the measly one-time 100,000 yen, which was originally opposed by Abe and his former henchman and now PM, Suga.

"...So, the budgies were going cheep?"

I see what you did!

(But in Japanese, they say 'CHUN CHUN'...)

The middle class is disappearing.

The cost of fresh foods has gone up in recent weeks.

Which is normal in winter. You have to compare this winter to last winter and the winter before, not just look back in time 4 or 8 weeks.

My local

supermarket is trying to keep prices down at the moment.