lifestyle

Megastore keeps boxes of change at register for you to use

7 Comments
By Casey Baseel

I’ve never really understood the rationale behind the name of the Japanese discount megastore chain Don Quijote. Tweaked spelling aside, it’s clearly supposed to be a reference to the character from the 16th century Miguel de Cervantes novel, but what does a mentally imbalanced would-be knight errant have to do with rock bottom prices, chaotic store layouts with hand-drawn signs everywhere, and a corporate mascot who’s a penguin wearing a Santa cap?

Maybe it’s got something to do with the word “quixotic,” which describes a humorously strong commitment to lofty ideals and helpfulness. Actually, that would be a pretty apt description of one of the store’s most unique policies: keeping a box of change at the register for customers to grab coins out of and use when paying for their purchases.

Don Quijote gives their branch managers free rein in setting up their interiors. As a matter of fact, stepping into a Don Quijote is the polar opposite of Japan’s precisely organized department stores. Poke around in every nook and corner, and you’ll find groceries, furniture, electronics, and even sensual lotions and cosplay costumes.

But there’s one thing many layouts have in common, and that’s something called the Just Box set up next to the register. A reference to how it helps you have “just enough” change to pay for your purchases, the Just Box is a container filled with one-yen coins, and any customer can grab up to four of them to use when being rung up.

Granted, four yen is an almost negligible amount. Still, the gesture is enough to put a smile on the face of many repeat customers, and not just because of the itsy bitsy economic gain.

See, in Japan, the smallest bill is 1,000 yen, which means that at any point in time, you’ve probably got a lot of loose change in your wallet or pocket.

500, 100, 50, and 10-yen coins are pretty handy, since you can use them in Japan’s ubiquitous vending machines or when buying train tickets from automated kiosks. But not five and one-yen coins. It’s always kind of a pain when you’re out shopping and find yourself just a single yen short of your total, since then you’re going to be stuck with a handful of clinking one-yen coins for the immediate future.

Don Quijote’s Just Box elegantly solves this problem, and online commenters are genuinely grateful.

“Thanks to the awesome Just Box, my wallet is never crammed with change after I do my shopping. I wish other chains had them too.”

“Totally.”

“But doesn’t Don Quijote lose a lot of money because of it?”

“Even if a thousand people used the maximum amount, it’d only be 4,000 yen. They can’t be worried about that sort of loss if they’re going to be the biggest discount chain!”

While the Just Box is definitely a clever piece of marketing that’s earned Don Quijote a nice bit of customer goodwill, it also has another upside for the stores. With a broad customer base and locations in large population centers, branches can get incredibly busy. The Just Box not only saves consumers a few yen, it eliminates a digit worth of change that cashiers have to count out and hand over. Shaving a few seconds off the checkout time per customer keeps the lines buzzing along smoothly, which is critical for Don Quijote to sell in the quantities it needs to offset its lower prices.

Alas, it seems some Don Quijote branches are phasing out their Just Boxes. Instead, at certain locations, customers who register for the Don Quijote emailing list, then spend more than 1,000 yen, can get the entire last digit of their bill waived. So really, even where it’s no longer around, the Just Box has been reborn as a new system that’s over twice as generous.

Very quixotic indeed.

Source: Livedoor

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Lame Applicant Pool Plagues Don Quijote, Discount Superstore Posts Recruiting Fails -- This restaurant’s in a bit of a pinch and is enlisting your help! -- Why does the fifty yen coin have a hole? And other fun facts about Japanese coins

© RocketNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


7 Comments
Login to comment

Big fan of Don-Ki.

It's a good place to buy sexy lingerie for your cute Japanese girlfriend at very reasonable prices.

Of course, other goodies as well to spice up your love life.

The only problem is the long line at the check out... bit embarrassing with all that good stuff in your shopping basket.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Amusing and well written article, plus the additional smile from choiwaruoyaji's comment. Glad I stopped by!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I know of one restaurant in Azabu Juban that does this too. It's the Singapore chicken rice restaurant. This is a common practice in many stores in the USA, but the difference is customers may toss in their small coins for others to use or take a few pennies when needed. For example, your purchase is $1.97 and you hand the clerk $2. You toss the three pennies in the box.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"The Just Box not only saves consumers a few yen, it eliminates a digit worth of change that cashiers have to count out and hand over. Shaving a few seconds off the checkout time per customer keeps the lines buzzing along smoothly"

Yeah, some people are in a real hurry! One time when I was paying for my stuff at Don Quihote, and I took a few seconds to put my change and reciept into my wallet before leaving the cashier, the guy behind me got pissed, lol.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Serrano:

One time when I was paying for my stuff at Don Quihote, and I took a few seconds to put my change and reciept into my wallet before leaving the cashier, the guy behind me got pissed, lol.

Same thing happened to me my first visit to a store in Memphis, having just moved from a much smaller city. Was filling out my check stub and the guy behind me chewed me out.

I sort of expect that in the US, but HERE?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I love Don Quijote ! almost item can buy low cost ♪ and many many kind of items there! really convenient for many people because of anything can buy , open until midnight (^^) Just Box system is very useful I think. many people do not like that a lot of coins in their wallet. so using this system and try not to get coins.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Maybe it's time to get rid of one yen coins altogether.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites