Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!news.daionet.gr.jp!news.yamada.gr.jp!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed00.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!news-lei1.dfn.de!news-ber1.dfn.de!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: "masayuki" Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan Subject: Re: Family Mart Hijinks Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 22:04:44 +0900 Lines: 96 Message-ID: <2uetfcF29lfeaU1@uni-berlin.de> References: <8m2vn0pmqfbhnpabtp7g0c6l75ch9p7snh@4ax.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-2022-jp"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de NSZczpHXnqF1FSP36kNEAwNgLuYn8SuUMjAVUvtCsS2+mOxRBv X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180 Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.life.in-japan:20324 "Michael Cash" wrote in message news:8m2vn0pmqfbhnpabtp7g0c6l75ch9p7snh@4ax.com... > This is a copy-n-paste of a mail I sent to one of those groups which > functions mainly as a place for Debito to post his press releases. > I thought my favorite bunch of reprobates might get a kick out of it: > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Not a big deal, nor anything other than what I expected when I walked > into the store, but I still gave them a ration of shit over it. > Thought I'd share.... > > > Today, around noon, I stopped by a Family Mart in Nerima-ku and > noticed that they were having a big sign-up campaign for a new Family > Mart credit card they're introducing. I recognized the regular store > staff from multiple previous visits to the store. They were all just > performing their regular duties. FM had sent in some outside help to > do the campaign work. > > One was stationed by the door. One was stationed by the ATM. And a > couple more wore working the aisles of the store. Of course, they were > attempting to pass out card applications to everyone who came in. > > Everyone except me, that is. The door guy, who had been > enthusiastically greeting all comers and offering applications to > them, stood there still as a statue and silent as the grave when I > came in. > > So I thought I'd pass by the ATM guy and see what happened. Same > thing. Ditto the two guys working the aisles. > > Just to make certain how aggressive they were in accosting any and all > customers, I wandered around the store for perhaps 10 minutes (I went > in at about 12:10 and left at 12:25), passing slowly by each of the > campaign staff, looking just as approachable and unhurried as I could > to give them ample opportunities to make their pitch to me. > > What happened each time was the still-n-silent statue impersonation, > immediately replaced with aggressive accosting of the nearest Japanese > customer the instant I had passed by them. Hell, they were following > customers around the store continuing their harrangue as the customers > attempted to complete their shopping. > > After that had gone on about 10 minutes and I figured I had amply > observed the degree of their agressivity and given them at least a > dozen chances to make their offer to me I decided it was time to ask > if there was some reason for what was quite obviously an effort to > studiously ignore me. > > What ensued was one of those bizarre situations where Japanese > adamantly maintain that they are NOT discriminating....and > discriminating all the while they're doing it. Anyone who has ever > gone apartment hunting in Japan has probably encountered this and can > relate to what I'm talking about. > > As I was embarassing them by making a stink in the crowded store, > right next to the table where a couple of customers (one of them a > high school boy) were filling out applications, they very quickly > tried to usher me into the storeroom to continue the conversation. > Since raising a public stink over it was exactly what I wanted to do I > remained right where I was. > > I got the name and employee number of the main guy (who was from the > FM Honbu) and wrote it down for future reference. I wish I had thought > to ask for his name card. > > No, I don't care to sue Family Mart or the campaign staff. Nor do I > really care to bother with contacting the Honbu and registering a > complaint with them. I met the situation as it was, where it was, and > dealt with it just about as much as I care to. But I thought my fellow > foreigners in Japan might wish to keep an eye on their neighborhood > Family Mart and watch to see when they put on a credit card sign-up > campaign. If you have a few minutes to spare, wander around and make > it obvious that you are in no hurry to leave the store. I'm interested > in seeing if anyone gets approached and offered an application. Sort of Japanese disease. Now my wife says she will send a letter to the head office of FM tomorrow. She seems eager to know how they "justify" this kind of stinking practice. If she gets a response from FM, I will make public here. Masayuki > -- > > Michael Cash > > "I am sorry, Mr. Cash, but we are unable to accept your rap sheet in lieu of > a high school transcript." > > Dr. Howard Sprague > Dean of Admissions > Mount Pilot College