Dried Seafood Stand clicking in Ueno

Posted on May 29, 2007 by Dione

Maybe you have seen lots of stores selling dried seafood in Ueno(上野) - Area in Tokyo's Taito Ward famous for a number of cultural sites as well as Japan's most famous Zoo. market near the Ueno Zoo. I forgot the exact name but the location is really accessible for people shopping for cheaper, discounted goods. I noticed these stores selling frozen big crabs, dried fishes and other sea foods, dried fruits too. The stores are located in one place besides each other and sell more or less similar goods. The competition is so tight that they need someone to advertise by shouting to catch potential customers’ and by-passers' attention.

I was shocked to see Japanese businessmen advertising their products in big voices and convincing people to buy their product like calling for fireman. It was crowded and noisy around the place and people are mixed-up. They do this to have the great deal of their money. So I think loud advertisers are really needed to earn. It’s amusing to look at though.

There is a lot of good stuff you can buy with your money here since you can bargain and ask big discounts unlike to the department stores. But food safety is one of the points to consider. The goods here can be found in the department stores too but sold in more expensive prices. So if you want to have some great fun time bargaining it is good to be in this place once in a while. If you want to choose your stuff on not so busy days, you should go on weekdays. It is usually crowded on the weekends and the buying process is so quick that you can’t properly choose your goods. A little observation can be a smart choice before buying. The store usually covers the food, still too exposed though. The advertising strategy makes the customers impulsive and buys the product without thinking twice.

One funny thing I observed about Japanese is that if they see people lining up they also lined up at the end. I asked one businessman there about this thing, he said it is usually common for Japanese to line up at a crowded stores thinking that this store sells quality, useful, delicious or great stuffs compared to the competitor. So the more people you convince to shop at your Dried Seafood shop it is expected that the number of potential customers is doubled. Therefore, advertising through shouting at the traffic is really more useful than the ordinary plain selling. Once you get traffic lining up on you then it results in great sales per day.