Bulk Buying | Masaru Tomita (Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies)
2007.03.14
Having a go-to brand is great because you don't have to hesitate when shopping.
My go-to brand for clothes is Tommy Hilfiger .
Once or twice a year, I head to the Tommy Hilfiger section of a department store and buy everything in bulk, from top to bottom. I know my size, so I don't even need to try anything on. After a quick look around the sales floor, I tell the clerk, "I'll take this, that, that one over there, and this one in size XX," pay with my card, and leave like the wind with a large paper bag. This is what is commonly known as "otona-gai," or buying like an adult. For the store, I must seem like a "valued customer."
Even if I visit after a year, the staff usually remembers me and greets me with something like, "It's been a while." They have a good grasp of my preferences and bring out one item after another, saying, "This is the latest design," or "This is selling well in the US right now," so I can't help but buy a whole bunch, saying, "Okay, I'll take that one too." However, despite being such a loyal customer, I've never received a single cent off or any freebies. Perhaps they see me less as a valued customer and more as an "easy mark."
My students are well aware that I'm a Tommy Hilfiger fan, and in my lab, we have an annual event called "Tommy Day" on October 3rd, where all students are required to wear some kind of Tommy Hilfiger merchandise—Of course, nothing of the sort actually happens.
(Posted on: 2007/03/14)