With less than a month to go before the consumption tax is raised to 10 percent on Oct. 1, last-minute shopping to beat the rate hike is picking up -- and department stores and other retailers are eager to take advantage.
Red signs declaring "Zozei Mae no Daiseikai" (the right move is before the tax hike) are plastered on each of the eight floors at Seibu's flagship department store in Ikebukuro in Tokyo's Toshima Ward, urging shoppers to increase their purchases.
That was the intention of a 43-year-old Tokyo man, who was picking out a new suit at the store on Sept. 7, the first Saturday of the month.
"I need a suit for work, so if I'm going to buy one anyway, I figure I will buy it while the tax is even just a little bit lower," he said.
The Seibu chain has seen the rush of sales mainly in high-priced items. For example, sales of watches in August rose 20 percent compared with the previous year. Demand is expected to increase toward the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the Nihonbashi Takashimaya shopping center in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, set up its special section for down coats in early August -- one month ahead of schedule -- with a resulting boost in sales.
"Sales have exceeded expectations," said a staffer of the section. "We've already sold over 60."
Amid a scorching summer, sales of coats in August still increased by 70 percent from that of the previous year, according to the store.
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