An increasing number of department stores have been raising delivery fees on oseibo, Japan's year-end gifts.
There are also moves to put forward dates of the deliveries compared with those in past years to avoid delays to deliveries.
Both moves are being made because the department stores need to cope with a serious labor shortage that is becoming a common and worsening issue in the logistics industry.
As the burden on deliverers of the seasonal gifts becomes heavier, there is concern that more consumers may shun the gift-giving custom.
On Friday, which was the first day of a three-day weekend and the peak period for oseibo sales promotions, many customers packed Tokyo department stores' booths exclusive for oseibo.
"I have to choose cheaper goods than before as delivery fees have been hiked," said a 63-year-old woman who bought gifts for her friends.
Matsuya Co. has raised delivery fees for oseibo at its department stores for the first time in 25 years. The company has hiked fees about 40 percent on average.
In cases of deliveries to addresses in Tokyo's 23 wards, the fee for delivering a parcel weighing up to 10 kilograms, not including consumption tax, rose from 300 yen to 600 yen (about 2.65 dollars to 5.30 dollars).
A senior official of the company explained the fee hikes saying, "It is because of recent price rises in distribution costs."
Yamato Transport Co. and Sagawa Express Co. raised their parcel delivery service fees in autumn last year, and Japan Post Co. also raised its fees in spring this year. Effects from the companies' fee hikes have been large.
Sogo & Seibu Co. also raised its uniform delivery fees on some goods to all destinations across the nation from 400 yen to 600 yen.
Oseibo gift deliveries, which have traditionally been in December, have also been moved up because of labor shortages in the logistics industry.
As sales promotions of Christmas goods and osechi traditional meals eaten during New Year's celebrations overlap with that of year-end gifts in December, delays in deliveries of parcels have got increasingly worse in recent years. The department stores' measures seem to be aimed at solving the issue.
For this year's oseibo season, Aeon Co. began preparing a limited edition of goods only for deliveries in November, such as mikan oranges and persimmons, to encourage customers to purchase and send goods earlier than usual.
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. also has requested customers to designate dates of delivery avoiding the busiest periods.
However, the custom of oseibo gifts faces countercurrents even setting aside the impacts from the hikes of delivery fees.
An association comprising business partners of Toyota Motor Corp. began this year requesting member companies not to send year-end gifts and ochugen summer gifts to executives of Toyota and its group companies. This is apparently because the companies, in collaboration with Toyota, aim to cut costs.
Yano Research Institute Ltd. estimates that the market size of oseibo-related goods and services has shrunk. It is likely that the size will diminish from 1 trillion yen in 2014 to 955.9 billion yen in 2018.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
