In recent years, many industries are trying to survive the next generation in this continuing worldwide economic recession. Therefore they began cutting costs and jobs, getting out of some unprofitable businesses, or slimming down in just about everything. Ironically, those countermeasures create a deeper recession and therefor Japan is going into a vicious cycle of deflation. As a result and unfortunately, people called 買い物難民(kaimono-nanmin), or shopping refugees, have emerged. These are elderly people having problems getting to stores.
When I was a child, many people still shopped at specialized retailers, such as a butcher, fish shop, grocer, liquor shop, or rice shop. We bought only what we needed. With the changes of the times we promoted rationalization for everything, so our life became more convenient and efficient. Since people began to buy everything at one-stop stores like a supermarket, many nearby retail stores lost customers. And more, many people began to stock up food at cheaper priced supermarkets to save money and time.
In that tough situation, small retailers closed their stores and streets became like ghost towns. Those areas are called シャッター通り (shutter dori), a Shutter Street, because many stores closed their shutters. Several years later, Japan, along with the rest of world, slid into our current severe recession. Many supermarkets began closing their businesses, even though they were the only places where people can shop in those areas. After those supermarkets closed, many elderly households began having serious trouble getting to stores because there is no store around, no helping hand, and no transportation facility. Since they can’t drive, they have to walk with bad legs for a long time to get necessities for life. I don’t think the recession is the only reason for this; maybe it’s just a trigger. The買い物難民 situation is contributed by many Japanese social problems: the continuing recession, a fast-aging society, increasing numbers of nuclear families, and more.
Meanwhile some people have started a new service for helping elderly people having shopping problems. They are not working at a large company. They’re working at sort of a mom-and-pop shop. Twice or three times a week, they visit door to door selling necessities to people longing for daily fresh food, or something heavy like a carton of milk, a bag of rice, or a bottle of soy sauce, etc. They are also having several different types of small portions of food prepared, which are the most popular. To satisfy customers, they are trying to have a wide variety of goods and accept requests. This service is also helping to deter elder solitary death. Even though they are sure there is high growth in demand, expanding their service is difficult due to a bad cost-revenue ratio.
Now companies are required to read the future and fit current public needs at the same time. If big companies can coexistent with small business, much more public needs might be fulfilled. Even though it is impossible to accept all of them, some of their new ideas and challenges will give us hope for the future. I think the service for 買い物難民 is hope for both, people having shopping problems and people seeking new business opportunity.
Newspapers, TV news, other mediums, and we ourselves tend to highlight only a bad side of our current situation. But I think this continuing recession brings not only a bleak future, but many hidden opportunity. Recession brings both despair and hope, especially for companies. So, let’s keep our chins up! The darkest hour is always just before the dawn.
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