It's quite common in Japan to go shopping via public transport or on your bike. What happens, therefore, when you buy something larger, something awkward to carry by hand?
Last Saturday David and I had a date "in town" and stopped off at a nearby electrical store to buy a new printer (our old one was being less than helpful). We had caught the train there (along with a few thousand other people . . . and had to carry this home.
When we bought it one employee spent a few minutes packaging it for carrying. They had a special heat-sealing machine that sealed these plastic straps, then added a handle and padded it the handle. It was still a bit awkward to manoeuvre through the crowds with it, but at least it was carry-able.
Do they ever do this in Australia or elsewhere? Understanding that most times you buy things like this in Australia you are in your own vehicle. But what about those who use public transport?
Sounds like a great idea, that I haven't heard of here in Australia. Where I live in rural victoria, our local shopping town does not have any plastic bags anymore so I always have calico bags. This is for everything from clothing to food.
ReplyDeleteIn Sydney the State Rail sometimes released video to the news programs of people carrying bulky items on trains. The message is that they shouldn't do it. They usually show a picture of someone trying to load a fridge onto a carriage. That's extreme, but they don't really like people taking large stuff and getting in the way of other passengers.
ReplyDeleteOur trains are so crowded on a twice daily basis, that they discourage even backpacks at those times. I've travelled at peak hour with suitcases and people are patient, but you do feel as though you are taking up too much room and it's pretty miserable. This is a link to a poster in a campaign a few years ago that employed mild humour to get the point across, not unlike your example, but not so extreme.
ReplyDeletehttp://snarglr.com/s/2013/03/26/tokyo_metro.png