Department Stores in Tokyo Open for New Year's 1st Sales

   Tokyo, Jan. 2 (Jiji Press)--Some major department stores in Tokyo opened Thursday for the first sales of 2025 as they focus on relatively inexpensive goods in an effort to lure budget-conscious shoppers amid higher prices.
   Stores mainly offer reasonably priced "fukubukuro" lucky bags containing food and daily necessities, aiming to achieve higher New Year's sales than a year before.
   Tobu Department Store Co.'s flagship Ikebukuro store in Toshima Ward opened at 9:10 a.m., 20 minutes earlier than planned as shoppers lined up outside the store before it opened.
   The store made some 20,000 lucky bags, many of which include reasonably priced goods, available for sale, up about 10 pct from a year before.
   A shopper in her 70s said, "It is helpful because I can buy goods cheaper than usual while I keenly feel high prices."

(2025/01/02-12:29)

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