ARGOS
What began as a shopping expedition for some kitchenware ended up a disaster and yet a source of reflection... I now have a biased opinion of this crummy catalogue store called Argos, so bear in mind that my story will be far from objective.
Looking for the cheapest possible cookingware, dishes, flatware, etc., I ventured to the opposite end of town for this Argos place, which I was told had everything you could need for your house. Expecting a huge warehouse-type IKEA place, all I found was a small shop with a bunch of catalogues. Apparently you look up the item in a book, write down the item number, go to the counter and purchase the item, and then pick it up at a different counter. Welcome to the fast food chain of household goods. I caught on to the process and eventually ordered a set of kitchen goods containing almost everything I needed, plus some hardboiled egg holders (?!), for the reasonable price of GBP 19.99. The only problem was that I wanted the set delivered, seeing as I would not be able to carry it with me 4 miles on my bicycle.
Delivery was promised for an extra 4.95. Fine. But now, here I am 12 days later with no kitchen set. Making my way across town again to curse this damned store, I was determined to get the kitchen set delivered again, but with a refund on the delivery charge. Result? It took 30 minutes of patience and a LOT of hassle and frustration, but eventually, I stated my case, and I was again promised that the set would be delivered, all for the bottom-line price of 19.99.
The point of this story is that I am beginning to realize all of the concessions I used to make while living in Japan. I never would have gone through the hassle of trying to state my case for free delivery. The frustration of trying to say what I deserved in Japanese, and at the appropriate level of politeness to boot, would never have been worth saving 1000 yen. I now think back to the bag full of clothes and make-up I had left in a taxi in Tokyo and my half-assed attempt to get it back, the too-small sheets I had bought when I first arrived and my failed attempt to exchange them for a different size, and so many other times I must have lost my money because I couldn't be bothered to be more persistent.
Now, it all seems too easy in a way...
But in another way, I'm wondering about all the other things I must have lost in translation in Tokyo...
Looking for the cheapest possible cookingware, dishes, flatware, etc., I ventured to the opposite end of town for this Argos place, which I was told had everything you could need for your house. Expecting a huge warehouse-type IKEA place, all I found was a small shop with a bunch of catalogues. Apparently you look up the item in a book, write down the item number, go to the counter and purchase the item, and then pick it up at a different counter. Welcome to the fast food chain of household goods. I caught on to the process and eventually ordered a set of kitchen goods containing almost everything I needed, plus some hardboiled egg holders (?!), for the reasonable price of GBP 19.99. The only problem was that I wanted the set delivered, seeing as I would not be able to carry it with me 4 miles on my bicycle.
Delivery was promised for an extra 4.95. Fine. But now, here I am 12 days later with no kitchen set. Making my way across town again to curse this damned store, I was determined to get the kitchen set delivered again, but with a refund on the delivery charge. Result? It took 30 minutes of patience and a LOT of hassle and frustration, but eventually, I stated my case, and I was again promised that the set would be delivered, all for the bottom-line price of 19.99.
The point of this story is that I am beginning to realize all of the concessions I used to make while living in Japan. I never would have gone through the hassle of trying to state my case for free delivery. The frustration of trying to say what I deserved in Japanese, and at the appropriate level of politeness to boot, would never have been worth saving 1000 yen. I now think back to the bag full of clothes and make-up I had left in a taxi in Tokyo and my half-assed attempt to get it back, the too-small sheets I had bought when I first arrived and my failed attempt to exchange them for a different size, and so many other times I must have lost my money because I couldn't be bothered to be more persistent.
Now, it all seems too easy in a way...
But in another way, I'm wondering about all the other things I must have lost in translation in Tokyo...
posted by JoLo in Tokyo @ 12:54 PM
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