Working at a konbini is like playing roulette with a gacha game mechanic.
If life is like a game, then every day is like turning the handle of a gacha capsule toy machine — you never know what you’re going to get.
These days, more and more people are spinning gacha handles in the virtual world, with gacha appearing in mobile games where players spend in-game currency to obtain random characters of varying greatness. But even that can be applied to daily life, especially when you work in a convenience store, where customers can be classified into types, just like gacha reward characters.
It’s a topic that Japanese Twitter user @kimuti_X brought to everyone’s attention recently, with a tweet that describes 19 different convenience store customers and their corresponding characteristics. Ranked from UR (ultra rare) to N (Normal), like characters in a mobile game, you never know which ones you’ll come across on any given day, and these customers will be familiar to anyone who’s worked in customer service before, regardless of where you are in the world!
So let’s spin the wheel and take a closer look at the first set of gacha characters/customers we might encounter in this game of life, starting with two top-tier Specials (SP) and a second-tier Ultra Rare (UR).
The Cute, Good-mannered Child (SP)
- Just looking at them recovers your health points
- They heal your weary heart
- Reset Marathon Ranking SS Big Win Character (A Reset Marathon is where you uninstall and then re-install a game to completely restart it and roll better heroes).
The Gentle Granny (SP)
- The granny who nicely says ”Good on you for keeping at it” and “Thank you”
- Appearance rate is a low three percent
The Eloquent Young Man (UR)
- He requests things with a clear “I’ll have this please!”
- Mostly smokes Marlboro IQOS Menthol cigarettes
- He answers properly so his rarity is high
Next up we have some more rare types.
The Young Man you Thought was Scary but Turns Out to be Kind (UR)
- You think “This person is definitely scary” but then he’s totally nice
- The relief you feel when he’s nice is great
- Has the ability to scare opponents
The Person Who Only Uses the Toilet (SR – Super Rare)
- This character only goes to the use the toilet
- They’re easy to deal with so store clerks are happy
- Has high speed
The Kind Couple (SR)
- They answer you with bright, smiley faces
- These characters have recovery magic, although not at a level on par with the Cute, Good-mannered Child or the Gentle Granny.
The Man With the Correct Money (SR)
- They give you the exact money so no change is necessary
- They’re easy to deal with so staff are grateful
The Person Who Says Nothing (R/Rare)
- Answers with a nod or doesn’t even say a word all the way through
- Probably under a spell that renders them unable to speak
The Person who Pays Again and Again (R)
- This person will come to pay three or four times
- Can do three to four actions in one turn
- The lack of R strength is a popular topic
The Person Who Wants a Large Plastic Bag (R)
- This person says “Give me a big plastic bag”
- You can’t choose your bag size at this store so they’re annoying
The Person Who Starts Setting Up An Account During Payment (R)
- When their electronic payment can’t be used, they start setting up an alternative electronic payment
- Annoying, as it creates a queue of customers behind them
That brings us to our last eight, all normal gacha reward characters, listed below from left to right, top to bottom.
The Self-Proclaimed God
- An ordinary member of the public who thinks the customer is God
The Always Angry Person
- A scary person who’s mad from the very outset for some reason
The Person Who Doesn’t Say the Name of the Cigarettes They Want
- They just say the brand but not the specific type, like “Mevius”
The Unclear Person
- If you ask something like “Would you like your food heated?” they reply with “Up to you”. Say what you want!
The Earphone Human
- Pays while listening to music on their headphones
Don-chan (Yes, Don-chan refers to the main character of the Taiko no Tatsujin drum game series!)
- This is the person who hits the “Confirm Age” button repeatedly on the customer-facing screen at the register. (People have to hit this button at convenience stores when buying things like cigarettes or alcohol to confirm they’re of legal age).
The Person Who Wants Lots of Chopsticks
- Greedy middle-aged women who tell you they want lots of chopsticks (these are provided at the register, free for customers who purchase meals like bentos, and are usually limited to one per meal).
The Shoplifting Criminal
- Has the skill to steal things from opponents
Well, there you have it – 19 types of convenience store customers, reimagined as in-game gacha reward characters. There’ll definitely be a few familiar faces for those working in the world of customer service to relate to, including the rare but appreciated polite customers on opposite ends of the age spectrum.
So next time you head off to work, spare a thought for those spinning the gacha wheel and serving this cast of characters every day for a living! And to avoid being cast as one of the bad customers, you might want to take note of this list of customers Japanese convenience store clerks hate the most.
Source: Twitter/@kimuti_X via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Twitter/@kimuti_X
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