There were definitely better ways to handle this.

Self-checkout registers are supposed to be a win-win. Shoppers can quickly pay for their items and be on their way, and store staff can focus on tasks that can’t be eft for customers to handle themselves. However, the potential drawback is that some shoppers, either by accident or on purpose, might not properly complete their self-checkout transactions. Such a situation recently occurred in the late-night hours at a convenience store in Hokkaido Prefecture, leading to a violent altercation with a foreign tourist.

At around 1:40 a.m. on January 27, a convenience store clerk in the city of Sapporo’s Kita Ward noticed that a customer using a self-checkout register had rung up his purchases, paid for them, and then taken a plastic bag taken from the rack next to the terminal. However, the bags aren’t free, and customers wanting to use them have to include the total number they’re taking during the self-checkout procedure, with each bag costing 3 yen (approximately US$0.02).

It’s unclear whether the customer, later identified as a U.K. national tourist, intentionally avoided paying for the bags, or whether he was unaware that they weren’t free to use. Either way, though, customers are supposed to pay for them, so a 48-year-old clerk who was working a shift at the store followed the customer out to the street and called out to him to address the situation. At some point in the interaction, the clerk says the other man struck him, opening a cut near his left eye.

The British man then left the scene, but the clerk contacted the police, who were able to located the man and placed him under arrest on suspicion of assault. Following his arrest, the man denied intentionally striking the clerk, saying “We were arguing. I didn’t strike him, but when I pushed him away from me, my hand probably hit him.”

The exact course of conversation the two engaged in prior to things turning violent is unclear, as is whether the men could understand the language the other was speaking. Nevertheless, the incident highlights some important things to remember when traveling in Japan.

First, the chances of a convenience store clerk trying to shake you down for extra money that you don’t actually have to pay are low enough as to be effectively nonexistent, and even if one of them were running such a scam, it’s a safe bet that they’d be asking for more than 3 yen. But what if the clerk hadn’t just asked the man to pay for the bag, and immediately said he was going to call the police? That’s all the more reason to remain calm. Generally, level-headed people in Japan realize that the language barrier and differing social norms can sometimes lead to foreign visitors inadvertently breaking the rules, but in a case like this where there’s no malicious intent or damage caused beyond three yen, the cops aren’t going to put you in handcuffs and spend all night interrogating you…provided, of course, that you haven’t escalated the situation by doing something, like, causing personal injury to someone. If you let yourself get worked up enough, though, to the point where you’re professing your innocent by saying that you didn’t hit anybody, it was just your hand that did the damage, the situation is going to end badly for you, so dealing with the situation without even shoving anybody is probably the best course of action.

Of course, if the man knowingly stole the bag, the method for avoiding the altercation becomes even simpler: pay for what you’re supposed to pay for. In general, Japan is pretty accommodating of honest mistakes, especially from foreign tourists, but shoplifting and assault, even relatively minor instances, are things the locals are unlikely to give anyone a pass for.

Source: Hokkaido News Hub via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
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