Even though the store goes by a different name, shopping at Walmart in Japan is a lot like shopping at Walmart in the United States.
Walmart first invested in the Japanese grocery chain Seiyu in 2002, taking full control of the chainin 2008. Although the stores still operate under the name Seiyu, the chain is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart.
There are 328 Seiyu locations in Japan, including 236 supermarkets, 91 hypermarkets that sell apparel in addition to food and consumables, and one Tokyo location that stocks general merchandise but no food. It recently partnered with the Japanese e-commerce company Rakutento form a grocery delivery service that will launch in the second half of 2018.
Seiyu opened in 1963, long before Walmart was involved in the business. There are a lot of similarities between Seiyu in Japan and Walmart in the US. One similarity is the products offered — the Japanese stores offer products like American beef, Coca-Cola, Snickers, and Kit Kat. However, products like Kit Kats are often sold in varieties that aren’t available in the US, like green tea and purple sweet potato.
Japanese supermarkets tend to be impeccably clean and organized, and Seiyu is no exception. At the same time, the stores are reminiscent of American Walmart stores, with bright fluorescent lights and wide aisles.
Here’s what Walmart is like in Japan:
The stores are huge, and have many locations. Like Walmart in the US, the stores can often be found in strip malls.
The stores are generally very well maintained and spotlessly clean. The stores sell a lot of American brands, like Coca-Cola and Disney.
The prices are displayed in bright yellow like in the US, showing a focus on price-consciousness.
Shelves are typically fully stocked at all times.
Seiyu grocery stores also have food courts.
Some Seiyu stores even have Starbucks in them.
And the stores often have arcade games, like this claw machine.
Original Article: http://www.businessinsider.com/shopping-walmart-japan-seiyu-photos-2018-5