In Tokyo, it was rare that a day went by when I didn't pass by someone shouting outside of a storefront as a way of beckoning them into the store. In the U.S., I sometimes see people standing on street corners waving signs around, but they never shout out to people. I don't know if they can't do that by law, or if they realize it's pointless to shout at people passing by in cars. All I know is that I absolutely do not miss this particular layer of noise pollution and how it was so obnoxious at times that I didn't even want to go into the stores that were being advertised in this particular manner.
I don't miss the noisy people standing outside of shops and shouting about sales and wares.
Posts
I don't know where the sign wavers came from but they appeared about 5 or so years ago and have increased in number. I really like the ones that are dancing/singing to themselves while swinging their signs around.
ReplyDeleteI also like the way they often dance around or swing the signs. I think that makes the job look a lot less sad. ;-)
DeleteI think it's interesting that a country like Japan where being quiet and unobtrusive seems to be more valued typically would have something like shouting out to crowds outside of shops be so common. Whereas the U.S. is stereotyped as being louder and more abrasive, and I have very rarely seen anything of the sort here. For one thing, I agree with you that it doesn't seem like an effective business practice. If something is loud and obnoxious it makes me want to quickly get as far away from it as possible, not closer! :P
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting point. I think it reflects how there is often a difference in public vs. private and personal vs. business behavior. When you represent an entity (a company), you are allowed to behave different than when you only represent yourself. In the U.S., it seems that line is not nearly as strongly drawn, or, we personalize everything or see all actions as representing ourselves. It's something worth some deeper consideration.
DeleteThanks for your comment!