I'm sorry for the price increase. Does your impression change depending on how you say it?

Story of price increase October 6 19:02

"I want to continue my favorite crepe shop, so I'm going to raise the price by 40 yen. I'm really sorry for children, junior high and high school students



. "

There is a shop that put out a sticker like this.

Recently, it seems that a number of companies are daring to announce their price increases one after another.



Why not just rewrite the prices on the menu?

children's faces popped up

A crepe shop in Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka City.


I've been in the shop for 9 years, and this month I decided to raise the price of crepes.

Mr. Masayuki Tsukano, the store manager, said,


"When I thought about raising the price, I thought of children's faces. I was really worried about what to do if they said, 'Have you raised the price?'"

Most of the customers who visit the store are in their teens to 30s.

It seems that the price was set in the 300 yen to 400 yen range so that even children could easily buy it.



However, since the beginning of this year, the purchase price of ingredients has risen, and it is said that maintaining the price has reached the limit.

Ingredients with increased prices (partial)


▼Flour ¥280 → ¥360/kg


▼Strawberries ¥500 → ¥850/15 pieces


▼Electricity bill increased by ¥2000/month

Mr. Masayuki Tsukano, the store manager:


"It's dangerous to think about the future. There's no point if the store is closed, so I want to continue the store. I'd like customers to understand somehow, so I'm sorry for writing in such a sloppy handwriting. Straight words I honestly wrote down what



came to my mind." "Children who come to buy it after school say, 'That's okay.' So far, the reaction hasn't been bad."

The commercial became a hot topic, that ice cream

This trend is spreading among manufacturers as well.



A little while ago, a commercial for Akagi Nyugyo, headquartered in Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, became a hot topic.

Most of the products do not appear on the screen, and people in suits and work clothes bow their heads with a solemn look.

Subtitles were displayed in the middle of the screen.

It means that the price of the main product ice cream will be raised from 60 yen to 70 yen



per stick .

Although the commercial does not seem like an advertisement for ice cream, it is said that the aim was to convey the company's stance.





A person in charge of Akagi Nyugyo


"I expected a harsh reaction from customers to the price increase, but there was a great response, and above all, I received a lot of positive feedback. It also gave me a chance to realize that customers are supporting me. I am very grateful.”

"It tasted better" at the same time as the price increase

In May, the restaurant chain “Gyoza no Osho” ​​posted a list of 14 menu items with increased prices on its website.



For example, gyoza is 220 yen per plate to 240 yen (excluding tax).

(Eastern Japan price is 240 yen → 260 yen excluding tax)

In addition, the list explains that the recipe has been devised for each menu and efforts have been made to improve the taste.

Osho food service representative who develops “Gyoza no Osho” ​​“I


thought that we would like you to know that the recipe has been improved as a corporate effort, and that the food has become even more delicious, and that you can understand the price revision. Before the price increase We have more customers than ever before.”

Are you running out of lunch?

While there are many stores that dare to announce price increases, the following tweet has become a hot topic recently.

"I'm begging you!!! Don't reduce the amount! Raise the price with the same amount!"

It was retweeted 10,000 times in a few days and received 90,000 likes.



What happened?

Woman


: “I was tired from work that day and didn’t feel like cooking dinner after I got home. So I decided to buy a bento and go home.”

Women work as husband and wife.

It seems that there are children in the 3rd grade of elementary school and 5 years old.


It was when I chose a bento from a store I had bought before and started eating it at home with my family of four.

“When I put the chopsticks on, I felt that the container had a ‘raised bottom’ and that there was less rice than before. No,” so I had to make extra meals.

It seems that the price of the bento I bought at that time was a little higher.



In addition, it is said that there are more products that are reducing the amount, such as fried squid of frozen food, which has decreased from 6 to 5.

“Life is not easy, but I want my children to be full, so quantity is important to me.

Is this good in the first place?

Since it is difficult for consumers to notice a substantial price increase that reduces the amount of content without changing the price of the product, it is also called a "stealth price increase", likened to a fighter aircraft that is difficult to be detected by radar.



We asked the person in charge of the Consumer Affairs Agency how they see these companies' movements.

Consumer Affairs Agency official:


“Product prices are determined by individual business operators under free competition, reflecting supply and demand trends and cost fluctuations, so we cannot limit it. For processed foods, the Food Labeling Act stipulates that raw materials and contents must be displayed.

On the other hand, we are also paying attention to the "stealth price increase".

"Price Monitor Survey" conducted in January this year.



About half of the 2,000 people nationwide answered, ``I want you to explain clearly if you want to reduce the content while keeping the price unchanged.''



At a press conference at the time the survey results were announced, Commissioner Ito said, "I think it's very clear that (consumers) want to be fully convinced. I want to tell companies that there are such voices." I'm talking to

We asked 101 university students

A method of increasing the price without changing the quantity of the product, and a method of decreasing the quantity of the product without changing the price of the product.

Both are hurting our wallets, but which one is more acceptable to consumers psychologically?



With the cooperation of Professor Kaori Nakano of the Faculty of Business Administration, Komazawa University, who specializes in marketing communications such as corporate information, we asked university students.

▼It is better to have the same amount of content even if the price goes up


 46.5% ▼It is better to have the same amount of content


while keeping the price unchanged


 53.5%



(101 students from Komazawa University responded)

Opinions were almost evenly divided, but the result was that a slightly higher number of students answered that the so-called "stealth price increase", which reduces the amount, is better.



However, as with the survey by the Consumer Affairs Agency, there are also voices that there is resistance to the fact that the amount is decreasing without knowing it.

Student : "I think it would be

nice


if they were notified in advance, but if they weren't, it would leave a bad impression. I feel like I've lost money.


"


It's more honest to explain properly."

Professor Nakano says that companies are required to respond based on this consumer psychology.

Professor Kaori Nakano, Faculty of Business Administration, Komazawa University


“With the spread of SNS and smartphones, the relationship between companies and consumers has changed, and more two-way communication is now required. It may be important to communicate the vision, such as the reason and background, and what can be achieved by raising the price, even if it is raised. Hmm"