.png)
Different strategies for welcoming customers into the store
.png)
by Christina
Introduction
Walking down Naka-Doori–the main spine of the gay district–there are various businesses open left to right, providing different but also similar services. As Shinjuku Ni-chome consists of hundreds of bars, this means that it is up to the patron to decide, which business to support particularly during the decline of the district.
Utilising Signboards
Signboards are an accessible and perhaps effective way for patrons to understand what is being provided to whom for what price. In particular, signboards can show exclusivity, that is via the depiction of a particular sexual orientation, while also inclusivity, by utilising phrases such as 「初心者OK」(“Beginners OK”)「女性でも」(“Even women”) or 「男女OK」(“Men and Women OK”).
Depiction of a certain sexual orientation (enhances exclusivity)
“Even beginners are welcome”, “Ladies as well” (enhances inclusivity)
The signboard in question.
With LGBTQ patrons on the decline, some businesses have turned to heterosexual clientele–more specifically heterosexual cis women–to make profit (Deck, 2017). Such a shift to cater to this demographic is perhaps illustrated through the signboards propped outside of the venues.
Read more on
Displaying of Staff
Next to some signboards and usually by the doorway, some bars employ displaying the staff, including through the ‘staff of the day’ to build some sort of familiarity and rapport between the patron with the staff upon entering. Such a tactic includes displaying the staff’s faces as well as nicknames.
Calling/pulling people in
Unlike signboards and the displaying of staff which lack actual direct human interaction, there were at times observations where bartenders would leave their designated bartending stations to call and pull people into the place: a transgression of territoriality.
Read more on how
Conclusion
Through different strategies of non-human and human interaction to welcome customers into the store, from the get-go, these stores aim to bring customers into the uchi of the community, that is, specifically at that store. This includes conveying that the patron’s sexual orientation and gender are tolerated in the store as well as letting the patrons know who is working (thus, the customer can recognise the bartender’s face and name, already creating intimacy between the service provider and patron). Outside of NThe more direct way of bringing someone to the uchi of the store is through the bartender’s actions of calling and pulling the customer into the venue.