Gyomu Super Shinjuku Okubo Store — Attraction in Tokyo

i’m currently staying long in the okubo area and found this supermarket via google maps. the stuff sold here is pretty cheap and there are a lot of discounts. there are still many items left on the floor (inside boxes without prices) but that’s not really a problem.

what really pissed me off and made me never want to go there again is the attitude of the cashier. so after picking up various groceries, i arrived at the last section near the cashier which was the bread section. i was looking around to see what kind of bread was available and suddenly a cashier yelled at me, signaling that i had to go pay immediately. i tried to ignore it for about 3 seconds because i was still choosing bread, but that cashier yelled again. even though there was no one behind me. i still tried to think positive, maybe she just meant the counter was already available and i could pay. in the end i grabbed some random bread without even looking at the flavor or price.

when i was at the cashier, she spoke japanese to me and since i’m a tourist i gave a sign that i didn’t understand what she was saying. she still kept speaking japanese and started to yell at me. i didn’t know what to do, i was in such a confusing position. i quickly pulled out some money (a 5000 yen bill) and tried to give it to her. maybe she was telling me to pay.. even though my items were not fully scanned yet. she knocked on the small tray for putting money, really harshly, and i quickly put the 5000 yen there. then after giving me the change, she kicked me out by yelling again and told me to leave (to pack my groceries into the plastic bag), even though there was nobody else after me. meaning the store wasn’t busy at all.

i really don’t understand why this woman had to be so rough with me. such an unpleasant experience and it honestly made me scared to ever...

Yes, perpetual messy state. The employees barely have the time to put out the goods, already they are snapped up. That's because they have very good prices. This particular Gyomu Supa carries a broader range of alcohol than many others because the restaurants buy here too. But there is an amazing selection of traditional Japanese foods plus a healthy dose of imported goods (pastas and sardines from the Mediterranean, various grains from Estonia and Lithuania, nice fat raw frozen pork sausages from Poland, etc.) given the square footage....

This place basically sells alcohol. That’s the biggest variety I’ve ever seen in a store. And I came for some tomatoes… There are boxes all over the place. It makes it hard to walk, especially when there are so many people as well. Maybe they had supply delivery or stock taking that day, idk, but I don’t really care, it was not supposed to be my problem. And the place overall felt quite dirty. I’m quite disappointed. Heard nice things about this store. Didn’t find any tomatoes... But bought cheese. So, two...