Surugaya Akihabara Station Front Shop — Local services in Tokyo

Questionable clerk withholding the rights to tax-free certain items despite item being over 5500yen. Was very mean and not helpful at all to foreign customers or tourists.

I went to this Surugaya store as a foreign tourist on  24/05/24 around 10:45AM, looking to buy some Hololive signed postcards. (I bought those circled blue).

Upon checking out at the cashier, the male, thin, middle aged clerk who wore specs, told me 2 of the larger ones cannot be tax free despite all 3 items adding up to beyond 5500 yen. He was receiving instructions from a taller male clerk standing directly behind him (not sure if this is the same individual mentioned many times in this comment section about being mean and rude)

When I asked politely with limited japanese why no tax free despite being well above 5500yen, the male clerk serving me immediately became annoyed and took out a translator while shouting at me in an extremely displeased and rude manner "English, Chinese, Korean?!"

I said English, and what he translated using the app was "these 2 item cannot be tax-free" without explaining why, while repeatly saying "OK? OK? OK?"

I eventually paid for the items without tax free and left, but the service was extremely unpleasant and uncalled for.

I bought similar postcards in another Surugaya branch in Sapporo just a few days ago on this same trip. The amount was above 5500 yen. There were no restrictions raised on tax-free, and the staff were a lot friendlier.

I came back to this very store on 29/05/24 2:15 pm and noticed another clerk on duty. I bought something beyond 5500yen (some acrylic standees) and got it tax-free. I was served by a younger gentleman not wearing specs, was a lot more receptive to foreign customers, and tourists. I would like to say thank you for that.

As the exact same postcards were on sale, I took the chance and asked if those were tax free and he signalled to me by pointing to a board above the cashier, stating that any products beyond 5500yen could be tax free and these includes the postcard products.

I thanked him and left the store even more confused, wondering why there is a double standard not only between branches of the same store in Sapporo and Tokyo but also within the very same store?

For tourist visiting this store, please check with the clerk on duty if the item you wish to buy could be tax free despite being over 5500yen as it does seems that the decision to get tax free lies on who is the...

It seems I got off lightly as the infamous staff member on B1 mentioned in many reviews wasn't exactly rude to me, but he did ignore me for a while when I was standing in front of him at the counter, and when he did eventually attend to me, he said that I should have rung the bell to get his attention. (I assumed that a bell is for when no staff member is there and you want to call them to the empty counter to serve you, but he was already standing there behind the counter, so I didn't think I needed to ring it just to get him to look at me.)

He also refused to do tax free despite what I bought being over 10,000 yen and a sign displayed right next to him saying "tax free store for purchases over 5,500 yen". When I asked, he just said 出来ない (dekinai, "can't do it"). Since I had heard from other reviews that he shouted at customers, I didn't want to get yelled at so I just let it go and paid the full tax price without asking why.

Every other Suruga-ya I have ever shopped at (including in Sapporo, Kansai, and even another branch also in Akiba just a short walk away from this one) has done tax free without a problem, so it just seems to be this one staff who either doesn't know the rules or doesn't...

It was a terrible shopping experience. The salesperson on the first floor had an extremely bad attitude. In contrast, the shopping experience on the second floor and the basement was quite good, with very polite and courteous staff. The salesperson in the basement even helped me find the game cartridge I was looking for. However, when I took the cartridge to the first floor due to my unfamiliarity with the rules, I was treated very poorly. The salesperson was probably the man with glasses that everyone mentioned. When I expressed my intention to buy a 一番赏, he was very impatient, sighing while handing me the item. Even after I had already paid (while he was giving me change), I wanted to gacha, but I was rudely interrupted again.God,what's wrong about you? His behavior was completely impolite and discourteous throughout, which ruined the good impression I had formed from the...