Free ice packs?

I notice that in Japan food halls in shopping centres, when customers buy cakes, staff will ask if they need an ice pack or not. When customers reply in the affirmative, they will gladly put one inside the box. This is even if the customer buys only one slice! And even when it is minus 0 outside, staff still ask this question! I am so surprised! Because firstly, in the part of Asia I am from, there is no such thing as a free ice pack. They don't provide it in the first place, this despite the hot weather. Secondly, I am surprised because Japan is already so cold outside, why do you need an ice pack anyway?

Secondly, I am surprised because Japan is already so cold outside, why do you need an ice pack anyway?

Because while it may be cold outside, interior spaces (buildings, trains, etc.) are kept at a temperature where spoilage is still possible, and it is more than likely that your food will be spending the majority of its time inside.

As suggested, I think most shopkeepers don't ask, "Do you need ice?" but rather, "How long will it take for you to bring this home?" In other words, they are trying to estimate how their merchandise will be maintained in an ideal condition.

If the customer says, "Oh, it's just a simple train ride. I don't need anything." then they won't put in any ice. If the customer says (s)he will take a couple of hours of driving or that (s)he has some place else to drop by on the way, they will ask, "Then would 3 or 4 ice packs do?"

By making sure they provide this kind of service, they will attract more customers. For example, if a customer is not planning to go straight home, (s)he might resign from buying food, but if they know they can get free ice they won't hesitate to shop. For this reason, many shopping facilities even provide food lockers or keep the bought food for you, so that customers can perhaps enjoy a movie or two before going home.

Additionally, if it so happens that their merchandise gets spoiled on the customers' way home, not only would they be not able to present their proud merchandise in its ideal form but they could get in trouble for food poisoning.

The other thing is that Japan is sensitive about hygiene then perhaps a lot of South-Asian countries. When Japanese or even Western tourists travel to Southeast Asia, they are advised to avoid drinking unbottled water and to avoid eating raw food. In their home countries, they have laws to keep food and its surroundings sanitary and its people expect them to be.

Mind you though, not all food stalls in Japan automatically provide ice packs. Most supermarkets and neighborhood grocery shops don't give you ice unless you ask for it. Most of their customers live in walking distance where they can even take home icecream without having it melt.

=== By making sure they provide this kind of service, they will attract more customers. For example, if a customer is not planning to go straight home, (s)he might resign from buying food, but if they know they can get free ice they won't hesitate to shop. For this reason, many shopping facilities even provide food lockers or keep the bought food for you, so that customers can perhaps enjoy a movie or two before going home.


Hey! If only my country has your country's way of thinking! Yes this is right. This should be the keep to keep customers happy & to keep your cash registers ringing. Unfortunately, the people in my country think this way ''What? FREE ice packs?! NO way! I will incur xx costs. I don't want to incur any costs in my business. I want to keep my costs 0 & profit 100%.''
And another reason why a major popular supermarket chain does not provide free ice packs is because they are affliated with the government; so they will never run out of business, not in a 100 years. Thus there is no need to

I enjoy shoping at Japan supermarkets & food hall. I wanna go to Japan again!