The "rental showcase" service in Japan refers to a service in which the interested party can rent a showcase in a store and sell whatever he wants using that space. This service can also be known as "rental space", "rental shelf", or "small space store". In short, it is like a store that rents space for minor and sometimes immediate sales.
Knowing this, a post on Twitter went viral in Japan by featuring photographs of these services, showing that they are completely abandoned despite being offered even at half price. “The window rental service of a store near Akihabara Station is in a terrible state, it is as if these stores have lost all their meaning now that the number of tourists and people passing through the Akihabara area has dropped considerably by the pandemic, and the stores are in danger of disappearing, "he wrote.
秋葉原駅から近いショップのレンタルショーケースが酷い惨状、料金が半額でも使う人がいない「小さな小売店」みたいなもんだから観光客も一般客も秋葉原に来る人が激減して店も無くなって過疎化してしまう未来の姿かも #秋葉原 pic.twitter.com/iimUKvb51u
— ヤマＫ (@yama_k_) January 8, 2021
One comment wrote: “When I saw the photo, I instinctively thought, 'Wow, awesome.' Although I am sure that not only the pandemic, but also auction platforms such as Yahoo! Auction and Merikari have downgraded this service. ' In this regard, the user of the original publication pointed out: «Before COVID-19, all the spaces for rent were occupied and even if you have to pay a fee and the space is reduced, rest assured that everything that is put there is going to be sold. Especially among foreigners, they usually carry bags full of the products on display. '
コロナ以前はこのショーケース満室だったんですよ、レンタル料も中にも入れる商品も高くても売れてたんでしょうね、特に外国人がカゴに一杯入れて買ってたのが印象的ですわ
— ヤマＫ (@yama_k_) January 8, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the profits of all the establishments located in the Akihabara neighborhood, since the states of emergency and work from home decreased the number of people and tourists who transit the area to critical levels, decreasing in parallel the number of potential customers and putting at risk countless service establishments in the area.
Source: Otakomu
