If you are in need of camping items, clothes, stationery, or groceries, go to Don Quijote, a Japanese discount store, where there are over 100,000 items.
Keypoints
- Don Quijote is a popular Japanese discount chain store
- They have such a huge selection of items
- You can use foreign money to pay at Don Quijote
- People 60 or older are eagerly recruited
What is Don Quijote?
Don Quijote (ドン・キホーテ) is a Japanese discount chain store. It is run by Don Quijote Holdings Co., Ltd. Currently, there are stores throughout Japan and in Hawaii, America. The store has been named after a Spanish novel written by Saavedra. Like Don Quixote in the novel, who is idealistic and is eager to save the world, the store is aiming to create a new style of business by thinking outside the box.
Currently, Don Quijote is eagerly hiring those who are 60 years old or older for a morning shift. You can work from two hours a day, two days a week. The job includes cleaning and stocking before the store opens. If you are interested, please visit this page for more information (Japanese only).
A huge selection and low price
What has been so famous about Don Quijote since it started in 1989, is that there is such a huge selection of items in one store. From daily necessities to party items, Don Quijote has more than 100,000 items.
Here are some of the types of products carried at Don Quijote:
- Appliances: refrigerators, vacuums, TVs, humidifiers
- Daily necessities: soap, paper towels, sponges, hangers
- Cosmetics: mascara, lipstick, nail polish
- Food: vegetables, meat, rice, cereal, snacks
- Clothing: shirts, pants, underwear, swimsuits, shoes
- Camping items: chairs, tables, cooler boxes
- Party goods: wrapping paper, balloons, birthday hats, candles
This is possible because of the structure of the stores. Each Don Quijote store consists of so many shelves impressively packed. My friend has once said that the store is like a maze where you cannot get to the location of your desired product.
Well, you can find what you want of course, but it is true that you might think shopping at Don Quijote is like treasure hunting. Fun (if you like treasure hunting)!
The wide variety of items is great, but what makes Don Quijote more appealing is that all the 100,000+ items are at low prices. They refer to themselves as 激安の殿堂 (gekiyasu no dendou), which means “the palace of low price.” As the nickname shows, they are famous for their low prices.
Don Quijote has promised that if what you have bought at Don Quijote is more expensive than the same item at other stores, they will pay the difference back. Don Quijote supports you with this wide selection of items and their cheap prices.
You can use foreign money
You can use foreign money there! At Don Quijote, you can use the U.S. Dollar, Chinese Yuan, Euro, Thai Baht, Korean Won, Hong Kong Dollar, and Taiwanese Dollar.
This is especially helpful when you are traveling or have just moved to Japan and do not have enough Japanese yen. However, you can only use paper bills and they give you change in Japanese yen.
Enjoy the maze
I highly recommend to visit Don Quijote especially when you just move in. Since Don Quijote carries so many kinds of products, from tissue paper to vacuums, you can get what you need all in one store. Also, whether you have moved or not, it will definitely be fun to go to Don Quijote just to enjoy the maze-like structure.
You can make your own hanko
Here is one more reason why Don Quijote is a perfect place to go: you can make your own hanko there! A hanko, or Japanese seal, is a must have in Japan, and you can easily get a hanko using a hanko vending machine at some Don Quijote stores.
You can choose a font and material for your hanko, and it only takes about five minutes. When you have just moved to Japan and are in need of a hanko, you should go to Don Quijote to make one quickly and then conveniently pick up your cheap groceries.
With all these services, Don Quijote is a very customer-friendly store. If you need something and don’t know where to find it, just go to Don Quijote. They got you!
