Shoppers Line Up for Forever 21's Tokyo Store Opening
The opening of the new Forever 21 store in Tokyo was a success: 1500 people lined up to get into the new flagship Harajuku store. The store opening fell on a national holiday so that helped increase the crowds, who started lining up the night before the opening.
About 15 minutes before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the crowd was estimated at 1,500 people. Even though people here are quick to form lines outside new boutiques, that's still a good showing. More than 2,000 lined up for the November opening of H&M's Harajuku store, coinciding with the launch of its special Comme des Garçons collection.
Fumito Okuyama and Kazuko Nakahara, both stylists at a hair salon, camped out on the sidewalk starting Wednesday night, staving off hunger with burgers from McDonald's and rice balls from a nearby convenience store. They read about the opening in Japanese fashion magazines such as Blenda and Vivi, and decided the low prices would be worth the long wait.
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About 30 minutes after the 11am opening time, the cash registers were backed up and there were far more customers entering the store than there were leaving. Those who waited on the street for hours were rewarded with a free t-shirt and pair of flip flops, as well as cans of Red Bull to perk them up. The orderly lines outside quickly turned into mayhem inside—a mannequin even toppled over and created a stir as a shopper tried to snag the skirt it was wearing.
Forever 21 hired a Japanese PR firm to target youthful shoppers stressing that the fashions are cutting edge and that the prices are really low. That's music to the years of Japanese youth, which loves fashion but has been hit hard by the recession.
