Whenever I deal with convenience store clerks in Japan, I'm reminded of one of Japan's great strengths. Convenience store cashiers...toil in one of the country's lowest-paid job categories, making around 900 yen per hour. Despite their low pay, freeters show amazing job discipline. When a customer brings his items to the counter, the freeter dutifully recites each item's price while looking at the customer. "Soju, 411 yen; four cans of beer, 844 yen; coke, 147 yen; mineral water, 178 yen. The sum total is 1,610 yen." After the customer pays, the freeter loudly counts out the cash. "One thousand yen, 2,000 yen," and declares the final amount, "I've received 2,000 yen." Then he clearly counts out the change and concludes the deal by saying, "Thank you. Come again."
The same system is followed by just about every cashier, young or old, man or woman, at supermarkets and mom'n'pop stores. It may seem a little robotic, but what they're doing is following their job manuals. In Japan, job manuals list the code of conduct for salesclerks, telling them precisely how to greet customers, how to send them off, and how to count money out loud. They may like it, or they may not, but the salesclerks do what their job manuals tell them. Many foreigners are impressed by how thoughtful the Japanese seem to be, but in reality this thoughtfulness is actually just the job routine, not any heartfelt expression. At least in most cases...
...After thinking about it, I've come to conclude that the job manuals aren't just to instruct employees how to be thoughtful. Why do the freeters count out your change so carefully? Why are the repairmen so meticulous about cleaning up? Why does the bus driver fasten the carriage tightly to the seat? It's all about self-defense -- they are making sure they avoid any potential disputes. In Seoul, village convenience store clerks will count out your change while gabbing on their cellphones; mom'n'pop store proprietors will do it without looking up from their TV soap operas. So when a customer gets change for W1,000 when he thinks he is due change for W10,000, an argument will naturally arise.
Japan puts a lot of faith in job manuals. Pages and pages of detailed job instructions are worked out in advance to prevent disputes. Some of the manuals can be applied globally, while others can be used only in Japan. As Japan moves toward globalization, those Japanese-style manuals are meticulously rewritten to suit global situations. And while it may be a time-consuming process, it's a very good way to weather any globalization storms...more...
Not all conflicts are avoided.
