...For visitors and Japanese alike, department stores like Daimaru, Takashimaya, and Mitsukoshi have always been the ultimate destinations for high-end spending...When Japan's economy hit the wall last decade, these high-cost department store chains took a real nosedive in earnings...However, with Japan now in the midst of one of its longest post-war economic expansions, consumers are returning and profits at these chains are heading up. No, this isn't a reprise of the late-80s bubble era of conspicuous consumption, but high-end retailing is definitely making a comeback in Japan...Analysts add that restructuring has also been an important factor in getting department store profits back on track..."The elevator ladies don't exist any more," adds David Marra, a retail expert at consultant A.T. Kearney in Tokyo...more...
Now I come to think of it, I haven't seen an elevator girl in a Tokyo department store in an age. Anyone notice when they began to disappear? They were iconic enough for TBS to base a TV drama on one back in the early 90's.
