Japanese store owner bans window-shoppers
TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese shop owner with an acute aversion toward window-shoppers has been arrested for allegedly threatening a woman and forcing her to apologise for eyeing merchandise in his store she didn't want to buy.

Fed up with having shoppers leave his clothing store empty-handed, Akira Ishiguro, 38, had put up a sign at the entrance of his shop in Yokohama, near Tokyo, prohibiting entry to those who had no intention of buying, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said on Friday.

The sign read: "Entry strictly prohibited to shoplifters, browsers, and teasers."

Many customers didn't notice or paid no heed to the warning, but Ishiguro meant business.

"Didn't you see the sign outside? Do you take me for a fool?" Ishiguro allegedly shouted at a 26-year-old woman when he discovered she wasn't interested in buying a coat she had handled.

He then proceeded to force her to get down on her knees and apologise -- considered the ultimate form of humiliation in Japan -- and coerced her into handing over the 3,000 yen (18.79 pounds) she had in cash as down payment for the coat, priced at 42,000 yen (263 pounds), the report said.

A shopping mall association said it had in the past received several similar complaints about Ishiguro, who was said to have, in one instance, kept a customer locked in his store until she agreed to purchase something.

Police said Ishiguro denied having made the 26-year-old woman get down on her knees, according to the newspaper.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Answers

Bloody good idea! I'd extend it to Christmas pub goers. Most days of the year I get to the pub for a bevvy. No problems. Bliddy Xmas comes along and you get everyone and their granny piling into the pub ordering large rounds of coffee, orange and lemonade, half of cider...etc.. They have no intention of buying enough to get drunk so they should be chucked out to make room for proper drinkers or be forced to down a few pints of Stella.
-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Too right Geordie! Make them have three pints of Old Peculiar followed by a couple of Aftershocks, then send them out shopping. They'll get the shopping done quicker and they'll but what they really want to give for a presents.

That's what I do anyway.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Anyone who attempts to pay for drinks in a pub with anything other than CASH (and no excessively large notes or small denominations!) should be taken outside and SHOT....

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Drinks should be standard prices throughout the country and you should be able to withdraw 'Beer Tokens' from special dispensing machines located outside every pub. You buy a pint and you give him a token, job done, no paying and waiting for change, no credit cards or switch or £50 cashback.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

I'll have to try that in my shop, infact instead of doing my window out all Xmassy I think I'll paint the glass black, Except for a big sign saying no "just lookers" allowed in. People will come in to see whats what for sale knowing that they have to buy something.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

Come back George Orwell, all's forgiven!

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000

I'd love to send a busload of schoolkids with sticky hands into that guy's shop. >:-)

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2000