Are salarymen eating healthy food?

By on October 31, 2012
The Thirty White Paper on Salaryman Pocket Money survey by Shinsei Bank shows that due to the changing economic trends, the pocket money of an average salaried worker in Japan is shrinking back to what it was in 1981. Today, a salaried worker’s monthly stipend  (okuzukai)  is ¥39,756, down by ¥37,969 in 1990 when it was ¥77,725.  A worker’s spending has also plummeted to ¥510 from ¥746  in 1992.   Because of this new reality, salarymen (fixed wage earners) in Japan are now working more hours and spending less time to eat lunch, the survey reveals.

Now, “what lunch could they be buying at ¥510?”,  you might ask.  Only one thing comes to mind.  Fast food. A number of fast food chains in Japan uses attractive marketing campaigns to win this emerging crowd of people on a tight budget.

A known hamburger joint for example has included Foie Gras (fatty duck liver) to a classic burger.  Another pizza company has topped its pizza with premium sirloin steak  and another hamburger chain store offering sandwiches with thicker slabs of bacon in an attempt to create added value and attract more customers.

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