Photo/Illutration Shoppers grab lucky bags at the Sogo department store in Yokohama on Jan. 2, the first business day of the year. (Seisaku Yamamoto)

YOKOHAMA--In a break from tradition, more department stores are closing on New Year’s Day to prioritize employee well-being over holiday sales amid labor shortages. 

The Sogo department store in Yokohama, operated by Sogo and Seibu Co., held its first sale of the year on Jan. 2.

It was the first time in 14 years that the store closed on Jan. 1 and opened the following day for its first business day of the year.

When the doors opened at 8:50 a.m., shoppers who had lined up to buy “fukubukuro” lucky bags filled with unseen items hurried to the sales floors.

While reactions to shifting the year’s initial sale to Jan. 2 were mixed among consumers, a 40-year-old employee welcomed the move.

“I was able to have breakfast with my entire family on New Year’s Day and felt refreshed,” she said.

Takanobu Toyoda, a Sogo and Seibu managing executive officer who serves as manager of the Yokohama store, said, “We aim to increase employees’ job satisfaction and improve the quality of customer service and hospitality.”

The Isetan department store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward also held its first sale on Jan. 2.

The Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya and Hankyu’s Umeda main store in Osaka were scheduled to open for business on Jan. 3 after closing on the first two days of the year.

In the supermarket sector, Summit Inc., which operates in the Tokyo metropolitan area, will not open its outlets until Jan. 4, in principle.

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