Service is taken very seriously in Japan. From the moment you enter a department store, you will be welcomed by many women in their pleated store uniforms. Persons behind every counter will welcome you - whether you stop or not. And finally in the elevator, you don't even need to push a button or worry to which floor you need to go - that's the elevator ladies' job.

The elevator ladies purpose is to push the button for the customer and give useful information about what you will find on every floor. In most other developed countries this service was quitted after the button operation was invented and everybody was able to use the elevator by himself.  But as Japan is known as ranking No.1 in customer orientation, not only in retail sales, this service is surely kept on.

"Thank you for shopping at XX Department Store. The third floor is the women's department. We have arrived at the third floor. Thank you." After a few people get off, she resumes "Would anyone like to get off on the 7th or 8th floors? The seventh floor has ladies' accessories and end of the year presents. Thank you for waiting. We have now arrived at the seventh floor."

All this is said in the most polite language and always with a nice smile. The job is always done by women which are put into nice costumes. Since most Japanese people were used to this service when it began to decline, in those elevators then lacking a lady, signs were installed asking the customer kindly to push the button his-self.

Press play to listen to a lift lady in action >

Today we find those elevator girls only in selected department stores like Isetan, Mitsukoshi or Takashimaya. They are supposed to give the customer as special retail experience which he can einjoy and thus hopefully come back to the store. This and other service jobs in Japan, like the parking lot attendants, reflects the Japanese working rule "the customer is a god".