TOKYO -- Every 60 days, Japanese retailers prepare for a major spending bonanza. But it's not payday or bonus day for the office worker but the bountiful day when the elderly receive their pensions.
According to a Nikkei analysis of point-of-sale systems at 460 supermarkets, customer traffic is heavier after pension payment days than after paydays in all of the country's 10 regions, signaling a change in the consumption landscape.
