"It's Not Even That Cheap to Begin With": Is Don Quijote Cheap? What Japanese Shoppers Say
「そもそもそこまで安くないし」 ドン・キホーテは本当に安いのか（行かない人が増えた理由の解説動画へのコメント欄）
By Rakutaro · Tokyo, Japan
Not as cheap as its reputation: the most-liked comment (359 likes) under a July 2026 video asking why fewer Japanese people shop at Don Quijote says it simply isn't that cheap to begin with. The next complaint (213 likes) is the maze of piled-high shelves where nothing is where you expect it. Shoppers still name things worth buying there, from clearance food marked down hard to cup noodles and souvenirs cheaper than at hotel shops, and someone who once held a managerial post at the chain says prices differ from store to store. For the weekly shop, though, most of the 484-comment thread goes somewhere else, and a few say exactly where.
“It's not even that cheap to begin with.”
そもそもそこまで安くないし
Where Japanese people go instead
La Moo and Cosmos are cheaper for fresh food. As for everything else, well.
ラ・ムーやコスモスの方が生鮮食料品は安いです。 それ以外は、まぁ。
— @kiyoyoshi11304 likesIf I'm going shopping I go to my local Belc or Yaoko. Donki has become somewhere I only go to kill time while waiting for something, or to look at prices on everyday supplies…
買い物行くなら地元のベルクやヤオコー行くし、ドンキは何かの時間待ちや暇つぶしに消耗品の値段見に行くくらいになったなあ…
— @たるる-o8c9 likesA normal shop there easily goes over 10,000 yen. At Gyomu Super it wouldn't even reach 5,000.
普通に買い物すると軽く10000円超える 業スーなら5000円いかない
— @88番大窪寺0 likes
Places named in this article
- Don Quijote
The chain itself. A former manager says prices are set store by store, and one commenter says the Umeda and Namba branches in Osaka charge tourist prices (as of the comments in 2026).
- Gyomu Super
Named twice as the cheaper option: 200g of canned miso mackerel for 149 yen, and a normal shop under 5,000 yen (as of the comments in 2026).
- La MooWestern Japan
Discount supermarket named as cheaper than Donki for fresh food (as of the comments in 2026).
- Drugstore Cosmos
Drugstore chain named alongside La Moo as cheaper for fresh food (as of the comments in 2026).
Named in the source comments. Where a note gives a price, opening status or rule, we checked it against the linked source on the date shown — everything else is what the comments said. All of it can change; check the map listing before you go.
FAQ
- Is Don Quijote cheaper than supermarkets in Japan?
- Usually not for everyday groceries. One shopper says La Moo and Cosmos are cheaper for fresh food (4 likes), and another that a normal shop at Donki easily passes 10,000 yen when Gyomu Super would stay under 5,000. A third found a 107-yen can of mackerel held 90g, against 200g for 149 yen at Gyomu Super.
- What is actually cheap at Don Quijote?
- Specific items rather than the whole store. Commenters name cup noodles such as Super Cup and sausages as cheaper than at the supermarket, and food near its best-before date marked down as far as 80%, with one item that normally costs about 200 yen bought for 50. One regular started going several times a month after learning about the coupons and member prices.
- Is Don Quijote a good place to buy souvenirs?
- It can be, but compare. One commenter goes there for souvenirs because they are usually about 30% cheaper than at hotels or souvenir shops selling at list price. Another says the Umeda and Namba stores in Osaka use tourist pricing set higher than convenience stores. A former manager says prices are set store by store.
- Why do some Japanese people avoid Don Quijote?
- Mostly the cramped layout. One comment on 53 likes says the aisles are so tight it is stressful and that they stopped going after moving to Tokyo, since in the countryside there is often no other choice. Another on 16 likes says everything is so jumbled you can't shop calmly or tell where anything is. Plenty still go just to look around.
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What Japanese people said — picked from the top 200 of 484 comments
Stuff is piled up all over the place, you can't find what you want right away, it's a pain, and it isn't cheap.
物が雑多に置かれて、欲しい物が直ぐに分から無い、面倒臭いし安く無い。
Every now and then there's a real steal or a sale item, but that's not the only thing I want, so I end up at the supermarket or the drugstore anyway.
たま〜にホントに激安な掘り出し物や特売品があるけど、それだけが欲しい訳じゃないから結局スーパーやドラッグストアに行き着いちゃうんだよな
If anything, the Donki in my hometown and the one near me are getting busier. The one in my hometown used to be an Apita and got converted, and it's cheaper than Apita and has little competition, so more people go. The one near me discounts aggressively by type of customer. A pack of eggs for under 200 yen, mornings only, for homemakers, then snacks and such marked down in the afternoon. They're targeting specific shoppers…
むしろ、地元と近くのドンキは人が増えてる。 理由は、地元は元々アピタだったのが変わったりしたが、アピタより安く、競合が少ない為に増えてる。 近くのドンキは、客層狙いの積極的に値引きを行なってる。午前中のみ卵一パック二百円以下だったりと主婦向けと午後にお菓子などの割引、といった客層に狙い撃ちしてます…
I used to hold a managerial post at Donki. Prices are set by the managers, so they differ from store to store.
元ドンキの役職でしたが、価格設定は役職が決めるので店舗によって違います
The Donki in Umeda and Namba have tourist pricing, set higher than convenience stores 😂
梅田や難波のドンキは、インバウンド客価格になっててコンビニより高い価格設定になってて😂
I go to Donki when I'm buying souvenirs. You can usually get them about 30% cheaper than at hotels or souvenir shops that sell at list price.
ドンキはお土産物買うときに行くかな、大体定価で置いてるホテルや土産物屋より三割引ぐらいで買える
I saw a can of miso-simmered mackerel at Donki for 107 yen including tax and bought it thinking it was cheap, but it was 90g. Gyomu Super's miso mackerel is 149 yen including tax for 200g, so it was worse value and I lost out 😮
ﾄﾞﾝｷ鯖味噌缶税込107円を見て安いと思って買ったら内容量90g。業務スーパーの鯖味噌缶税込149円で内容量200gより割高で損した😮
I buy cup noodles at Donki, especially Super Cup, because they're cheaper than at the supermarket. Sausages too.
カップ麺、特にスーパーカップはスーパーより安いからドンキで買ってる あとウインナー
The good thing about Donki is that when something gets close to its best-before date, where a normal store would take 30% off, they'll sometimes go straight to 80% off. The other day I got something that's normally around 200 yen for 50.
ドンキのいいところは賞味期限が近くなると普通の店なら30％オフとかのところを一気に80％オフとかになってたりする。先日買ったのは通常200円ほどのが50円だった。
It's so cramped it stresses me out. In the countryside I think people only go because there's no other choice to begin with. I stopped going after I moved to Tokyo.
狭すぎてストレスたまるんだよね 田舎はそもそも選択肢がないから仕方なく行くってだけだと思う 東京に住んでから行かなくなった
I go to Donki a lot, but I don't buy much anymore. It's fun just looking.
ドンキには良く行くけど あまり買い物しなくなった 見るだけでも楽しい
But that treasure-hunt feeling still gets a middle-aged guy like me.
でもやっぱりあの宝探し感はオジサンには刺さる