A box called SMARI has been installed at the Lawson near Kotoen Station.
(Thanks to Emipon-san for the tip!)
Here it is↓
(Photo provided by Emipon-san)
It’s between the entrance and the ice cream section.
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 11-18 Shoraiso, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.
What is SMARI?
If you’ve never seen one before, you might have wondered, “What’s this big white thing?? Is it for shipping??”
When I looked up SMARI online, it seems to be a service that lets you return rental items or products bought online.
(Photo provided by Emipon-san)
Returning items is such a hassle, isn’t it…
You have to write your name and address on forms, prepare the postage, request pickup, bring the package somewhere, and so on.
But apparently, with SMARI, you can ship your return in 10 seconds.
- Scan the QR code
- The BOX door opens and a label is printed
- Attach the label to the item, place it in the BOX, and close the door
I see. Sounds pretty simple.
It looks like it still can’t be used for major services like Amazon
That said, the companies you can return items to through SMARI are mostly ones I’m not familiar with. And there aren’t many.
Maybe I’m just the one who doesn’t know them and plenty of people do, so here’s the list.
- airCloset（エアークローゼット）
- SHOPLIST.com by CROOZ
- LOCONDO.jp（ロコンド）
- HAPPY PLUS STORE
- ARTIDA OUD
- Excel Feed（エクセルフィード）
- ミドリ安全.com
airCloset is a women-only service where you can rent as many clothes as you like for 9,800 yen per month. In today’s trendy terms, it’s a subscription service.
Rental services like this are tempting to try, but the hassle of returning items makes them feel like a bit of a hurdle. If returns are easy with something like SMARI, it might make you think, “Maybe I’ll give it a try.”
Finally
This SMARI BOX seems to have been installed on October 19. It looks like they’ve been installed at 24 Lawson locations in Nishinomiya. Have they?If it becomes usable with Amazon, Rakuten, Yodobashi, ZOZO, and similar services in the future, I feel like it’ll become even more convenient.
