How sad it is to receive a gift that was merely ordered on Amazon. Don’t they realize how rude that is? I’m someone they think so little of that they can just click “Order” without even personally choosing the gift. What do you think? Am I being unreasonable?

Low-income people… You’re the one who’s out of place here. I’m honestly shocked by how poor your judgment and upbringing are. Akari

I’m Aya, a female member. If that’s how you feel, why not stop seeing that papa? If you can’t appreciate even receiving gifts from him, you probably won’t enjoy being together anyway. (I don’t know what he gave you, but you’d be bothered if he bought you some outlet item like Co○○ on Amazon, right? I don’t think there are normally many papas like that, but with new people entering the papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan) market during the pandemic, I guess there are bound to be some strange ones.)

I’m Date◎Yume, a male member. I’ll give you a serious answer. It’s strange. Everyone thinks it’s strange, haha.

I’m Fuu, a columnist. Personally, I don’t think the papa’s response was rude, and I couldn’t tell from the message alone whether he was low-income. Unwanted gift situations can happen between men and women—not just in papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan), right? Why not simply say “thank you” to each other (with a smile), then toss it in the trash once you get home or give it to someone else? (笑) If the questioner feels that the allowance isn’t enough and sees the papa as rude or low-income just because the gift was from Amazon, then it seems like the simple solution would be to end things and date someone around your age who will treat you well???

I’ll answer as Maezawa from the CEO’s office. There was a time when gifts for midsummer and year-end had to be bought at department stores like Mitsukoshi. I remember thinking, “Isn’t the product itself the same no matter where you buy it?” But the answer was that the Mitsukoshi wrapping was what mattered. Even though Mitsukoshi didn’t manufacture the products, and the exact same items were sold elsewhere, I wondered why they had to be bought at Mitsukoshi. Apparently, bringing something bought anywhere other than a department store like Mitsukoshi was considered rude, and the recipient was generally expected to see it that way too. The questioner seems young, but the idea that the wrapping matters and where something was purchased matters is more in line with how people thought 30 or 50 years ago. These days, the idea that buying something on Amazon is rude doesn’t really seem to exist anymore. Of course, when it comes to branded items, buying them from an official store is still standard. But outside of luxury brands, that sort of thinking has gradually disappeared. So I don’t think you need to make such a big deal of it. If you’re worried about counterfeits, even if you bought the item on Amazon, you could take it to the brand’s official store, and they should be able to tell you whether it’s genuine or fake. A buyback shop would probably be able to assess that as well. Times have changed. Rather than focusing on where the gift was purchased, I think it’s better to focus on what they gave you. Also, if you really want branded items to be bought at an official store, you could casually mention that you’ve always dreamed of shopping at one. Then, when it comes to gifts, you could say that you’d be happy if someone took you to the official store and bought it for you there. But that’s simply a matter of communicating your preferences. It would be wiser not to directly ask them to buy it for you.

I’m Kazu, a male member. Just because he bought it on Amazon doesn’t mean he didn’t carefully consider it. Does she mean she’d be unhappy unless he had picked it up and examined it in person? She might get along well with the kind of older guy who thinks a handwritten résumé is the only sign of sincerity. That said, I don’t buy my bags on Amazon either. There’s no income requirement for joining Universe Club. All I can do is chuckle at the fact that the person asking has decided to impose one of their own. If you don’t want to deal with low-income men, I’d suggest joining a dating club that does have income requirements, such as Salon.

I’m Dai, a male member. I think the person asking the question is in the wrong. To accept a gift and then respond so rudely—I’m honestly speechless. And assuming that men who simply click “Buy Now” on Amazon are low-income is pretty presumptuous, too.