Let’s take a visit to Don Don Donki at Northpoint mall with a casual walkthrough of the establishment latest Donki store addition in Singapore.
Furthermore, we came a long way exploring all the Don Don Donkis. First Don Quijote store opened in Japan since 1989. Over the last couple years, their stores had been popping out around Singapore since the blue penguin landed on our sunny shores in 2017. Notably this donki has a safari theme and is focused mainly on food and snack items. There is an absence of non-food items.
A supermarket at heart
Having said that, the supermarket section greets you at entrance of the Donki, occupying the bulk of the store. Furthermore, all the sections revolve about a non-linear layout with a central section devoted to meats and produce. The selections are typical of that of a Donki. This includes dried foods, snacks, drinks, supermarket staples and fresh bento meal sets.
Moreover, each Donki branch opening is usually greeted with much crowd fanfare. Notably on my visit, the store had been opened just the day before. Thankfully, despite the queue lines at the store entrance are empty. Staff will hand you a shopping basket upon entry.
Additionally, we had seen similar crazy fanfare with queues on opening day similarly on their downtown east branch opening a couple of months back. This crowd is strange as this supermarket is no different from the other 12 Don Don Donkis we had visited before in Singapore. This was since they opened their very first branch in Orchard gateway in 2017.
Visibly within the store, you can find bargains illustrated by their iconic hand-drawn Don pen penguin mascots. The Japanese style cartoon are expressive, adorable, and spread about the supermarket hawking the various deals on offer.
Working on a tried and tested model
The Singapore consumer market has spoken for a desire of Japanese produce and ready to eat food products. These are notable top sellers over the years here. Here, you can find a selection of ready to eat meals. Examples includes karage (fired chicken) rice, and gyudon meals on top of sushi. There is also a dessert section offering Taiyaki and mochi.
Moreover, non-food items are confined to a single wall shelf. This includes household products, electronics and clothes. Also, it is a tight miscellaneous shelf. It goes with addressing the market demands for more food and produce items, and less of non-edible goods. Notably there isn’t any $2 bargain section or a Donki food court here like the ones we saw at their Clark Quay Central and JEM branches.
Also this Donki is not a large one in floor area too. A glance of the floor map yielded supermarket sections of fish, meat, produce, confectionery and liquor. Speaking of liquor, the section is opened to 10.30pm daily, just like all retail establishments selling alcohol. Quirky alcohol items includes large plastic bottles of Suntory whisky by the liter-load.
Wrapping up, the exit of the supermarket ends leading to a good amount of self-checkout counters and human-manned checkout counters.
All in all, as always, there is nothing stopping the attack of the Don pen in Singapore, with this 13th branch in Singapore. Who knows where the blue pengiun would strike in Singapore with their massive expansion.
