A Long-Awaited Visit to Mercedes me

I recently had an errand to run in Umeda, Osaka, on my own, so I decided to stop by Mercedes me at Grand Front Osaka for the first time in a while. I’m usually not very tuned in to seasonal events, so it wasn’t until I came into the city that it hit me: Christmas is just around the corner.

A large, stylish Christmas tree had been set up on the first floor of Grand Front Osaka’s North Building.

It looked incredibly chic… Christmas trees these days are so much more than fir trees covered in ornaments—they’re beautifully designed in their own right.

With the tree right beside Mercedes me, I decided to pop in. The showroom was fully decked out for Christmas, too.

Since I was there, I thought I’d look for presents for the kids—and maybe a new everyday bag for myself (the handle on my old bag had finally snapped after years of use, haha).

But the thing that really caught my eye before I even went inside was this SL.

It was wrapped with a huge gold bow, with a fir tree loaded onto the passenger seat. Do people really get surprised with an SL tied up in a ribbon for Christmas? I’m sure they do… it’s a big world out there, haha.

In my case, though, if someone surprised me with one, my first reaction probably wouldn’t be excitement. I’d ask:

“Wait…does this mean you’re covering the car insurance, vehicle tax, parking, and inspection costs too? Because otherwise, there’s no way I could afford to keep an SL…”

(I’m no fun to surprise, am I? Haha.)

Looking around the store, I was struck by just how extensive the Mercedes-Benz merchandise selection was (including Mercedes me branded items). Golf bags, hats, key cases, kids’ cars—the range looked much like what you’d find at a Porsche shop, but there were so many different designs.

Even the hat selection alone was this extensive.

If I were buying one for a woman, this cute pink one would be lovely… They also had adorable backpacks for kids. But my younger daughter, who’s nearly three, is currently obsessed with Minnie Mouse and Hello Kitty, so it was obvious she’d never use this bag if I brought it home. I decided not to buy it.

There were sale items, too, and tote bags priced in the ¥2,000 range. Quite a few things were surprisingly affordable.

I must have been taking so many photos that I started to attract the staff’s attention. They kept coming over to talk to me, so I eventually put my camera away and focused on enjoying the shopping.

I looked for a bag for myself and found a cute tote, but then I saw the price: ¥14,000.

It’s just for everyday use, and the kids will get snack crumbs and sand in it, so it’ll get dirty in no time. Is it really worth spending ¥14,000?

While I was debating, a staff member said, “We have it in other colors, too, so please feel free to ask.” But I couldn’t exactly say, “It’s not the color I’m worried about—it’s the price (-_-).” So I just smiled, browsed a little longer, and eventually left without buying anything.

Merchandise from Car Brands

I once saw a post on Twitter—or somewhere similar—saying, “Just because you love cars doesn’t mean you should wear merchandise from car brands. It’s tacky.”

But I think there’s nothing wrong with wearing gear from a car brand because you love cars. What other people think doesn’t matter, as long as you’re not bothering anyone and you like it yourself. I, for one, use my Porsche backpack all the time.

My husband and I don’t usually exchange Christmas presents—in fact, we’ve never done it. But seeing how much great merchandise is out there made me think that maybe this could be the year we give each other gifts from our favorite car brands. (That said, giving car-brand merchandise to a wife who isn’t into cars could be a risky move, haha.)