Onions as a new kind of currency?

BELIEVE it or not, you can now pay for items using onions!

A Japanese discount store announced on Wednesday that it will be accepting “sibuyas as payment” for select in-store items exclusively on February 4.

Japan Home Centre used the continuously increasing prices for onions in the country to entice customers to buy their products by allowing them to trade their onions for a maximum of three selected items in-store.

This unique sales offer is only available in the store’s Panay Avenue branch in Quezon City.

“Japan Home Centre – Panay Avenue will accept an onion in exchange for your chosen product,” the store wrote in a Facebook post. “Every customer has a limit of 3 item purchases only.”

According to JHC, the onions that will be collected during the drive will be used in the community pantry that the store will be hosting. It has not disclosed details of this community pantry.

While onions are acceptable payments, the store will still welcome cash and coins for the select items.

JHC did not specify the size, type, and weight of the onions they will be accepting as payment.

This ingenious initiative from the Japanese surplus store amused and impressed netizens.

Some found the post funny because of the onion payment system, while others praised JHC for its intent to give back to the community.

Onion prices at an all-time high

Onion prices have soared, even reaching P700 per kilo, according to the Department of Agriculture.

This prompted the government to allow the importation of 22,000 metric tons of onion to beef up the country’s supply and bring down prices.

READ: Onion prices hit P720 per kilo

READ: PH to import 22k metric tons of onions – DA

Filipinos had been working hard to source onions through various methods. Just recently, a newly-wed couple gave out onions as wedding souvenirs to guests as a result of the vegetable’s skyrocketing price.

Banner courtesy: ABHISHEK HAJARE on Unsplash