Lesson #21: 本社からのお願いです。ぜひご協力いただけませんか。 (Honsha kara no onegai desu. Zehi gokyōryoku itadakemasen ka.)

Asking a shop manager to follow orders from head office

English Title: Asking a shop manager to follow orders from head office

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Role-play Setup

You are working at the head office. You are visiting a franchise store to explain a new campaign. The manager is wary about the extra workload. You need to ask for their cooperation politely but firmly.

Full Script & Explanation

Explaining the New Campaign

Head Office Staff

今日は新しいキャンペーンの説明に参りました。
Kyō wa atarashii kyanpēn no setsumei ni mairimashita.
I’m here today to explain the details of the new campaign.

「参りました」is a humble form of「来ました」and is appropriate when addressing a superior (or in a business context like this). This phrase is letting the franchise manager and deputy manager know that the speaker has arrived.「～に」is used here to show the purpose of a visit. From this sentence, we can gather that the purpose of the speaker’s visit is to explain the new campaign.

Shop Manager

新しいキャンペーン？
Atarashii kyanpēn?
New campaign?

The 「ですか」of「新しいキャンペーンですか」is omitted here. Repeating a portion of what the speaker before has just said conveys surprise.

Head Office Staff

「キッズウエルカムキャンペーン」といいます。
Kizzu Uerukamu Kyanpēn to iimasu.
It’s called the “Kids Welcome Campaign.”

In this sentence,「です」could be used instead of 「～といいます」. When sharing a name or nickname, 「いいます」is frequently used. Use the formula 「＜名称 ＞という＜名詞 ＞」to make sentences such as 「EJWフーズという会社で働いています」(I work at a company called EJW Foods.) or「東京の渋谷というところに住んでいます」(I live in a place in Tokyo called Shibuya). Ex. ＜どらやき＞という＜お菓子＞ A sweet called dorayaki

Head Office Staff

このキャンペーンは、家族連れのお客様を増やすために、子ども向けのメニューを安く提供するものです。
Kono kyanpēn wa, kazokuzure no okyakusama o fuyasu tame ni, kodomo-muke no menyū o yasuku teikyō suru mono desu.
This campaign’s goal is to increase the number of families in our stores by making the prices cheaper for kids’ menu items.

The pattern「（このキャンペーン）は、～（動詞辞書形）ものです」is often used when offering an explanation. The pattern「～（する）ために」is used to explain a purpose or goal. 「～向け」is used to explain who or what something was made for. In this case, the menu is made specifically for kids.

Shop Manager

それって、子ども向けメニューを作る仕事が増えますよね。
Sore tte, kodomo-muke menyū o tsukuru shigoto ga fuemasu yo ne.
Then, we’re going to be making more kids’ menu items.

「それって～ですよね。」is used in conversational Japanese. Here, 「それ」 refers to what the previous speaker just said. It is used to seek clarification about what will happen if the changes are adopted. The 「って」in「それって」is being used in the same way as the particle「は」, and indicates that the speaker will talk about something that they wish to emphasize. 「って」is used in conversational Japanese.

Shop Manager

現場は忙しくなりますね。
Genba wa isogashiku narimasu ne.
We’re going to be very busy here.

現場 is used to mean「働く場所」, or the place where one works. In this case, it’s a ramen restaurant. 「忙しくなりますね」is a combination of 「忙しい＋なります」.「ね」is being used here for confirmation.

Head Office Staff

家族連れのお客様を大切にしたいと考えているんです。
Kazokuzure no okyakusama o taisetsu ni shitai to kangaete iru n desu.
We are thinking that we want to focus on customers who come as a family.

「家族連れのお客様」refers to customers who visit the restaurant as a family. The「～んです」in 「～と考えているんです」is used in conversational Japanese, and seeks the listener’s understanding for the speaker’s point of view. It also adds emphasis.

Discussing the Price

Shop Manager

安くって、いくらなんですか。
Yasuku tte, ikura nan desu ka.
Just how cheap is “cheap”?

「安くって、いくらなんですか。」means「安く提供すると言いましたが、いくらですか」. The speaker knows that the kids’ menu prices will change, but wants to know by exactly how much. 「～んですか」is used to show that the speaker is asking the listener to explain.

Head Office Staff

200円です。
Ni-hyaku en desu.
200 yen.

Shop Manager

えっ、200円…。
E, ni-hyaku en…
Oh, 200 yen…

「えっ」is an expression of surprise. Here, the speaker is surprised at the low price of 200 yen.

Shop Manager

それはちょっと、うちの店では難しいと思うな。
Sore wa chotto, uchi no mise de wa muzukashii to omou na.
This is going to be difficult for our store.

「難しいと思うな」is often used to reject or say no to something. The phrase「それはできません」is quite direct. Instead, many people use「それはちょっと、～難しいと思うな」to soften the rejection. However, this phrase is somewhat ambiguous; maybe a solution could be negotiated, or applied in a different situation. When it’s hard to decide what the previous speaker actually means, seek clarification: 「すみません、それはできないということでしょうか」.

Shop Manager

人手が足りなくて大変なんですよ。
Hitode ga tarinakute taihen nan desu yo.
We’re very understaffed. It’s a problem.

「人手」means staff or employees. 「人手が足りない」means the same thing as「人手が不足している」. The phrase before the 「～て」in 「～て大変なんですよ」explains why something is a problem.

Negotiating a Compromise

Head Office Staff

例えば、店員さんが増える週末限定で始めてもらうというのはいかがでしょうか。
Tatoeba, ten’in-san ga fueru shūmatsu gentei de hajimete morau to iu no wa ikaga deshō ka.
How about trying out these changes on a weekend when you have more staff?

「～というのはいかがでしょうか」is used when making suggestions. 「週末限定」means doing something only on the weekends, and not on weekdays.

Shop Manager

うーん…。
Ūn…
Hm…

This phrase is often used when one is not sure what to say, or when thinking. In this case, we can tell that the speaker is not sure if they can accept what has been requested.

KEY PHRASE

Head Office Staff

本社からのお願いです。ぜひご協力いただけませんか。
Honsha kara no onegai desu. Zehi gokyōryoku itadakemasen ka.
It’s a request from head office. I do hope you will agree to it.

The phrase「本社からのお願いです」shows that this is not a personal request, but a request from head office. By adding a third party to the discussion, it increases persuasiveness. The phrase「ぜひご協力いただけませんか」 shows that even though this is an order from head office, the speaker would like to take the listener’s feelings and opinions into account. Saying 「本社からの通達（つうたつ）です」(This is an order from head office.) would sound one-sided and thoughtless. The aim is to reduce the chance of a flat-out rejection. By phrasing the situation as a cooperation between two groups (the franchise and the head office), a stronger bond can be created.

Vocabulary

家族連れ (kazokuzure) - customers with families
「家族連れ」is used to refer to customers who visit somewhere as a family. Whether that’s parents with kids or grandparents doesn’t matter. 「子ども連れ」is a similar word, which means customers with children.
Example: この公園は、週末は家族連れでにぎわう。(This park gets a lot of families with kids on the weekends.)
Example: 家族連れにやさしいレストランとして人気がある。(Restaurants that are good for families are very popular.)

週末限定 (shūmatsu gentei) - weekends-only
「限定」means「限る」, or limited to. So「週末限定」means something that only happens on the weekends.
Example: 期間限定 (limited edition / limited time)
Example: 夏休み限定 (limited to summer break)
Example: 12歳以下限定 (only for those 12 years of age and under)
Example: 週末限定価格 (weekend-only price)

Kanji

満 - full, satisfy
Reading: まん (man)
Example: 満タン (mantan - full tank), 満腹 (manpuku - full stomach), 満たす (mitasu - to satisfy/fill)

Keigo

知っている (shitte iru) - to know given functionality Polite/Respectful Forms: