A Good Customer Doesn’t Change Shops For Three Years, A Good Shop Doesn’t Change Customers For Three Years: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read “A good customer doesn’t change shops for three years, a good shop doesn’t change customers for three years”

Kōkyaku sannen mise wo kaezu, kōten sannen kyaku wo kaezu

Meaning of “A good customer doesn’t change shops for three years, a good shop doesn’t change customers for three years”

This proverb expresses the essence of trust in business relationships. A good customer keeps going to the same shop for three years. A good shop keeps valuing the same customers for three years.

A “good customer” here doesn’t just mean someone who pays money. It means someone who understands the shop’s value and deals with it sincerely.

Similarly, a “good shop” doesn’t chase only immediate profits. It values long-term relationships with customers. The three-year period symbolizes the time needed to build real trust, not just superficial connections.

This proverb teaches us that continuous trust matters more than temporary gains in business. Instead of constantly searching for new shops or customers, we should nurture one relationship carefully.

Even today, this idea lives on as a basic principle of business. It guides companies to build long-term customer relationships and cherish repeat customers.

Origin and Etymology

The exact source of this proverb is unclear. However, it likely spread among merchants from the Edo period to the Meiji period. It taught the importance of trust in business relationships.

Let’s focus on the “three years” period. Japan has long had another proverb: “Three years on a stone.” Three years has been recognized as enough time to judge something properly.

One year only covers one cycle of seasons. But three years reveals economic waves and people’s true nature. This is the traditional thinking.

The paired structure of “good customer” and “good shop” is also interesting. These words express more than just good clients and good stores. They show a relationship where both sides respect each other.

When a customer keeps choosing a shop, it means satisfaction with the products and service. When a shop keeps valuing a customer, it means appreciation for that person’s character and sincerity.

This proverb contains the merchant’s wisdom that business isn’t about one-time transactions. It’s about relationships that continue over time.

Building trust takes time. Maintaining it matters greatly. Our ancestors expressed this with the concrete period of “three years.”

Usage Examples

• I’ve been going to that coffee shop for over ten years. A good customer doesn’t change shops for three years, a good shop doesn’t change customers for three years. My trust with the owner is my greatest treasure.
• Our regular customers kept coming even during the recession. A good customer doesn’t change shops for three years, a good shop doesn’t change customers for three years. Building this relationship is our shop’s pride.

Universal Wisdom

The universal truth in this proverb is the power of “continuity” in human relationships. We are creatures attracted to new things. But we also find true richness within stable relationships.

The three-year period symbolizes deep understanding beyond surface appeal. A relationship that starts fresh becomes ordinary over time. But that “ordinary” actually holds immeasurable value.

The shop owner remembers customer preferences. The customer understands the shop’s circumstances. Trust born from such accumulation cannot be built overnight.

Humans have a psychology where “the grass looks greener on the other side.” When we feel dissatisfied with current relationships, we look at other options. But building new relationships requires starting from scratch again with time.

This proverb understands this human nature. It teaches us the value of continuing.

Trust grows by spending time together, including difficult periods. Customers who keep coming during recession as well as prosperity. Shops that treat newcomers and regulars with equal sincerity.

Our ancestors saw that life’s true richness exists in such relationships.

When AI Hears This

In the 1980s, political scientist Robert Axelrod invited researchers worldwide to a computer tournament. The game was the “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” This is a situation where both sides benefit from cooperation. But betraying the other person brings even more benefit to yourself.

In a one-time game, betrayal is rational. But what should you do in a repeated relationship? This was the question.

The winner beat the most complex programs. It was “Tit for Tat,” written in just four lines of code. The rules were surprisingly simple.

First, cooperate. Then, copy what the other person did last time. If they cooperate, keep cooperating. If they betray, betray once in return. Then forgive immediately.

The “three years” in this proverb captures the essence of repeated games. In one or two transactions, a shop might cheat customers for profit. Customers might also look for cheaper shops.

But after three years, both sides recognize “this relationship will continue.” Then the cost of betrayal jumps up. Continuing cooperation becomes the most rational choice.

Ancient merchants knew the truth Axelrod proved, without using formulas. Trust relationships are a strategy for long-term profit maximization. They go beyond one-time calculations of gain and loss.

Lessons for Today

This proverb teaches modern people an important truth. “Many choices” don’t necessarily lead to happiness. In modern society, the internet gives us access to countless options.

Restaurants, products, services—new things appear constantly. But constantly chasing new things is actually exhausting.

What matters is identifying truly valuable things. Then deepen your relationship with them. Have a regular shop. Find a trustworthy hairstylist. Cherish long-term friends.

In such continuous relationships, you’ll find real peace of mind and richness.

This applies to work too. Job changes are normal now. But building trust in one workplace and developing deep expertise also has great value.

In customer relationships too, deepening bonds with existing customers leads to sustainable success. Not just acquiring new customers.

Look again at the “ordinary” relationships around you. There might be treasures you haven’t noticed yet.