Japanese Convenience Stores

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190610-the-unique-culture-of-japanese-convenience-stores

Having traveled to Japan for over 20 years, usually two or three times a year, but in 2019 four trips to Japan, mostly the Yokohama area, I am still fascinated by Japanese convenience stores, and their impact on society. What more can be said, than what the article already talks about. Although I wouldn't really do it, I would have no problem buying my food only from a conbini or convenience store if I live and worked in Japan, and was always very busy. You can get almost anything at the conbini, including paying your bills, picking up items bought online from places like Amazon Japan and Rakuten, and I assume, many other places too.

The only area, which I have mentioned in other blog posts, is conbinis seem to use a lot of international students, as maybe time, wages, kind of work, is not appealing to Japanese students, so conbinis rely on foreign international students. Also in another blog I might have mentioned the challenge finding workers for the midnight to 6 or 7AM shift as the case in Osaka and 7/11 store.

But overall, the Japanese model for convenience stores seems to be a success, at least for now. But as with any business, change is always inevitable or the need to change to keep up with the competition and or society and consumer tastes and needs.


 2020 Tom Metts,  all rights reserved