Japan Convenience Stores: Updated June 22, 2024.

 

Japan convenience store sales up 1.2% in May as visitors increase

Article Source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240620/p2g/00m/0bu/043000c

Ideas:

Visiting convenience stores in Japan is like a hobby of mine, as I always like to see all the things that they offer. 

I'm not sure of convenience stores in the rest of the world, but between South Korea, the US, and Japan, Japan's convenience stores are world class and the other two countries don't even come close.

The offerings in a Japan convenience store is unbelievable and the food offerings are excellent, for a convenience store. Even though I wouldn't do it, but you could live on the fresh food offerings in a Japanese convenience store.

South Korean convenience stores have taken notice and now are trying to use the best practices of the Japanese convenience store industry in Japan.

Also, a news report in South Korea claims South Korean convenience stores openings in Asia have now surpassed Japanese convenience store openings, whether true or not its interesting, as maybe they have learned from the Japanese convenience store industry and applied the best for new openings.

With regard to foreign tourists in Japan, its easy to go to a Japanese convenience store and get almost any food choice you want without having to go to a Japanese restaurant.

And the same with Japanese workers, who might visit an convenience store before going to work and then they don't have to go to a Japanese restaurant at lunch.

There are some challenges that Japanese convenience stores faces such as finding workers willing to work late nights is a challenge. along with some convenience stores are operated by husband and wife team, as a second income after the husband retired from his first job.

A recent news article stated, whether true or not, that maybe 80,000 foreign students are working at Japanese convenience stores, which might indicate Japanese students don't want to work at convenience stores and or don't want to work for minimum wage.

Also, as with many service type food places, the profit margins are very thin, and as such they can't afford to pay that much in wages.

Whenever I go to McDonalds or Mos Burger in Japan I see only older workers and never any Japanese students working at those places.

Japanese convenience stores, like many stores in Japan, still use cash, paper money, and coins in their stores, but more and more are using smartphone payments and of course credit/debit cards are very common.

In South Korea, it seems only smartphone payments and cards are used an almost never any cash is used.

Most some or many Japanese convenience store companies are now beginning to use AI as a way to track customers and what customers want and need.

Lets hope Japanese convenience stores don't go completely automated, which takes the human element out of buying things.

There always has to be or should be a human element in buying things, even if its just a clerk on standby to help as needed.

Like Uniqlo in Japan, which has automated checkout areas, but sales staff are always near buy to assist customers who have challenges with buying things.

Its doubtful that Japanese convenience stores are going to completely change but no one knows the future exactly.

What has worked in the past is still good, but of course innovation is always good, as long as the customers remains important, and the employee too feels important.

Have a nice day and be safe!