Japanese Convenience Stores Thrive Despite Economic Downturn

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/07/AR2008110703512.html?nav=rss_email/components

by whacked_new • 18 years ago

6 6 18 years ago

washingtonpost.com

noodle3• 18 years ago

having spent some time in japan, i really don't understand why our convenience stores are so much worse.

and they are. ours are truly several grades worse

gojomo• 18 years ago

Density (of population) is destiny.

noodle3• 18 years ago

it helps, but they were just as good and quality in the small town, low density areas, and prices were always very reasonable.

vaksel• 18 years ago

do they have supermarkets in Japan? If not then, this might explain that.

noodle3• 18 years ago

yes. although i didn't see many, there was a greater focus on smaller shops in general, most likely due to the premium on space.

iigs• 18 years ago

When the US interstate system was built many small towns lost vitality as drivers bypassed towns, stopping generally only at their endpoints. It seems to me like there is an analog here. I don't smoke or drink carbonated beverages, and I think I've only gone into a convenience store 1-2x per year for the last five years for reasons that didn't involve the pay-at-pump machines being down.

In my experience the US place people go to do most of the things listed in that article is Wal-Mart. They're large, well lit, have a lot of services (optical, minor medical now), have the Code Adam child safety stuff, and they're ruthlessly efficient at keeping facilities clean and well maintained, something that can't always be said for Mom & Pop convenience stores. They're also one of the few places that the average American commuter is out of their vehicle, unlike the subway and surface street convenience stores in Tokyo (I've never been to small town Japan, so I can't speak to that, but I would expect that mindshare/branding would elevate them there as well).

This aligns well with my experience in Seattle. Evidently Wal-Mart is not welcome here, as there are very few in the Puget Sound area. This is one of the few places in the USA (AFAIK) that still has freestanding 7-elevens, and they're way more popular than I ever would have guessed coming from Texas where convenience stores are either inconsequential small shops or built into gas stations.

Japanese Convenience Stores Thrive Despite Economic Downturn

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