# Convenience Store



## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)

Lives without convenience stores aren't considered in Japan　in a few minutes 












when you rent a room, near convenience store is highly considered .
what style and how many convenience stores are there in your city?


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## Disturbing Reality (Mar 28, 2011)

I guess the most popular ones in the US are 7-11 and those at the gas stations.


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## Disturbing Reality (Mar 28, 2011)

I actually like them because they're "convenient".


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

> I guess the most popular ones in the US are 7-11 and those at the gas stations.


7-11's aren't actually in all parts of the US. Despite being headquartered in Dallas since being founded there in 1927, they are actually pretty sparse in Texas and the south-central part of the country. I think something happened to the company that forced them to a close a lot of locations; there were about 4 or 5 in my smallish city at some point in the 1990s and they are now all closed. However there is a TETCO store which is functionally a 7-11 on the inside(711 merchandise and a Slurpee machine) but without the signage.

As a kid there was a really old one a few blocks from my grandmother's house and I could walk there without an adult and buy candy or whatever I wanted with spare change. But over the years it turned sketchy, they ripped out the gas pumps and started selling less stuff and put up bars in the windows. I think it's totally closed as any kind of business now 

My current favorite convenience store is attached to a Chevron gas station. It has one of those "beer cave" things and a generally good selection of crap.


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## Disturbing Reality (Mar 28, 2011)

It would be interesting if pharmacies like CVS and Rite Aid add "convenience" food in their stores. It would take a small area and it's probably going to boost sales/patronage.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

The convenience stores of Japan are quite something to behold. Nowhere else in the world that I have visited has convenience stores that are that good. The food is actually edible and the prices are not completely inflated. Not only that, but you can do nearly everything at a convenience store from paying bills to charging your public transport card.


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## Saheezy (Dec 6, 2014)

In Minnesota, Holiday seems to be a pretty popular convenience store. I've never seen a 7-11 here lol


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

There are a few convenience store chains on the East Coast of the United States that have edible food as well at least compared with other stores such as 7-11. Sheetz, Royal Farms, and Wawa stores which are typically found in the Northeast US have deli's inside their stores where you can custom order your sandwich/fries/cheesesteak/quesadilla/etc thru touch screen monitors and they also have a number of fresh prepared food as well such as soups, cheesecakes, canolis, fruit, etc. They also have ATM's in their stores which do not charge any surcharge fees.

In Mexico they have OXXO stores which seems to be like their version of 7-11, that are all over the place.


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## Disturbing Reality (Mar 28, 2011)

I've heard good things about royal farms. I've tried their deep fried chicken wings and they're actually good.


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

7-11 have finally come to Western Australia. 5 have opened in the last few months with 75 slated to open in the next few years.


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## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

There's a 7-11 near me in Seattle but there are also a few family-run corner stores within a short walk. I've never been to the 7-11. 

In Tokyo however, 7-11 was more like a reputable corner store, and the teenager at the register was extremely polite, respectful, and thankful. Love that part of Japanese culture.


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## Disturbing Reality (Mar 28, 2011)

The 7-11s I've been to in the US are nice and decent. They don't have the best coffee but theirs aren't bad either. I just wish they have more food options.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

In Vienna you don't have convenience stores you have a fine network of real (often compact) supermarkets. The difference to convenience stores is that they have a compact but complete assortment of goods for cooking, not just snacks and drinks and maybe bread/bread rolls. They offer basic ingredients for baking as well. All of that at regular prices. Only car drivers at fuel stops pay extra in the shops there which are indeed usually much closer to the convenience store concept.

It should be mentioned that there are also bakeries in Vienna and they changed a bit over the years. They stayed true to their core business of selling freshly baked bread and bread rolls but also offer sandwiches made from those and also coffee-to-go. They are also quite abundant, especially around public transportation hubs. 

I am really glad that there is this system here instead of the convenience concept in so many other cities. Honestly, I don't care to have a choice of 20 different crisps if they don't even sell the most basic things I'd need for cooking or self made breakfeast.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Well an added benefit of convenience stores is that they are usually open 24/7, compared with most supermarkets so it has that appeal as well.


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## Chrissib (Feb 9, 2008)

Slartibartfas said:


> In Vienna you don't have convenience stores you have a fine network of real (often compact) supermarkets. The difference to convenience stores is that they have a compact but complete assortment of goods for cooking, not just snacks and drinks and maybe bread/bread rolls. They offer basic ingredients for baking as well. All of that at regular prices. Only car drivers at fuel stops pay extra in the shops there which are indeed usually much closer to the convenience store concept.
> 
> It should be mentioned that there are also bakeries in Vienna and they changed a bit over the years. They stayed true to their core business of selling freshly baked bread and bread rolls but also offer sandwiches made from those and also coffee-to-go. They are also quite abundant, especially around public transportation hubs.
> 
> I am really glad that there is this system here instead of the convenience concept in so many other cities. Honestly, I don't care to have a choice of 20 different crisps if they don't even sell the most basic things I'd need for cooking or self made breakfeast.


Same situation in Germany. The thing that resembles a convenience store the most are the fuel stations.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

diablo234 said:


> Well an added benefit of convenience stores is that they are usually open 24/7, compared with most supermarkets so it has that appeal as well.


Well, thats a point. It is what fuel station shops are in Austria and also within urban Vienna. But honestly, for me personally a store that doesn't sell much more than party snacks, sugar water and alcohol etc is of little value no matter the opening times. I never quite understood what others see in it. I much rather prefer a shop of the same size with a very compact assortment but a much more complete one. If something like that were open late, that would be something really useful.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Convenience Stores are around The Philippines especially in Metro Manila and other local cities.

Some of our convenient stores are,

7-Eleven









Ministop









Circle K









Family Mart









And some local ones,

All Day









Finds


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

castermaild55 said:


> what style and how many convenience stores are there in your city?


Denmark is very much like Japan - kiosks and convenience stores on every corner.

The style is like you know it from Japan, except less 'ready meals' and more candy and fresh bread and coffee..









http://i58.tinypic.com/rm8ldg.jpg

Some are franchises, but most are privately owned - many are combined with small "mini casinos" ( slots, video poker and such )




castermaild55 said:


> when you rent a room, near convenience store is highly considered


Not much of an issue here since people do most of their shopping in supermarkets that are also omnipresent - so while it's nice to have a kiosk nearby ( nearly impossible not to ) there are things people find more importnat when picking a place to live.


( speaking of supermarkets - that's a thing that seems to be extremely rare in Japan - I never understood why :dunno: )


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

The strong presence of convenience stores are not just in Japan but in *every major Asian city*.

HK for example has its number of 7-Elevens in a particular area. Same with Manila especially in The CBDs.

Here in The Philippines for example, 7-Eleven is the most dominant followed by Ministop.

But Family Mart is increasing its presence and is becoming popular with the locals due to the quality of its food.


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## Mr_Dru (Dec 15, 2008)

In the Netherlands there is* AH ToGo*. There are 200 convenience stores (incl. six stores in Germany). Albert Heijn has more then 800 normal supermarkets in the Netherlands. If you have ever been to Amsterdam you can mis the Albert Heijns. 

In 1999 Albert Heijn opened the first AH ToGo. The AH ToGo's are located in the Dutch citycenters, railwaystation, metrostations, hospitals, officebuildings and universities. 

_The AH ToGo's are very expensive in comparing with normal supermarkets. But every week the ToGo's do have specials sales like a croissant+fresh smoothie for 2 euro (normal price 3,50 euro). 

The AH ToGo's are open seven days per week 6am-22pm._

*AH ToGo in the Amsterdam citycenter*




*AH ToGo in a Amsterdam hospital*



* 
The new AH ToGo's are colorfull. The older AH's are lightbleu.*








*Freshmade meals prepared by the staff*


*In the Dutch railwaysstations the AH ToGo's have selfscan paymentdesk*


* The newest AH ToGo's have freshmade sushicounters at Schiphol airport*


*Fresh sushicounter AH ToGo Amsterdam citycenter rembrandtplein*


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

Quiktrips are the most popular gas station/convenience stores in my city. 

I stop there many afternoons for an ice tea and pizza snack...


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

> The convenience stores of Japan are quite something to behold. Nowhere else in the world that I have visited has convenience stores that are that good. The food is actually edible and the prices are not completely inflated. Not only that, but you can do nearly everything at a convenience store from paying bills to charging your public transport card.


After seeing pictures, these kinds of places exist in the US in sufficiently busy downtowns and on college or corporate campuses. 

I bet the real reason why convenience stores in Europe and Japan are more elaborate is because of an urban commuter culture. People are walking between the office and train station in the city center and are going to grab quick food but spend full meal prices on it, hence the quality

In the US, there is a car culture and more people will just go to a full sized restaurant or grocery store.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

I thought 7-Eleven was Japanese. Any how, the big convenience store firm in Canada is Montreal based Alimentation Couche-Tard. They have 13,000+ stores, 80,000 employees, and had $36 billion is sales last year. It's better known around the world by the many brands it goes by: Macs, Couche-Tard, On The Run, Circle K, Statoil, and ingo. Many of their outlets also sell gas.










*A Canadian outlet*










*Number of Stores by Country/Territory*

Canada 1,900
United States 4,445
Mexico 269
Honduras 11

Guam 13
Macau 25
Hong Kong 340
China 92
Vietnam 79
Malaysia 9
Philippines 2
Indonesia 483
Japan 3,273
United Arab Emirates 35

Norway 197
Sweden 619
Denmark 310
Poland 277
Lithuania 76
Latvia 65
Estonia 52
Russia 33


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

zaphod said:


> After seeing pictures, these kinds of places exist in the US in sufficiently busy downtowns and on college or corporate campuses.
> 
> I bet the real reason why convenience stores in Europe and Japan are more elaborate is because of an urban commuter culture. People are walking between the office and train station in the city center and are going to grab quick food but spend full meal prices on it, hence the quality
> 
> In the US, there is a car culture and more people will just go to a full sized restaurant or grocery store.


Which is ironic because much of the automobiles that Americans drive comes from either Japan or Europe.

And yet, Japan still has a high volume of commuters especially in its cities.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

isaidso said:


> I thought 7-Eleven was Japanese. Any how, the big convenience store firm in Canada is Montreal based Alimentation Couche-Tard. They have 13,000+ stores, 80,000 employees, and had $36 billion is sales last year. It's better known around the world by the many brands it goes by: Macs, Couche-Tard, On The Run, Circle K, Statoil, and ingo. Many of their outlets also sell gas.


Circle K recently opened in The Philippines but the company really needs to provide high quality food at an affordable price if they will compete against the likes of Family Mart.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Manila-X said:


> Circle K recently opened in The Philippines but the company really needs to provide high quality food at an affordable price if they will compete against the likes of Family Mart.


Alimentation's prices are way too high, but they must be doing something right as they've been one of Canada's fastest growing companies over the last 10 years. They're known for being extremely efficient operators and have grown largely through acquisition. Their first big push beyond Canada was the US acquisition of rival Circle K. They followed that with the takeover of Statoil's convenience stores in Europe.

I imagine Alimentation will use their financial muscle to grab share in the Philippines. They have tremendous buying power, known as an industry consolidator, and will use their rich stock price to take out rivals on the cheap. For such a big company, I'm puzzled why their prices are so high. If they can bring them down they have the potential to be the Walmart of the convenience store industry. They're growing like weeds.

Looks like they'll use the Circle K brand for all of their Asian stores. It translates a lot better across languages than 'Macs' or 'Couche-Tard'.


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

In my state we have a growing chain called Buc-ee's

The stores are enormous. The location in New Braunfels, TX(between San Antonio and Austin on Interstate 35) is considered the largest convenience store in the world. I've been there, its cool I guess. At 68,000 square feet, is significantly larger than a typical full service grocery store. I guess it exists because of the high traffic in that location and for the gimmick/wow factor. Personally I'll always like 7-11s.










photo source: Beaumont Enterprise

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-gets-its-closest-Buc-ee-s-yet-5966655.php











> 'Macs' or 'Couche-Tard'.


What's a couch turd


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## weava (Sep 8, 2007)

^^

that's not a convenience store... That's a full sized store with a ton of gas pumps.


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## Village Idiot (Aug 28, 2013)

isaidso said:


> I thought 7-Eleven was Japanese. Any how, the big convenience store firm in Canada is Montreal based Alimentation Couche-Tard. They have 13,000+ stores, 80,000 employees, and had $36 billion is sales last year. It's better known around the world by the many brands it goes by: Macs, Couche-Tard, On The Run, Circle K, Statoil, and ingo. Many of their outlets also sell gas.
> 
> 
> *A Canadian outlet*
> ...


Your site counts are a bit off for Europe as they only include company owned sites for Norway and Poland. Note that a large number of the European sites are fuel only. All the Ingo sites are fuel automates and there are hundreds of truck stops in Sweden and Norway.

Note that the sites not in Canada and the US or Europe are franchising the Circle-K name but are not owned by ACT.

Couche-Tard will also acquire The Pantry, operating under the Kangaroo Express brand, adding another 1500 stores in the SE US.

If you're really into convenience stores there is a a good website called CSPnet devoted to the topic. They recently added their top100 for 2015.


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## Neungz (Jan 7, 2012)

*Thailand*

*7-11*
7600 stores












































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*Familymart*
1000 stores


















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*Tesco Lotus Express*
1257 stores




































------------------------------------------------


*Mini Big C*
312 stores


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## WaOnEmperoR (May 10, 2011)

Talking about convenience store, is Indonesia already mentioned here? Alfamart and Indomaret are the two biggest chain of convenience store in Indonesia. They had so many outlets. They are virtually everywhere, in every corner. Mayble later I will add some pictures.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

isaidso said:


> I thought 7-Eleven was Japanese.


Yes it is. It's owned by a Japanese holding company. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_&_I_Holdings_Co.


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## poshbakerloo (Jan 16, 2007)

In the UK we have loads of convenience stores. 

Co Op Food
Tesco Express
Sainsburys Local
Little Waitrose
etc

Normally open 7am-10pm 7 days a week.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

poshbakerloo said:


> In the UK we have loads of convenience stores.
> 
> Co Op Food
> Tesco Express
> ...


I was surprised how little in the UK is 24 hours. Most things seem to close way earlier than I'm accustomed to, even in London.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

zaphod said:


> What's a couch turd


It's something called 'French'.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

A Sleep-late? Something about having a lie-in?


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

isaidso said:


> I was surprised how little in the UK is 24 hours. Most things seem to close way earlier than I'm accustomed to, even in London.


Where I am we have one large hypermarket type Tesco in the town that is open 24h, a couple of McDonalds that open around the clock and a couple of 24h petrol stations that sell snacks and cigarettes etc but that's it. I guess there just isn't the demand to justify other stores opening beyond the 2200-2300 closing times of most convenience stores or the 2300-0230 closing times of some fast food places.


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## browncolour (Dec 21, 2010)

7-eleven crossover store in Taiwan

7-11 x Kanahei's small animals, Taipei


















































































7-11 x Sumikko Gurashi, Taipei


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## browncolour (Dec 21, 2010)

7-11 x Pokemon, Banqiao, New Taipei City


















































































7-11 x Hello Kitty, Ximending, Taipei


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## browncolour (Dec 21, 2010)

7-11 x Mickey, Taipei


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