[dead]
7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
61–70 of 84 posts
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#627-11 spam musabi is amazing if you’re ever on one of the Hawaiian islands
Yes, this!
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
With that in mind, I've never noticed a difference between the various brands of Japanese convenience stores. Lawson / Family Mart / 7/11 all seem the same to me. The only thing that ever stood out about 7/11 was that I could use their ATMs to take money out of my American bank account circa 2002 when I lived there. (The post office also worked.)
Heh, I used to joke that 7-11 was my bank of choice for this reason.
I mean Seven Bank is a major bank in Japan.
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
7-11 and convenience stores in general in Japan (the other big ones are Lawson and Family Mart) are vastly superior to American offerings. Almost every American who goes to Japan seems to comment on this.
Probably because most Americans live in lower density cities. Fresh food distribution is a lot harder in low density areas, and that is probably why 7-11 focuses on microwavable wings and hotdogs in the US. A good NYC bodega is as stacked as a 7-11 in Tokyo. Really good fresh baked goods and they'll cook up anything you want for you too.
This makes sense for rural and maybe exurban areas, but not for urban and most suburban areas.
My guess is that the lack of foot traffic changes the clientele in the states.
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#657-11 spam musabi is amazing if you’re ever on one of the Hawaiian islands
i also recommend the “Musubi Cafe” on oahu. they have a few locations.
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#667-11 in Japan is a way of life. I've been to an American 7-11 once or twice in my life. (I didn't want to go back.) In Japan, I went at least once daily - sometimes twice per day. They almost function the role of a NYC bodega, but with more and fresher food options. In addition, they often have a stack of microwaves run by the staff, allowing for inexpensive, fresh, and warm meals.
>they often have a stack of microwaves
you mean sometimes they don't?
and in some countries they never have them?
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel like the parent company is going to have an interesting time of it when convenience store wages collide with stocking and food prep processes more complicated than "load hotdog roller then studiously ignore for the entirety of shift", especially in the markets that are currently served by 7-11.
Are you saying that low paid workers don’t have the cognitive capacity to do more than cook hot dogs?
I'm saying over the course of the last 5 years performance in the service industry writ large has gone off a cliff. Example: fast food restaurants routinely sport sanitation scores that would have cost the franchisee their restaurant a decade ago. Your guess is as good as mine as to root causes. Specific to 7-11 the franchise has a storied multi-decade history of seedy establishments and desperately sketchy food offerings. Where the franchise expects to recruit a new cohort of motivated individuals is something of a mystery.
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#68Indirectly related: before visiting Thailand I heard that 7-Elevens were everywhere (they were) and a core part of daily life for locals and tourists alike. I expected them to be more like the Japanese model, but was surprised that they all had a very limited number of salty snacks, energy drinks, and toiletries - similar to the US. Other than a nice selection of tourist-friendly pre-paid mobile plans, I couldn't rea…
Cheap, safe to drink bottled water was my reason for making the daily pilgrimage while backpacking through Thailand.
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#69What was more surprising to me is the realization by corporate that 40% of the in-store SKUs in their US stores (in a given location) only sold through 1 or fewer units per month. That means if a franchise store got shipped a box of 12 units of a SKU, it might take a year or more to sell that box through. What kills me is they're possibly just realizing this in 2024. What on earth has the corporate analytics team bee…
Potentially it's items that move very very low volume but provide significant value by being available? For example, 7/11 in Japan sells underwear and shirts, with a bit of a selection even. No one is buying these except in an emergency, but having it there is a lifesaver. I also wouldn't be surprised if the average 7/11 location moved less than 1 unit a month of some of the whiskies they have available.
However surely this is a small fraction of all the products they sell.
Re: 7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
#707-11 in Japan is a way of life. I've been to an American 7-11 once or twice in my life. (I didn't want to go back.) In Japan, I went at least once daily - sometimes twice per day. They almost function the role of a NYC bodega, but with more and fresher food options. In addition, they often have a stack of microwaves run by the staff, allowing for inexpensive, fresh, and warm meals.
The franchisee of 7-11 in Japan was so successful they eventually bought the mother company from the American owners and now 7-11 is a Japanese company.