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Convenience Stores

A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads, or at gas/petrol stations. This can take the form of gas stations supplementing their income with retail outlets, or convenience stores adding gas to the list of goods that they offer. Railway stations also often have convenience stores. They are also frequently located in densely-populated urban neighborhoods.

Goods To Offer

Sometimes abbreviated to c-store, various types exist, for example: liquor stores (off-licenses – offices), mini-markets (mini-marts) or party stores. Typically junk food (candy, ice-cream, and soft drinks), lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines are sold. Unless the outlet is a liquor store, the range of alcohol beverages is likely to be limited (i.e. beer and wine) or non-existent. Many stores carry cigarettes and other tobacco products. Varying degrees of food supplies are usually available, from household products, to prepackaged foods like sandwiches and frozen burritos. Automobile related items such as motor oil, maps and car kits may be sold. Often toiletries and other hygiene products are stocked, as well as pantyhose and contraception. Some of these stores also offer money orders and wire transfer services.

Some convenience stores have a hot food counter (often called a deli), with chicken pieces, breakfast sandwiches and other breakfast food and many other items. Often there is an in-store bakery – throughout Europe these now sell fresh French bread (or similar). A process of freezing part-baked bread allows easy shipment (often from France) and baking in-store. A delicatessen counter is also popular, offering custom-made sandwiches and baguettes. Some stores have a self-service microwave oven for heating purchased food. Racks offering fresh delivered doughnuts from local doughnut shops are common. Increasingly, fast food chains like Chick-fil-a offer counter in convenience stores. Instead of cooking food in the store, these counters offer a limited menu of items delivered several times a day from a local branch of the restaurant. Convenience stores may be combined with other services, such as a train station ticket counter or a post office counter.

Convenience Stores vs Supermarkets

Size is the main difference, although larger newer convenience stores have quite a broad range of items. Prices in a convenience store are typically higher than at a supermarket, mass merchandise store, or auto supply store (with the exception of the goods such as milk, soda and fuel in which convenience stores traditionally do high volume and sometimes use as loss leaders). In the United States, the stores will sometimes be the only stores and services near an interstate highway exit where drivers can buy any kind of food or drink for miles. Most of the profit margin from these stores comes from beer, liquor, and cigarettes. Although those three categories themselves usually yield lower margins per item, the amount of sales in the categories generally makes up for it. Profits per item are much higher on deli items (bags of ice, chicken, etc), but sales are generally lower. At least in some countries most convenience stores have longer shopping hours, some being open 24 hours. Convenience store in Tokyo, Japan, Differences from supermarkets, Convenience stores in the United States, Convenience stores in Canada, Convenience stores in Japan, Convenience stores in Taiwan, Similar concepts, Convenience stores in popular culture, List of convenience stores, North America

U.S. Convenience Stores

The first convenience store in the United States was opened in Dallas, Texas in 1927 by the Southland Ice Company, which eventually became 7-Eleven. Since that time many different convenience store brands have developed, and their stores may either be corporate-owned or franchises. The items offered for sale tend to be similar despite store brand, and almost always include milk, bread, soft drinks, cigarettes, coffee, slurpees, candy bars, Twinkies, Slim Jims, hot dogs, ice cream, candy, gum, chips, pretzels, popcorn, beef jerky, doughnuts, maps, magazines, newspapers, small toys, car supplies, feminine hygiene products, cat food, dog food, and toilet paper. Other less common items include sandwiches, pizza, and frozen foods. Nearly all convenience stores also have a toilet for customer use, and an automated teller machine (ATM), though other bankings services are usually not available. State lottery tickets are also available at these stores.

Some convenience stores in the United States also sell gasoline. Since the sale of alcoholic beverages are regulated in the United States by the individual state governments, the availability of beer, wine, and liquor varies from one state to another. Convenience stores in Pennsylvania and New Jersey cannot sell any types of alcohol at all. Stores in Nevada can sell any type of alcoholic beverage. Stores in Virginia can sell beer and wine, but not liquor.

American convenience stores are sometimes the target of armed robbery. In some areas of the United States, it is not uncommon for clerks to work behind a bulletproof glass window, even during daylight hours. The main dangers are that almost all convenience stores have only one person working the night shift, most of the transactions are in cash, and easily resold merchandise, such as liquor, lottery tickets and cigarettes are on the premises. Most convenience stores have a cash drop slot into a time-delay safe so clerks may limit the amount of cash on hand. Many have installed security cameras to help prevent robberies and shoplifting.

Because of the above reasons, nearly all convenience stores have a friendly relationship with the local police. Some even provide a small police substation in the store, and traditionally provide free coffee to police officers. Police officers often patrol the parking lot of a convenience store, especially after the closing time of bars to apprehend drunk drivers.

In certain parts of the Midwest, especially Michigan, locals prefer to use the term party store. Most of these stores have bullet-proof glass protecting the clerk and all valuables such as liquor, cigarettes and cash takings are kept behind these walls.

In New York City they are almost always referred to as bodegas (A Spanish word for "storehouse"). Other regional differences in terms exist. In New York bodegas tend to carry fewer healthy foods in comparison to their neighborhood's socioeconomic level.

In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and some parts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, the Wawa Food Markets convenience store chain is the most common and popular convenience store, often times more prevalent than national chains such as 7-Eleven.

Canadian Convenience Stores

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (operates Mac's Convenience Stores and Beckers Milk) is the largest convenience store chain in Canada. Another large chain is Quickie Mart, which predates the "Kwik-E-Mart" featured on The Simpsons.

The world's largest convenience retailer, 7-Eleven has about 500 locations from BC to Ontario. Worldwide, the highest number of the chain's famous Slurpee® beverages are sold in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Marketing itself as "more than just a convenience store", there are over 150 Hasty Market locations throughout Ontario. In French-speaking province of Quebec, a convenience store is known as a "dépanneur". Dépanneur means literally "the one who gets you out of a jam". 

Japanese Convenience Stores

Although originated in the United States, convenience stores developed tremendously in Japan. 7-Eleven Japan, while struggling to localize their service in 1970s to 1980s, evolved its POS-based business. Ultimately, Ito-Yokado, the parent company of 7-Eleven Japan, acquired 7-Eleven (US) from Southland Corporation in 1991. Japanese styled convenience stores (or konbini, as they call it) also heavily influenced those stores in other Asian nations, such as Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, and Mainland China.

Convenience stores heavily rely on POS system. Customers' ages, sexes, as well as tomorrow's weather forecast are important data. All orders are made on-line. As their store sizes are limited, they have to choose selling brands very severely.

In many cases, several same-chained stores exist in neighboring area. This strategy, called dominant, makes distribution to each store cheaper. It also makes multiple distributions per a day possible. Generally, foods are delivered two to five times a day from factories to each store. Since products are delivered as needed, stores don't need large stock areas. 

As of 2005, there are 43,667 convenience stores in Japan. [2] Among them, 7-Eleven leads the market with 11,310 stores, followed by Lawson and FamilyMart.

Items sold in Japanese convenience stores

Foods, such as side dish, bentō (including dishes such as spaghetti or curry rice), rice ball, frozen food, oden (winter season), Japanized baozi (winter season), bread, soft drink, mineral water, milk, energy drink, snack food, candy with toy, gum, instant noodle, instant coffee, ice cream, seasoning, cat food, or dog food.

Sundries, such as cosmetics, soap, shampoo, undergarment, umbrella, dry cell, light bulb, nail clipper, tissue paper, toilet paper, feminine hygiene product, or condom. Office equipments, such as official postcard, postage stamp, fiscal stamp, or stationery.

Entertainments, such as CD, DVD, video game, capsule toy, firework (summer season), magazine, newspaper, or book. Courier, or postal service. Photocopying, or fax service.  ATM for bank. Utility charges, such as telephone, electricity, gas, water, NHK fee, tax, national health insurance, national pension, or vehicle insurance for motorcycle.

Some Stores also Sell

Alcoholic beverage, tobacco, medicine, contact lens cleaner, or charging service for electronic money. Tickets, such as for concert, movie, theme park, airline, or bus. ATM for credit card, or consumer finance.

Items not sold in most Japanese convenience stores include: Slurpee, Lottery ticket, Car supply, or Gasoline.

Convenience stores in Taiwan

With the highest 7-Eleven outlet density in the world, it is not an unusual scene seeing two 7-Eleven shops stand face to face in a same intersection in Taiwan. The distance between them might be less than 50 meters. Boasting 8,058 convenience stores in an area of 35,980 km² and a population of 22.9 million, Taiwan has the Asia Pacific’s and perhaps the world’s highest density of convenience stores per person: one store per 2,800 people or .000357 stores per person (2005 ACNielsen ShopperTrends). With 3,680 7-Eleven stores, Taiwan also has the world’s highest density of 7-Elevens per person: one store per 6,200 people or .000161 stores per person (International Licensing page of 7-Eleven website). In Taipei, it is not unusual to see two 7-Elevens across the street or several of them within a few hundreds of meters of each other.

Because they are found everywhere, convenience stores in Taiwan provide services on behalf of financial institutions or government agencies such as collection of the city parking fee, utility bills, traffic violation fines, and credit card payments. Eighty percent of urban household shoppers in Taiwan visit a convenience store each week (2005 ACNielsen ShopperTrends).

Convenience Store Concepts

Convenience stores are similar but not identical to Australian milk bars. Corner shops in the British Isles, still found today, were the precursor to the modern European convenience store (e.g. SPAR) in these countries. In the Canadian province of Quebec, dépanneurs are often family owned neighborhood shops that serve similar purposes. Travel centers are a relatively new concept in the United States. Selling the same types of goods as convenience stores, travel centers typically are larger and offer more services. Fast food restaurants, large dining areas, and even showers for the professional driver are commonly found in travel centers. Typically, travel centers also sell high volumes of diesel fuel for over-the-road "18-wheelers".

Neighborhood grocery stores not big enough to be considered a supermarket often compete with convenience stores. For example, in Los Angeles, CA, yummy.com (www.yummy.com), operates neighborhood grocery stores that fill a niche between a traditional supermarket and convenience store. Because they stock fresh fruit and fresh meat and carry upwards of 5000 items, they have a lot in common with the supermarket. Due to the relatively small store size, customers can get in and out conveniently or have purchases delivered 

Convenience Stores In Media

A Quick Stop convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey was the primary setting for the movie Clerks. Another film centered around convenience stores is Michael Winterbottom's Butterfly Kiss (1995), with a powerful performance by Amanda Plummer as a demented killer of convenience store clerks.

The eponymous characters of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) first meet their time-travel guide, Rufus, while hanging out in front of a convenience store, with Ted memorably declaring that "strange things are afoot at the Circle-K. 

In George Sluizer's The Vanishing (1988), remade in 1993, a woman is abducted at a roadside convenience store while her husband waits outside in the parking lot.

Apu, a character in The Simpsons, runs the local Kwik-E-Mart. This lampoons (or some might say perpetuates) the American stereotype that most convenience store workers are immigrants of Arab or Middle-Eastern origin.

In Dennis Etchison's horror short story, "The Late Shift" (originally in Kirby McCauley's anthology Dark Forces, 1980, and excerpted here), the undead work nights at the Stop 'N Start Market and other convenience stores.

In Twin Peaks, and its prequel movie Fire Walk With Me the characters BOB and Mike are said to "live above a convenience store".

The Paul Simon Song, Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes, has the line 'She said, honey, take me dancing/but they ended up by sleeping in a doorway/by the bodegas and the lights on upper broadway...

 The fictional "Lucky Dragon" convenience store chain figures prominently in William Gibson's Bridge trilogy.

North American Convenience Stores

7-Eleven, AMPM (at ARCO gas stations), Allsup's, AmeriStop Food Mart, A-Plus (at Sunoco gas stations), Beckers Milk, Mike's Mart, Daisy Mart, Bill's Superette, BreakTime, Budget Mart (owned by Avanti Petroleum, operates in many small towns in Minnesota. 'Hot Stuff Pizza' is one well advertised brand at their stores), Casey's General Stores, Circle K ( stripes), CoGo's, Convenient Food Marts, Cumberland Farms, CVS/Pharmacy, Express Lane, ExtraMile at Chevron Gas Stations, E-Z Mart, Famima!! (FamilyMart), Farm Stores, (The nation's largest drive-thru grocery, with more than 100 double drive-thru only stores in Florida), Fas Mart, Fastrac Markets, Food 'n Fuel (owned by Avanti Petroleum, operates in many small towns in Minnesota), Friendly Neighbor Convenience Store, Gate Petroleum, GetGo (a division of Giant Eagle), Git n Go, Go-Mart (convenience store chain with locations in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio), Go For It Gas, (operates in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) as a discount gas/convenience store retailer), Golden Gallon, Han-dee Hugo's, Happy Days (owned by Avanti Petroleum, operates in Minnesota), Hasty Market (operates in Ontario, Canada), High's Dairy Store, Kuik-E-Mart, (operates in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its name is based on the fictional store from The Simpsons), Kum & Go, Kwik Shop (a division of Kroger), Kwik Star (the name used by Kwik Trip, Inc. in Iowa), Kwik Trip (the name used by Kwik Trip, Inc. in Wisconsin and Minnesota), Loaf'n Jug (a division of Kroger), Macs Milk, Oasis Market (owned by Avanti Petroleum, had numerous Twin Cities (Minnesota) locations, many of which have been rebranded since),On the Run at Exxon & Mobil stations (in the US; Esso and Mobil stations internationally), OXXO (a Mexican chain of convenience stores), Pilot Corporation (Typically operates travel centers, but also owns many convenience stores in and around Tennessee), Plaid Pantry (Located exclusively in the North West), Quick Chek, QuikStop, a division of Kroger, QuikTrip, RaceTrac, RaceWay, Road Runner, Royal Farms, Sheetz, Shore Stop, Speedway SuperAmerica (owned by Marathon Oil), Stewart's Shops, Stop'n'Go, Store 24, Stuckey's, Sugarcreek, owned by Wilson Farms, SuperAmerica, (aka 'SA', is an Enon, Ohio based chain owned by Speedway), SuperAmerica (LLC that operates in the midwestern United States near the Great Lakes), (Minnesota stores are simply labeled as SuperAmerica.) Tedeschi Food Shops, The Pantry (operating under various names in the southeastern United States), Total Mart, (owned by Avanti Petroleum, operates in Minnesota.) Town & Country Food Stores, Turkey Hill, a division of Kroger, Uni-Mart, Valero, Wawa, Weigel's, White Hen Pantry, Wilson Farms, and XtraMart.

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