After living there and coming back I'm still trying to figure out how they get my money when I'm there.
In the US it is an obvious choice to not waste your money at 7-11. The gas is more expensive than Sheetz usually, their hotdog like products and terrible pizza have been sitting under a heat lamp for more than a day. And every product there is cheaper elsewhere. But 7 and I holding still is much better.
But it's not actually good and just seems like an extremely easy opportunity for the parent company in the US.
All convenience stores in the US are basically terrible except for a few who specialize in super clean bathrooms on road trips and a few north east places that capitalize on the fact that the region produces the best subs in the world. Really feels like 7 will have a Nintendo moment at some point and actually care about profits outside of their home country one day and just clean up.
I wonder why that is. In Japan it feels like they actually provide great value for what you're paying.
Japan's population is declining so at some point (very soon), Japanese companies in general will have to start paying more attention to their revenues outside Japan.
The weird part is, they don't feel like they provide a good value. Family Mart is obviously better and if you can find a grocery store within walking distance of work, it's the obvious choice. But they are still good enough, where if there is any issue, you feel fine giving them your money.
There has to be something. Maybe America has just been abused by MBAs for so long.
> Japan's population is declining so at some point (very soon), Japanese companies in general will have to start paying more attention to their revenues outside Japan.
> All convenience stores in the US are basically terrible
I've noticed a recent trend of gas stations here in the US starting to have upscale convenience stores attached to them, with more upscale products, clean bathrooms, actual quality food, made to order sandwich counters, etc.
As for Japan, the only convenience store I went into in Tokyo, I got freaked out when all the employees stopped and greeted me in unison. I can see it was meant to be welcoming, but it made me very uncomfortable and I left.
> I've noticed a recent trend of gas stations here in the US starting to have upscale convenience stores attached to them, with more upscale products, clean bathrooms, actual quality food, made to order sandwich counters, etc.
In rural areas, these serve the purpose of the general store of days of yore.
It's small grocery/hardware store with a gas station attached. Where the footprint permits, city folks appreciate being able to go one now that the corner stores are less common (and arguably less reputable) and they don't need to go all the way across town to get to a grocery store to buy some fresh fruit and some eggs.
7-11 in other countries are often owned by franchisee partner chains and groups. It's just that other countries seem to have better standards than the US.
7-11s in Japan, the UAE and in South East Asia are just much better maintained in general than the ones in the US. Often coupled is the fact that these countries often have strict enforcement, and if that's lacking, then a personal sense of responsibility from the owners to not stuff their customers.
This is from vague memory, but I believe all franchise convenience stores in Japan are run as family businesses. From what I recall, the company demands a strong personal commitment as a condition for getting the franchise. I suppose that's similar to Caterpillar or Chick-fil-A in the USA.
This is how it works if you want to run a 7-11 in china, which I believe is run by Japanese 7-11 corporate. Even though the Japanese 7-11 now owns the American one, I think they franchise differently in the states.
In the US it is an obvious choice to not waste your money at 7-11. The gas is more expensive than Sheetz usually, their hotdog like products and terrible pizza have been sitting under a heat lamp for more than a day. And every product there is cheaper elsewhere. But 7 and I holding still is much better.
But it's not actually good and just seems like an extremely easy opportunity for the parent company in the US.
All convenience stores in the US are basically terrible except for a few who specialize in super clean bathrooms on road trips and a few north east places that capitalize on the fact that the region produces the best subs in the world. Really feels like 7 will have a Nintendo moment at some point and actually care about profits outside of their home country one day and just clean up.