A
convenience store is a small store or shop that
sells items such as candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets,
cigarettes and other tobacco products, newspapers and magazines,
along with a selection of processed food and perhaps some
groceries. Stores that are part of gas stations may also sell motor
oil, windshield washer fluid, radiator fluid, and maps. Often
toiletries and other hygiene products are stocked, and some of
these stores also offer
money orders and
wire transfer services or liquor
products. They are often located alongside busy roads, in
densely-populated urban neighborhoods, at
gas/petrol stations or near
railway station or other transportation hubs.
In some countries most convenience stores have longer
shopping hours, some being open 24
hours.
Types
Various types exist, for example: liquor stores (
off-licences–offies), mini-markets (mini-marts)
or party stores. Typically junk food (candy, ice-cream, 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. Most
stores carry cigarettes and other tobacco products. Varying degrees
of food and grocery supplies are usually available, from household
products, to prepackaged foods like sandwiches and frozen
burrito. 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 feminine hygiene and
contraception. Some of these stores
also offer money orders and wire transfer services. Convenience
stores that are near fishing destinations may carry live bait, such
as
nightcrawlers or
crickets.
The most common type of foods offered in convenience stores are
breakfast sandwiches and other breakfast food. Throughout
Europe convenience stores now sell fresh
French bread (or similar). A process of freezing
part-baked bread allows easy shipment (often from France) and
baking in-store. Some stores have a delicatessen counter, offering
custom-made sandwiches and
baguettes.
Others have racks offering fresh delivered or baked
doughnuts from local doughnut shops. Some stores
have a self-service
microwave oven
for heating purchased food. In Hong Kong, convenience stores even
provide lunch and dinner.
In the US, some fast food chains offer a 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,
post office counter or a petrol pumps.
In Asian
countries, like Japan
or Taiwan
, convenience
stores are more common because of the higher population
density. They are found with gas and train stations, but
also can be stand-alone stores. Here, items like soft drinks or
snacks are sold. Hot dogs, sausages, hard boiled tea eggs, and fish
cake can be found in stores. Delicatessens are absent, instead
pre-made sandwiches can be bought. Non-food products like magazines
are also sold, but at a lesser extent.
Differences from supermarkets
Although larger, newer convenience stores have quite a broad range
of items, the selection is still limited compared to supermarkets,
and in many stores only 1 or 2 choices are available. 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 US, the stores are sometimes 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 these
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. In some countries most convenience stores have
longer
shopping hours, some being
open 24 hours.
By country
Canada
Alimentation Couche-Tard
Inc., which operates
Couche-Tard,
Provi-Soir,
Dépanneur 7,
Mac's Convenience Stores and
Beckers Milk, is the largest
convenience store chain in Canada. Another large chain is Quickie
Mart (whose name predates the fictitious "
Kwik-E-Mart" featured on
The Simpsons).
The world's largest convenience retailer,
7-Eleven, has about 500 locations from
British
Columbia
to Ontario
.
Worldwide,
the highest number of the chain's famous Slurpee beverages are sold in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
; the city is
known as the "Slurpee Capital of the World". Marketing
itself as "more than just a convenience store," there are over 150
Hasty Market locations throughout
Ontario.
Convenience stores are also commonly referred to as "corner stores"
or "variety stores" in some regions of Canada.
In the mostly
French-speaking province of Quebec
, a
convenience store is known as a "dépanneur," or "dep" for short[7660]. "Dépanneur" means literally "one
who gets you out of a jam".
Japan
Convenience stores developed tremendously in
Japan. 7-Eleven Japan,
while struggling to localize their service in the 1970s to 1980s,
evolved its
point of sale-based
business. Ultimately,
Seven
& I Holdings Co., the parent company of 7-Eleven Japan,
acquired 7-Eleven (US) from
Southland Corporation in 1991.
Japanese-style convenience stores also
heavily influenced those stores in other Asian
nations, such as Taiwan, Thailand
, South Korea
, and China
.
Convenience stores rely heavily on the point of sale. Customers'
ages, gender, as well as tomorrow's weather forecast, are important
data. Stores place all orders on-line. As their store sizes are
limited, they have to be very careful in choosing what brands to
sell. In many cases, several stores from the same chain do business
in neighboring areas. This strategy makes distribution to each
store cheaper. It also makes multiple distributions per a day
possible. Generally, foods are delivered to each store two to five
times a day from factories. Since products are delivered as needed,
stores do not need large stock areas.
According to the The Japan Franchise Association, (data pertaining
to the month of July 2009), there are 42,345 convenience stores in
Japan. Among them, 7-Eleven leads the market with 12,467 stores,
followed by
Lawson (9,562) and
FamilyMart (7,604). Most items available
in larger supermarkets can be found in Japanese convenience stores.
In addition, the following additional services are also commonly
available:
Some stores also sell charging service for
electronic money and ATM services for
credit card or
consumer finance. Items not commonly sold
include
Slurpees,
lottery tickets,
car supplies,
and
gasoline.
Singapore
Major
convenience stores in Singapore
are 7-Eleven owned by
Dairy Farm
International Holdings and Cheers owned by NTUC Fairprice. Figures from the
Singapore Department of Statistics showed that there are 338
7-Eleven stores and 91 Cheers outlets in 2004. Other convenience
stores such as Myshop and One Plus appeared in 1983. Myshop belongs
to a
Japanese company, and One Plus
belongs to Emporium Holdings.
Various reasons unique to Singapore have been given for the great
popularity of convenience stores there. Convenience stores sell a
wide range of imported goods, whereas minimarts and provision shops
sell local products with a limited range of non-Asian products.
Convenience stores are situated within
housing estates thus reducing
consumers’ traveling time. Most
families in Singapore are dual-income families.
Since both the husband and wife are working, there is greater need
for
convenience in
shopping for daily necessities. The 24 hour opening
policy allows convenience stores to reach out to a larger group of
consumers. Firstly, the policy caters to the
shopping needs of consumers who work shifts or have
irregular working hours. Secondly, the policy caters to the
increasing number of Singaporeans who are keeping late nights.
It was
reported that 54% of Singaporeans
stayed up past midnight in an economic
review by Price Waterhouse Coopers
(PWC) in 2005.
7-Eleven
7-Eleven under a block of
apartments
7-Eleven
began the trend of convenience
stores in Singapore when it opened its first store in 1982 by Jardine Matheson Group, under a
franchise agreement with Southland Corporation of the United States
. Dairy Farm International
Holdings acquired the chain from
Jardine Matheson Group in 1989.
The number of 7-Eleven outlets continued to increase in 1984 while
other chains were having difficulty in expanding. One Plus was
unable to expand due to the shortage of good sites. The original
owners of the Myshop franchise, which had seven outlets, sold out
to one of its
suppliers due to a lack of
demand.
However, in 1985, 7-Eleven faced difficulty in finding favourable
locations and failed to meet its one-store-a-month target. The
situation improved in 1986 with a new
Housing Development Board (HDB)
tendering system, which allowed
7-Eleven to
secure shops without having to bid too high a price. 7-Eleven
stores are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a
week, including Sundays and
public holidays. This 24/7 policy was seen
as the reason that gave 7-Eleven its edge over its
competitors.
In 1990, there was a rise in the number of shop thefts in 7-Eleven.
The
shoplifters were usually
teenagers who stole small items such as
chocolates,
cigarettes
and
beer. In response to the increase in the
number of thefts, 7-Eleven stepped up security measures, which
successfully lowered the crime rate by 60%
Cheers
Notice posted at Cheers to deter
robbery
Cheers is owned by local
corporation
NTUC Fairprice, started
in 1999. Cheers has adopted
7-Eleven’s
24/7 model and taken similar security measures
to prevent cases of
shop lifting.
Convenience store owners seeking
franchising seem to prefer Cheers over 7-Eleven,
probably due to its cheaper franchise fee.
Taiwan
Boasting
more than 9,100 convenience stores in an area of 35,980 km²
and a population of 23 million, Taiwan has Asia Pacific’s and perhaps the world’s highest
density of convenience stores per person: one store per 2,500
people or .000397 stores per person (convenience store - Wikipedia, October
2007). With 4,665 7-Eleven stores, Taiwan also has the
world’s highest density of 7-Elevens per person: one store per
4,930 people or .000203 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 city parking fees, 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).
United States
The first
chain convenience store in the United States was opened in Dallas, Texas
in 1927 by the Southland Ice Company, which
eventually became 7-Eleven, the largest
convenience store chain. Circle K,
another large company-owned convenience store chain, was founded in
1951. 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,
phone
cards,
coffee,
slushees,
candy bars,
Twinkies,
Slim Jims,
hot
dogs,
ice cream,
candy,
gum,
lip balm,
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 an
automated teller machine (ATM),
though other banking services are usually not available. State
lottery tickets are also available at these stores.
Some convenience stores in the United States also sell
gasoline. Policies regarding the sale of
adult magazines vary, but generally larger
chains (such as 7-Eleven and Casey's General Stores) do not sell
these items, while smaller independent stores may do so. One
notable exception to this "rule" is fast-growing regional chain
Sheetz, which does sell some
soft-core pornographic material such
as
Playboy (including its various "special"
issues),
Penthouse, and
Playgirl.
Because the laws regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages vary
from state to state in the United States, the availability of
beer,
wine, and
liquor varies greatly.
For example, while
convenience stores in Alaska
, Pennsylvania
and New
Jersey
cannot sell any kind of alcohol at all, stores in
Nevada
and California
may sell alcoholic beverages of any sort, while
stores in Virginia
, Washington
, or Oregon
can sell
beer and wine, but not liquor. Similar to grocery
stores, convenience stores in New York
can sell beer only, not wine or liquor.
Altoona,
Pennsylvania
-based Sheetz tried to find a loophole in 2007 by classifying part of one of
their prototype stores in Altoona as a restaurant, which would permit alcohol
sales. However, state courts in Pennsylvania promptly overruled this. Sheetz continues to
sell alcohol in other states.
Crime
American convenience stores are often a direct 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. Some convenience stores even restrict access inside
at night, requiring customers to go to a walk-up window
specifically for such situations to make purchases. 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 their vulnerability to crime, 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.
To decrease break-ins while the convience store is closed, some
convience stores will probably have bars on the windows.
Regional names
Regional differences in terms exist. In certain parts of the
Midwestern United States,
locals prefer to use the term
party store or
corner
store. The term party store is said to come from post
prohibition times when you could buy liquor or beer again, hence to
throw a party.
In New York City
, an independent convenience store is commonly
referred to as a Deli or Bodega. The
latter term lately turns up in city newspapers and reflects the
influx of Hispanics to the city proper, but would be unrecognized
to European-Americans who have moved to the suburbs and would
recall terms like "corner store," "the candy store" or "tobacco
shop" or commonly the name of whatever the owner of the store would
be- "Frank's," "Bernie's," etc. In general,the word Bodega is
sometimes used wherever there is a large enough hispanic
population.
In New England
, a number of regional terms are used to refer to
small, independent convenience stores. In Northern New
England (e.g. Maine, New Hampshire), some convenience stores bear
the name "superette." In the
Merrimack
Valley of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the term "variety
store" is often used. A Massachusetts-specific term (found most
often in the Boston area) for a small convenience store is "spa,"
referring to the once "healthy" bubbly soda-fountain drinks first
served around the turn of the 20th century. This term has become
less common in recent years but can still be spotted. In Charlotte,
North Carolina a chain convenience store is often referred to as a
"stab and grab" due to its proximity to areas of high crime. For
the same reason, in the City of Rochester - "Stop N' Rob" is a
common variant as a play on words for the store, "Stop N' Go."
In the
San
Antonio
region of Texas
, a
convenience store is commonly referred to as an
"icehouse."
In the UK, they are referred to as "off-licenses" ("offies" for
short - from the legal term for a licence to sell
alcohol for consumption off the premises), "corner
shops" (from the typical location on a street corner), "
newsagent's" (from their role in selling
newspapers) or, if associated with a
petrol station, "the garage". Shops with a greater trend towards
groceries or food are more often known by their actual trading
name, such as
SPAR or
Co-Op.
In the Hindi-speaking parts of India
, they're
called Kiraana shops. Most of them are run by people from the
state of Rajasthan
. In New Zealand, an independent convenience
store is often referred to as a 'dairy', as they are usually
affiliated with a dairy company and will often display the
company's name on the store's signboard.
Similar concepts
Convenience stores to some extent replaced the old-fashioned
general store. They are similar but
not identical to
Australian milk bars. In Britain,
corner shops in towns and village shops in the
countryside served similar purposes and were the precursors to the
modern European convenience store (e.g.
SPAR).
In the
Canadian
province of Quebec, dépanneurs (often referred to as "deps" in
English) are often family-owned neighbourhood shops that serve
similar purposes.Truck stops, also
known as "travel centers" combine a shop offering similar goods to
a convenience store with amenities for
professional drivers of
Semi-trailer trucks. This may include
fast food restaurants, showers and facilities for buying large
quantities of
diesel fuel. The
equivalent in Europe is the motorway service station.
Neighborhood grocery stores not big enough to be considered a
supermarket often compete with convenience stores. For example, in
Los Angeles, CA, a local chain 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.
See also
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