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7-Eleven is reinventing its food business to be more Japanese [video]
- m463 2y agoA friend from Japan said 7-11 was an upscale store there. It features the top products in every category, and is maintained in an organized and clean japanese way.
- TulliusCicero 2y ago7-11 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.
- Klonoar 2y agoIt's not just Japan, it's largely Asia in general (e.g, Taiwanese 7-11's and Korean 7-11's are also so far above their US counterparts in terms of offerings/feel). (A fun trivia fact is that like 7-11, Lawson also originally started in the USA. They only recently-ish returned stateside with locations in Hawaii (IIRC).)
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- sho_hn 2y agoI'd say in Korea 7-11 is the worst of the top 3 options though (GS25, CU and 7-11)
- Klonoar 2y agoI mean, sure. I don't even think 7-11 is the top in Japan, but this is all opinion (ish). My only real point was that they are categorically above their US counterparts, and that it's not just a Japan-specific thing.
- mlinhares 2y agoI'd be surprised if there is any place where 7-11 is worse than in the US given how bad they are in here. Having lived most of my US time in PA I always either drove longer or waited for a Wawa to shop because all 7-11s were pure garbage.
- alephnerd 2y agoThe Asian equivalent of a trashy and cheap American 7/11 or Circle-K would be street vendors or a hyper-local general store/bodega with a bare minimum amount of goods. In much of Asia (JP, SK, and TW excluded), convenience stores like 7-11 are similar luxury wise to what Target is in the US.
- dawnerd 2y ago7-11 in Canada is just as bad.
- m463 2y agoI remember that lots of communities didn't want 7-11s in their area, because they showed up as red blotches in the crime maps.
- jrockway 2y agoWith 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.)
- Klonoar 2y agoHeh, I used to joke that 7-11 was my bank of choice for this reason.
- TulliusCicero 2y agoI mean Seven Bank is a major bank in Japan.
- Klonoar 2y agoI know, I used to live there. The joke was the ATM at every 7-11 with the line of foreigners every Friday night. ;P
- parhamn 2y agoProbably 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.
- chipgap98 2y agoBut 7-11s in Japan seem better than American convenience stores in similar density areas (from my experience)
- TulliusCicero 2y agoThis 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.
- linearrust 2y ago> A good NYC bodega is as stacked as a 7-11 in Tokyo. No. And it isn't as clean, orderly and organized either.
- throwaway743 2y agoYup. The quality and price for food was shocking, especially compared to the US.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- forgetfreeman 2y agoI 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.
- dghlsakjg 2y agoAre you saying that low paid workers don’t have the cognitive capacity to do more than cook hot dogs?
- forgetfreeman 2y agoI'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.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 2y agoAs we all know, “gas station sushi” enjoys a special place of trust in American culture.
- corey_moncure 2y agoPlease bring the salmon jerky.
- philip1209 2y ago7-11 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.
- Graziano_M 2y agoWhen I was there last I had an egg salad sandwich almost every day.
- shermantanktop 2y agoTamago sando! The hot dog bun version is a little odd to me.
- catchnear4321 2y agothe hot dog bun is a perfect carb vessel for “salad”-like fillings. unlike traditional bread slices, the hot dog bun has fewer open sides, and acts more like a cup to hold the contents. though it may look a bit odd, it truly is peak salad sandwich performance.
- owyn 2y agoI just want those ham and cucumber sandwiches in the US. That's the first thing I get whenever I land in Japan.
- Loughla 2y ago7-11 here in the States tends to be a great place to get stabbed and/or purchase illegal drugs, in my experience.
- throwup238 2y agoHere their parking lots are used to stage large illegal street racing competitions.
- navbaker 2y ago7-11 spam musabi is amazing if you’re ever on one of the Hawaiian islands
- cylinder714 2y agoYes, this!
- lurking_swe 2y agoi also recommend the “Musubi Cafe” on oahu. they have a few locations.
- pests 2y agoFirst thing I noticed iced in Hawaii. The hotdogs and roller items were replaced with spam+rice or other spam meals at the local 7-11. Also that McDonald's had spam-based menu options too.
- the__alchemist 2y agoThe video mentions at least twice that gas is one of the two main revenue sources of 7-11 in USA. A: How common is this? 7-11s don't serve gas where I've seen. B: Is this accurate re profits? My understanding was that gas stations make their money from the convenience store vice fuel. (This is in direct contradiction) Unrelated: Is it normal in marketing to refer to customers as "targets"? (See around 75% through the video for one example)
- malwrar 2y agoIn my (midwest) experience maybe in cities 7-11s are primarily convenience stores, but once you drive out into the suburbs/country they’re always gas stations. Until I started living in cities I wasn’t even aware there _were_ convenience store 7-11s!
- bane 2y agoThe weird ones are in the lower density American suburb/urban transition area where many of the 7-11s are setup as if they could have gas pumps but don't and act as drive-up convenience stores/small groceries.
- Molitor5901 2y agoIn some places they do, such as the northeastern United States, but it seems like it might be more of a partnership with a gas provider branded as 7-11.
- greenthrow 2y agoIt's a commonly believed lie that gasoline is not profitable. It is the main profit center for all gas station chains.
- StanislavPetrov 2y agoThat may be true of chains, but for ~20 years a close family friend owned an independent gas station with a small convenience store and they made 4-5x more in the store than the ~1c per gallon of gas they sold. The margins on Soda, candy and cigarettes were absolutely massive.
- alekratz 2y agoit's kind of disappointing that they're focusing on food in this. I get that it's a quarter of their revenue, but one of the things that makes japanese convenience stores so convenient is that you can do more than just buy stuff. like, they often have printers and scanners if you need to make a copy of something or print something off. or if you're a tourist and you're taking the train someplace and have too much luggage, you can get it shipped to the hotel at your destination via 7/11. that's the kind of thing I would love to see in a convenience store.
- ambarp2 2y ago7-11 (the corporation) is owned by one of its own Japanese franchisees, Seven & I Holdings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-Eleven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-Eleven
- ajb 2y agoInteresting. 7-11 is one of the example's in Rumelt's book on strategies[1]. In the chapter on 'pivot points' (by his definition, areas where effort yields significant reward) he outlines that 7-11 focuses on different things in Japan vs China. In Japan, they believe that the customer is easily bored and requires their stores to stock many choices, and carefully track which are rising and falling in popularity in each area, to avoid them seeking out novelty at competing stores. In China, they focus on attracting customers by having Japanese-style "spotless interiors and white-gloved service", a much more pleasant experience that traditionally found in stores in China. I was wondering what this said about the US customer. But it sounds like the US operation was just not as well run and needs to catch up. [1] Good strategy, Bad Strategy, 2012
- mathgeek 2y agoNot sure of the structure in Japan and China, but US 7-11s are franchised and thus the individual owners have a huge effect on the base level of service and upkeep. There are many stereotypes that it wouldn’t be appropriate to get into here, but the quality of individual stores can vary a lot. They are also known as a place to buy huge sodas, tobacco, and energy drinks, but many other convenience stores also provide those.
- yamakadi 2y agoThey are franchised here as well, although the holding company owns multiple stores. The overall quality, including the operating hours to the chagrin of the franchisees, is ruthlessly maintained through their contracts and lawsuits though. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/06/24/business/seven-eleven-lawsuit-ruling/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/06/24/business/seven-... The US contracts might be more relaxed or the holding company might not have enough control due to the sheer size of the US market. In Japan, most stores get deliveries more than twice a day, have inspectors show up unannounced, need to make daily reports in some cases, etc. Not much room for leeway.
- alephnerd 2y ago> In China, they focus on attracting customers by having Japanese-style "spotless interiors and white-gloved service", a much more pleasant experience that traditionally found in stores in China In Asia, 7-11, Circle K, GS25, etc are all "upscale"ish outside of JP/SK/TW. They can't compete at the price point that a local bodega or street vendor in Dongguan, Diliman, or Da Lat so they segment themselves as slightly more upscale. Sort of like how Target differentiates itself from Walgreens and CVS. The whole point is that because they're Japanese/Korean/Taiwanese they are much more "luxury" than a local brand.
- varispeed 2y agoHave warm memory of 7-11 in Japan. Basically they had only cash machine that I could use to withdraw some money as all other in the area refused my cards. Sort of saved my life in a way.
- underlogic 2y ago711 food in the US is sugar saturated to a comical degree. This store will hurt you. I think there are grounds for class action. That's what happens when you track and then promote the most addictive products of the company inventory
- poincaredisk 2y agoWhen I was in the US i went to Dunkin Donuts once. I didn't know it's possible to stuff so much sugar into a single coffee (to be fair I bought a fancy one, but well I was there for the experience).
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- yinser 2y agoThis made me curious how much smokeless tobacco products like vapes and Zyn offset the losses they talked about in combustible tobacco products.
- sdsd 2y agoI spent so much time on an imageboard called 711chan, as a teen. It's actually still around: 711chan.wtf. Wanting to contribute to leh /i/nsurgency nonsense was kind of how I got into programming. Not related to TFA, but that's what it made me remember.
- chemmail 2y ago7-11 JP is so good the food is 90% there compared to restaurants and the desserts legit beat some Michelin star stuff. They deliver fresh daily and some desserts can't even make it overnight without coagulating!
- yamakadi 2y agoTheir frozen food is second to none. I’d say especially their spaghettis are much better than what you can get at a serving rate store. Some of their collaborations also work out really well — especially the desserts with Pierre Hermé.
- agar 2y agoIndirectly 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 really understand (or validate) the "important" role they played. Anyone have a perspective on this?
- bcherny 2y agoMaybe it’s the fact they’re air conditioned, and an easy respite from 100 degree/100% humidity summer heat? At least that’s what it was for me as a tourist.
- dpb001 2y ago7-Eleven’s will vary. Some are closer to the Japanese model, but in my experience the ones in the typical PTT/Amazon coffee/KFC clusters are more like their US counterparts than not. Edit: should add except for an absence of overall sketchiness
- allset_ 2y agoCheap, safe to drink bottled water was my reason for making the daily pilgrimage while backpacking through Thailand.
- bastien2 2y agoI am so here for bringing konbini life to the U.S.
- MrFoof 2y agoWhat 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 been doing all this time to not make that sort of opportunity cost screamingly obvious? Even if the margin is good, you're moving no volume. I realize that it's probably cleaning products and other shelf stable items, but that just blew my mind.
- throwawaymaths 2y ago> What on earth has the corporate analytics team been doing 7-11 is franchised with a ton of autonomy given to franchisees (relative to other franchises) so as long as the fees keep coming in, corporate doesn't care. Also, corporate is owned by a Japanese company so it's likely to be kind of "old-fashioned" in a way, and the US entities are a whole ocean away.
- wodenokoto 2y agoThe Japanese franchise was successful _because_ they measured their sales. They were pioneers in the field. Story goes that in the 80s and 90s the register had a row for customer type, so each sale was attached to “school boy” or “middle aged male”, etc.
- EE84M3i 2y agoPotentially 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.
- MrFoof 2y ago
- throwawaymaths 2y agoIf people didn't know, 7-11 is owned by a Japanese company.
- aaron695 2y ago[dead]
- forestwarrior 2y agoThere's actually a cool 200 page manga about 7-Eleven entering the Japanese market and experimenting to make it work. It's called "Project X: Challengers - Seven Eleven" https://www.amazon.ca/Project-X-Challengers-Seven-Eleven/dp/1569709580 https://www.amazon.ca/Project-X-Challengers-Seven-Eleven/dp/...
- matt-attack 2y agoThe narrator’s vocal fry was so excruciating I couldn’t get through the video.
- Canada 2y agoI wish all 7-eleven stores worldwide were like the Japanese ones. The stores in Asia generally are okay, like same concept as the Japanese ones, just varying degrees of less good. The stores in the US and Canada are just useless. Terrible. I don't know why, given the Japanese parent owns them all and I've never met anyone who has visited a Japanese store who prefers the American format.