4 ms·

Different from the USA, 7-11 in Japan and China are mainly self checkout at least, so they can technically run a store with less people since they don’t have to

Different from the USA, 7-11 in Japan and China are mainly self checkout at least, so they can technically run a store with less people since they don’t have to man cash registers to get people checked out.

alephnerd 7mo ago
This. Also there is a social backlash against Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai service workers in Japan now (the people who tend to be working the counter at a kombini, but apparently Asians all look the same to Western HNers), as well as Western tourists. Edit: can't reply > I doubt many Chinese youths want to work for minimum wage in Japan Chinese are the 2nd largest nationality of foreign agricultural and food workers in Japan [0]. As long as the median household income in China [1] remains below the minimum wage in Japan [2], members of the bottom half of Chinese society will continue to emigrate there, Korea, and other countries to work, that said not at the same rate as was seen a decade ago. [0] - https://catalog.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/opac_download_md/4738336/18_p025.pdf https://catalog.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/opac_download_md/4738336/... [1] - https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202507/t20250730_1960541.html https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202507/t202507... [2] - https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%80%E4%BD%8E%E8%B3%83%E9%87%91_(%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%80%E4%BD%8E%E8%B3%83%E9...
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
- jamiek88 7mo ago
  If you click on the time the person you ‘can’t reply’ (where it says ‘n minutes’ or ‘n hours ago’) posted their comment you can reply to your hearts content. This is what I did to reply to you. You don’t have to say ‘ can’t reply’ then quote someone like that. Context is preserved better the proper way but it’s not very discoverable.
- seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
  I saw Indian workers in convenience stores when I was there. I thought that was kind of cool.
  - alephnerd 7mo ago
    Yep! It's a very recent shift that began in the last 3-5 years. Traditionally, India never had a Japanese vocational program in the manner you'd find in Vietnam, Thailand, China, Phillipines, etc but in 2021 [0], the Japanese and Indian government began working on a vocational/blue collar mobility program [1] to build a Vietnam, China, or Phillipines style pipeline. There will be a lot of Indians coming, but they will be cycled back in 2-3 year batches to then become floor managers and foremen for Japanese fixed investments in India. It's the model that Japanese automotive JVs in India operated on for a decade [1]. And it's was these kinds of vocational programs that helped dramatically upskill Chinese manufacturing in the 2000s and 2010s. [0] - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-clears-india-japan-pact-to-institutionalise-mobility-of-skilled-workers/article33510493.ece/ https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-clears-india-jap... [1] - https://www.jim-jec.in/ https://www.jim-jec.in/
TurdF3rguson 7mo ago
But who's going to unlock the expensive items from the plexiglass case?
- seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
  You mean the hot food in the display case? They still have a person for that, but they aren’t taking money.
pezezin 7mo ago
I don't know about China, but I live in Japan and most konbini I have visited still have real human cashiers.
- ekianjo 7mo ago
  Yeah but more and more have self service cashiers as well with cashless payments
- seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
  Huh, in Tokyo and Osaka I didn’t encounter a 7-11 without self checkout as an option. The smaller convenience stores sure, but not 7-11. China is much more aggressive in this regard though.
  - pezezin 7mo ago
    As an option yes, but not most of the cashiers.
    - seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
      They might have one person ready, but the amount of volume they do means that the kiosks aren’t really that optional, most people are using them or they would be waiting awhile for human help (and most people use them so the manned check is pretty clear most of the time for those that need it).

alephnerd 7mo ago

This. Also there is a social backlash against Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai service workers in Japan now (the people who tend to be working the counter at a kombini, but apparently Asians all look the same to Western HNers), as well as Western tourists. Edit: can't reply > I doubt many Chinese youths want to work for minimum wage in Japan Chinese are the 2nd largest nationality of foreign agricultural and food workers in Japan [0]. As long as the median household income in China [1] remains below the minimum wage in Japan [2], members of the bottom half of Chinese society will continue to emigrate there, Korea, and other countries to work, that said not at the same rate as was seen a decade ago. [0] - https://catalog.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/opac_download_md/4738336/18_p025.pdf https://catalog.lib.kyushu-u.ac.jp/opac_download_md/4738336/... [1] - https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202507/t20250730_1960541.html https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202507/t202507... [2] - https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%80%E4%BD%8E%E8%B3%83%E9%87%91_(%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%80%E4%BD%8E%E8%B3%83%E9...

deleted 7mo ago
[deleted]
jamiek88 7mo ago
If you click on the time the person you ‘can’t reply’ (where it says ‘n minutes’ or ‘n hours ago’) posted their comment you can reply to your hearts content. This is what I did to reply to you. You don’t have to say ‘ can’t reply’ then quote someone like that. Context is preserved better the proper way but it’s not very discoverable.
seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
I saw Indian workers in convenience stores when I was there. I thought that was kind of cool.
- alephnerd 7mo ago
  Yep! It's a very recent shift that began in the last 3-5 years. Traditionally, India never had a Japanese vocational program in the manner you'd find in Vietnam, Thailand, China, Phillipines, etc but in 2021 [0], the Japanese and Indian government began working on a vocational/blue collar mobility program [1] to build a Vietnam, China, or Phillipines style pipeline. There will be a lot of Indians coming, but they will be cycled back in 2-3 year batches to then become floor managers and foremen for Japanese fixed investments in India. It's the model that Japanese automotive JVs in India operated on for a decade [1]. And it's was these kinds of vocational programs that helped dramatically upskill Chinese manufacturing in the 2000s and 2010s. [0] - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-clears-india-japan-pact-to-institutionalise-mobility-of-skilled-workers/article33510493.ece/ https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-clears-india-jap... [1] - https://www.jim-jec.in/ https://www.jim-jec.in/

TurdF3rguson 7mo ago

But who's going to unlock the expensive items from the plexiglass case?

seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
You mean the hot food in the display case? They still have a person for that, but they aren’t taking money.

pezezin 7mo ago

I don't know about China, but I live in Japan and most konbini I have visited still have real human cashiers.

ekianjo 7mo ago
Yeah but more and more have self service cashiers as well with cashless payments
seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
Huh, in Tokyo and Osaka I didn’t encounter a 7-11 without self checkout as an option. The smaller convenience stores sure, but not 7-11. China is much more aggressive in this regard though.
- pezezin 7mo ago
  As an option yes, but not most of the cashiers.
  - seanmcdirmid 7mo ago
    They might have one person ready, but the amount of volume they do means that the kiosks aren’t really that optional, most people are using them or they would be waiting awhile for human help (and most people use them so the manned check is pretty clear most of the time for those that need it).