Coffee, sandwiches, underwear, beer: a day in the life of Japan's konbini
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
I am a long-term resident of Japan, and I would be the last person to defend Japanese software in general. I’ve run into particularly horrible user interfaces on government websites and in some internal systems used by my employer.
But a major element behind the success of Japanese convenience stores seems to be the software that manages the inventory, shelf placement, worker shifts, and many other things. The only time I interface with that software directly is when I buy tickets, use ATMs, or print out documents on the multifunction copy machines. Those interfaces work fine. Considering how smoothly the stores operate, the software behind the scenes must be working pretty well, too.
And yours, Games. Sony, Nintendo, are we really saying the country that makes PlayStation and Nintendo's is 'bad' at software?
And, Didn't someone in Japan make the Ruby language?
I need to go back to the other post and re-read to find, where is the 'bad' software? How are they categorizing Japanese software as 'bad' compared to any other country? Was it just because US Silicon Valley has had a few bigger startups in general? Is that really a good benchmark?
I think the "design to meet spec, not to anticipate users needs" philosophy is also apparent in the game design. Western RPGs are characterized by their sandbox/do anything capability. Create a character, choose your class, pick your allies, kill any NPC, choose your ending. Japanese RPGs are structured with predefined characters, class roles (with a bit of customization sometimes), narrative, and ending (and maybe a "bad ending" if they want to punish you for not doing all the side quests).
Maybe the explanation is that Japanese institutions perform well when development is wholly internal and allowed a long time. My own experience has been that Japanese groups attack tasks with superior organization, but they need extra time to adapt to novel input.
Don’t get me wrong: I will still absolutely f’ up a steak and cheese roller from 7-11 in the states and will continue to eat konbini food when I’m in Japan, but all of it is kind of mediocre. They hit the spot like (American) Denny’s at 2am.
- Food options in Konbini are similar to Buc-ees in the US
- Food options in Konbini "aren't necessarily junk food"
- The US is only junk food
All three of those can't be true!
GP was clearly saying that 7-11 in the US is only junk food, and Japanese konbinis offer food comparable to that of specialty gas stations like Buc-ees.
Which I consider a reasonable assessment of the facts.
I don't think i've ever seen one where i live (san jose), just some sad-looking hot dogs. I think there is just a ton fewer choices in 7-11s here compared to Japan. And mostly really garbage unappetizing dry things like cup ramen (two-three flavors tops), cans, crackers, basically a scant selection of things that can preferably sit on that shelf forever. In the Japanese ones it felt like a ton more choice (even for junk food), and a bit more fresh stuff like onigiri.
Most other places are super expensive or convenient or high quality. But hardly all combined. That's why Asian Konbinis are great. Note this is true of most of Asia, not just Japan.
1: probably even less than that; last time I seriously checked this was in 2021, and our inflation runs at 20% per year, while income mostly stays the same.
That said, I've been to 25 countries / 40 cities in the past 2 years and Tokyo felt like an anomaly.
Price-wise, it wasn't too dissimilar to Eastern bloc countries where average salary would be yet again half what they are in Japan. You could get a great meal at a decent restaurant for well under 10 euros. Something similar in Manhattan would be over twice the cost. In a place like Bucharest, probably still more and be of worse quality.
And the city itself is highly modern and clean, unlike in those nations. It presents as a place that should be incredibly expensive in many aspects, yet it isn't - ie. the subway system is world class, yet a fraction of what the subway costs in NYC.
Right now I'm in Mexico City, and I've told many folks who live here, to their amazement, that Tokyo is roughly similar in cost for what I call 'middle class' living. In fact, for nicer restaurants, it seems more expensive here compared to similar places in Tokyo. Street food and the like is still a fair bit cheaper here, but when you simply look outside and try to compare them, it is shocking.
Maybe it's just the big cities, but I think maybe this part of the world just demands this from anyone selling food. If you aren't providing this quality, you won't stay in business because there's too much competition that is.
Coffee, sandwiches, underwear, beer, bike parts, cleaning products, office supplies, toys, birthday gubbins, cake, bed linen: a day in the life of the Netherlands' HEMA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7l2Q91Z5nU
Contrast to Japan where you can get a fresh, good quality, tasty meal from the fridges and the hot cabinet. The 7/11 fruit smoothies are great.
The appropriate comparison to the UK is probably Greggs, and Greggs is still losing that battle.
Most of the stuff that UK corner shops sell are pre-packaged, so they'd be the same product that you'd buy elsewhere. Also, we've got several corner shops that sell "home-made" Indian foods such as samosas and bhajis that are often higher quality than the packaged ones you buy in supermarkets.
> The appropriate comparison to the UK is probably Greggs, and Greggs is still losing that battle.
Are they losing? I was under the impression that Greggs are still opening up new stores and doing quite well. (Not a customer myself as they don't cater for gluten free)
Elsewhere where? I have never seen these products anywhere else. The sad-looking chicken tikka sandwiches and bacon that's 90% nitrite-water are corner shop exclusives.
> Are they losing?
Greggs is indeed doing well in the UK but the comparison I'm making is Greggs vs Japanese conbini. Conbini wipe the floor with Greggs.
Probably petrol stations and bargain shops such as B&M. They probably have the same product in slightly different packaging, much like how ordinary supermarkets will share suppliers, but market the same products differently.
I think we're agreeing that corner shop food is poor quality. To your initial point, that's why people talk about conbini more than corner shops.
Unless, as you say and I agree, you're lucky to have one that sells nice homemade stuff like samosas (or in my area more likely to be baklava, gozleme etc), but they're rare.
I don't have to care that my package is sitting outside my door, or a delivery courier in a rush threw it haphazardly in the general direction of my house to move quicker to their next drop-off. I just pass by a convenience store nearby and pick it up, they will hold it for me for about 7-10 days so there's not even a rush to do it.
One of the nice things of living in a hyper densely populated country is that it becomes economically viable to have supermarkets every few miles. Japan still is vastly superior in the 24 hour economy though. In the Netherlands most supermarkets close at 9 or 10pm.
https://globalnews.ca/news/10867357/7-eleven-couche-tard-bid...
* https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/couche-tard-explainer-1.732...
- expensive - literally any other 'deppaneur' will give a better price
- poor selection of 'food' - it's only carbs, i.e. muffins, croissants. ( no chicken or onigiri or ramens )
- poor selection of beers - mostly cheap brands sold x2, independent deppaneurs sometimes carry craft/micro.
Seems that even Montreal has not enough density to justify any meaningful food in deppaneurs.
Now that's an expression I haven't heard in a long time.