Editing Convenience store (section)

===Japan===
[[Image:Lawson Haramachikitahara Shop.jpg|thumb|left|A Lawson convenience store in [[Minamisoma, Fukushima]], [[Tōhoku region|Tohoku]], [[Japan]]]]
{{Nihongo|Convenience stores|コンビニエンスストア|konbiniensu sutoa}}, often shortened to {{Nihongo||コンビニ|'''konbini'''}}, developed at a tremendous rate in [[Japan]]. [[7-Eleven]] Japan, while struggling to localize their service in the 1970s to 1980s, evolved its [[point of sale]]-based business, until 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 [[Asia]]n regions or countries, such as [[Mainland China]], [[Taiwan]], [[Thailand]], and [[South Korea]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fdfworld.com/top10/165/Top-Ten-Convenience-Stores-Around-the-World|title=Top Ten Convenience Stores Around the World|access-date=30 November 2014|archive-date=7 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507084449/http://www.fdfworld.com/top10/165/Top-Ten-Convenience-Stores-Around-the-World|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Convenience stores rely heavily on the point of sale. Customers' ages and gender, as well as tomorrow's weather forecast, are important data. Stores place all orders online. As store floor space is limited, they must be 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, as well as making multiple deliveries per day possible. Generally, food goods 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia19/en/feature/feature01.html|title=NIPPONIA|website=web-japan.org}}</ref>
[[File:Seicomart in Hokkaido.jpg|thumb|A Seicomart in rural [[Hokkaido]]]]
According to the Japan Franchise Association's data for July 2021, there are 55,931 convenience stores in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|last=Michel|first=Patrick St|date=11 October 2021|title=Japan's convenience stores look to the future|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/11/business/future-of-convenience-stores/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011024602/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/11/business/future-of-convenience-stores/|archive-date=11 October 2021|access-date=11 October 2021|website=[[The Japan Times]]|language=en-US|quote=According to a July report from the Japan Franchise Association, the total number of convenience stores in Japan currently stands at 55,931.}}</ref> 7-Eleven leads the market with 12,467 stores, followed by: [[Lawson (store)|Lawson]] (9,562) and [[FamilyMart]] (7,604). Other operators include [[Circle K Sunkus]] (acquired by Family Mart in 2016; now defunct), [[Daily Yamazaki]], [[Ministop]], [[Ampm|Am/Pm Japan]] (acquired by Family Mart in 2009; now defunct), [[Poplar (convenience store)|Poplar]], Coco Store (acquired by Family Mart in 2015; now defunct) and Seicomart. Many items available in larger supermarkets can be found in Japanese convenience stores, though the selection is usually smaller. As well, the following additional services are also commonly available:
* [[Courier]] and [[mail|postal service]].
* [[Photocopying]] and [[fax]] service.
* [[Automated teller machine]]s.
* Payment service for utilities and other bills and taxes.
* Ticket service for [[concert]]s, [[amusement park|theme parks]], [[airlines]] etc.
* Pre-paid cards for [[cellular phones]].

Some stores also sell charging service for [[electronic money]] and ATM services for [[credit card]] or [[consumer finance]]. Items not commonly sold include: [[Slurpee]]s, [[lottery]] tickets, [[car]] supplies and [[gasoline]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://japan-magazine.jnto.go.jp/en/1301_cvs.html|title=Complete guide to Japanese convenience stores &#124; JAPAN Monthly Web Magazine|access-date=31 January 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414145054/https://japan-magazine.jnto.go.jp/en/1301_cvs.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Konbini also offer customers the option of making '''konbini payments''' (often also referred to as just '''konbini'''), an offline payment solution that allows customers without credit or debit cards to make online purchases. A consumer can buy online services or goods, such as video games on [[Steam (service)|Steam]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/616189742840853266|title=steam users in japan :: Help and Tips|website=steamcommunity.com}}</ref> or tickets for events. By selecting konbini as payment method at the checkout, the consumer receives a unique transaction code with an expiration date. Depending on the brand (i.e. 7–11 is slightly different from Family Mart), consumers will have to go to any convenience store and finalise the purchase, which can be either at the cashier or at the kiosk. Multiple providers offer konbini as checkout option for foreign companies selling online in Japan, such as [[Adyen]], Degica and [[Ingenico]] ePayments.

In 1974, Japan had 1,000 convenience stores. In 1996, Japan had 47,000 convenience stores and the number was increasing by 1,500 annually. Peter Landers of the ''[[Associated Press]]'' said that the computerised distribution system allows Japanese convenience stores to stock a wider variety of products, allowing them to be more competitive in the marketplace. Because of this technology and the consequent ease of maintaining the right amount of stock, Japan can support one convenience store for every 2,000 people, while in the United States it is one per 8,000 people. Another contributing factor to the widespread proliferation of convenience stores is that, because Japan has a lower crime rate, store owners are not reluctant to keep stores open at late hours in the night and customers are not reluctant to shop during those times.<ref name="Landersp">Landers, Peter. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O5c_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=CFYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5174,5376452&dq=wawa+pennsylvania+institution&hl=en Japan has a high-tech take on the convenience store]". ''[[Associated Press]]'' at the ''[[Warsaw Times-Union]]''. Saturday 27 July 1996. 10C. Retrieved from [[Google News]] (14/39) on 1 January 2011.</ref>