General store

The Brick Store in Bath, New Hampshire, the oldest continually operating general store in the United States.

In Australia, Canada and the United States, a general store is a retailer located in a small town or in a rural area with a broad selection of merchandise crammed into a relatively small space where people from the town and surrounding rural areas would come to purchase all their general goods, both in stock and special order from larger cities. In the United Kingdom, similar retailers tend to be called a village shop in rural areas or a corner shop in urban or suburban settings. The band Cornershop take their name from this after the common perception of Indian immigrants as owning corner shops.

General stores often sell staple food items such as milk and bread, and various household goods such as hardware and electrical supplies. The concept of the general store is very old, and although some still exist, there are far fewer than there once were, due to urbanization, the influx of suburban community development, and the relatively recent phenomenon of big-box stores.

Interior of a Moundville, Alabama general store, 1936.

During the first half of the 20th century, general stores were displaced in many areas by many different types of specialized retailers. But from the 1960s through the 1990s, many small specialized retailers were in turn crushed by the so-called "category killers," which are "big-box" wholesale-type retailers large enough to carry the majority of best-selling goods in a specific category like sporting goods or office supplies.

Smiths Gully General Store in Smiths Gully, Australia.

However, the convenience inherent in the general store has been revived in the form of the modern convenience store and the hypermarket, which can be seen as taking the general store or convenience store concept to its largest possible implementation.

Village shops have become increasingly rare in Britain due to the rise in car ownership and competition from supermarkets. They are often combined with a post office. Few villages now have either.

Changing use of the term "store" in the United Kingdom

In the UK all retail outlets used (up to the 1950s) to be called "shops"; whereas now they are commonly called "stores." This seems a strange use of language considering the very fast turnover time of the the goods. Funnily changing terminology means that actual stores (places of storage rather than retail) are now often referred to as "Storage Depots."

Bodeguita

Bartender at the famous La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, Cuba. Hanging on the bar is a plate with a likeness of Ernest Hemingway and a framed, signed message written by him. He was a regular patron.

Bodeguita comes from the Spanish language. It means "small store" or "small warehouse." Traditionally, Bodeguita existed selling general merchandise, then they where replaced slowly by the chain store, the same way large US chains have practically eliminated the "mom and pop" store.

The Bodeguita existed primarily in Latin America, and in many small towns, they still exist. They are like smaller versions of a general store.

In the USA, we do find several Bars and Restaurants, mainly serving Cuban food; they come from a famous "La Bodeguita del Medio" Bar in Cuba. One with this name exists in Palo Alto, California, but it is run independently from the Bar and Restaurant chain run in the rest of the world.

Recently, a Web store has started offering hard to find products from Latin America in the US. It is based in Florida.

Convenience Store

A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads, or at gas/petrol stations. This can take the form of gas stations supplementing their income with retail outlets, or convenience stores adding gas to the list of goods that they offer. Railway stations also often have convenience stores. They are also frequently located in densely-populated urban neighborhoods.

File:Conv.jpg

Convenience store in Tokyo, Japan

Goods on offer

Sometimes abbreviated to c-store, 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. Many stores carry cigarettes and other tobacco products. Varying degrees of food supplies are usually available, from household products, to prepackaged foods like sandwiches and frozen burritos. 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 pantyhose and contraception. Some of these stores also offer money orders and wire transfer services.

Some convenience stores offer prepared foodservice , with items such as chicken pieces, breakfast sandwiches and other breakfast food and many other items. Often there is an in-store bakery – throughout Europe these now sell fresh French bread (or similar). A process of freezing part-baked bread allows easy shipment (often from France) and baking in-store. A delicatessen counter is also popular, offering custom-made sandwiches and baguettes. Some stores have a self-service microwave oven for heating purchased food. Racks offering fresh delivered doughnuts from local doughnut shops are common. Increasingly, fast food chains like Chick-fil-a 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 or a post office counter.

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 1-2 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 United States, the stores will sometimes be 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 the 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.

At least in some countries most convenience stores have longer shopping hours, some being open 24 hours.

Convenience stores in the 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. 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, coffee, slurpees, candy bars, Twinkies, Slim Jims, hot dogs, ice cream, candy, gum, 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 bankings 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.

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.

American convenience stores are many times 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. 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 the above reasons, 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.

In certain parts of the Midwest, especially Michigan, locals prefer to use the term party 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.^{[citation needed]}

In New York City they are almost always referred to as bodegas (A Spanish word for "storehouse"). Other regional differences in terms exist. In New York bodegas tend to carry fewer healthy foods in comparison to their neighborhood's socioeconomic level [1].

In the south, these are often simply referred to as "stores." If one were to say "I'm going to the store," it would automatically be assumed that the speaker meant a convenience store.

Convenience stores in Canada

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., which operates Mac's Convenience Stores and Beckers Milk, is the largest convenience store chain in Canada. Another large chain is Quickie Mart, which predates the "Kwik-E-Mart" featured on The Simpsons.

The world's largest convenience retailer, 7-Eleven, has about 500 locations from B.C.E. to Ontario. Worldwide, the highest number of the chain's famous Slurpee beverages are sold in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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[2]. "Dépanneur" means literally "one who gets you out of a jam."

Convenience stores in Japan

Lawson Terauchicho 1Chome Shop （Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan）

Although originated in the United States, convenience stores developed tremendously in Japan. 7-Eleven Japan, while struggling to localize their service in 1970s to 1980s, evolved its POS-based business. Ultimately, Seven & I Holdings Co., the parent company of 7-Eleven Japan, acquired 7-Eleven (US) from Southland Corporation in 1991. Japanese styled convenience stores called konbini (ja:コンビニ) also heavily influenced those stores in other Asian nations, such as Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, and China.

Convenience stores heavily rely on POS system. Customers' ages, gender, as well as tomorrow's weather forecast are important data. All orders are made on-line. As their store sizes are limited, they have to be very careful in choosing what brands to sell.

In many cases, several same-chained stores exist in neighboring area. This strategy, called dominant, makes distribution to each store cheaper. (ja:ドミナント政策) It also makes multiple distributions per a day possible. Generally, foods are delivered two to five times a day from factories to each store. Since products are delivered as needed, stores don't need large stock areas.

As of 2005, there are 43,667 convenience stores in Japan. [3] Among them, 7-Eleven leads the market with 11,310 stores, followed by Lawson and FamilyMart.

Items sold in Japanese convenience stores include:

• Foods, such as side dishs, bentō (including dishes such as spaghetti or curry rice), rice balls, frozen foods, oden (winter season), Japanized baozi (winter season), bread, soft drinks, mineral water, milk, energy drinks, snack foods, candy with toys, gum, instant noodle, instant coffee, ice cream, seasonings, cat food, or dog food.
• Sundries, such as cosmetics, soap, shampoo, undergarments, umbrellas, dry cells, light bulbs, nail clippers, tissue paper, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, or condoms.
• Office equipments, such as official postcards, postage stamps, fiscal stamps, or stationery.
• Entertainments, such as CDs, DVDs, video games, capsuled toys, fireworks (summer season), magazines (including manga), newspapers, or books.
• Courier, or postal service.
• Photocopying, or fax service.
• ATM for bank.
• Utility charges, such as telephone, electricity, gas, water, NHK fee, tax, national health insurance, national pension, or vehicle insurance for motorcycle.

Some stores also sell:

• Alcoholic beverages, tobacco, medicine, contact lens cleaner, or charging service for electronic money.
• Tickets, such as for concerts, movies, theme parks, airlines, or buses.
• ATM services for credit card or consumer finance.

Items not sold in most Japanese convenience stores include:

• Slurpees, Lottery tickets, Car supplies, or Gasoline.

Convenience stores in Taiwan

With the highest 7-Eleven outlet density in the world, it is not an unusual scene seeing two 7-Eleven shops stand face to face in a same intersection in Taiwan. The distance between them might be less than 50 meters.

Boasting 8,058 convenience stores in an area of 35,980 km² and a population of 22.9 million, Taiwan has the Asia Pacific’s and perhaps the world’s highest density of convenience stores per person: one store per 2,800 people or .000357 stores per person (2005 ACNielsen ShopperTrends). With 3,680 7-Eleven stores, Taiwan also has the world’s highest density of 7-Elevens per person: one store per 6,200 people or .000161 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 the city parking fee, 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).

Convenience stores in 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 Flats

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 chain 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 round, seven days a week, including Sundays and public holidays. This 24 hour policy was seen as the reason which 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 Pasted at Cheers to deter shoplifters

Cheers is owned by local corporation NTUC Fairprice, started in 1999. Cheers has adopted 7-Eleven’s 24/7 model and took 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.

Similar concepts

Convenience stores are similar but not identical to Australian milk bars. Corner shops in the British Isles, still found today, were the precursor to the modern European convenience store (e.g. SPAR) in these countries. In the Canadian province of Quebec, dépanneurs are often family owned neighbourhood shops that serve similar purposes. Travel centers are a relatively new concept in the United States. Selling the same types of goods as convenience stores, travel centers typically are larger and offer more services. Fast food restaurants, large dining areas, and even showers for the professional driver are commonly found in travel centers. Typically, travel centers also sell high volumes of diesel fuel for over-the-road "18-wheelers."

Neighborhood grocery stores not big enough to be considered a supermarket often compete with convenience stores. For example, in Los Angeles, CA, yummy.com (www.yummy.com), 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.

Convenience stores in popular culture

A Quick Stop convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey was the primary setting for the movie Clerks. Another film centered around convenience stores is Michael Winterbottom's Butterfly Kiss (1995), with a powerful performance by Amanda Plummer as a demented killer of convenience store clerks.

The eponymous characters of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) first meet their time-travel guide, Rufus, while hanging out in front of a convenience store, with Ted memorably declaring that "strange things are afoot at the Circle-K."

In George Sluizer's The Vanishing (1988), remade in 1993, a woman is abducted at a roadside convenience store while her husband waits outside in the parking lot.

Apu, a character in The Simpsons, runs the local Kwik-E-Mart. This lampoons (or some might say perpetuates) the American stereotype that most convenience store workers are immigrants of Middle-Eastern or South Asian extraction.

In Dennis Etchison's horror short story, "The Late Shift" (originally in Kirby McCauley's anthology Dark Forces, 1980, and excerpted here), the undead work nights at the Stop 'N Start Market and other convenience stores.

In Twin Peaks, and its prequel movie Fire Walk With Me the characters BOB and Mike are said to "live above a convenience store."

The Paul Simon Song, Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes, has the line 'She said, honey, take me dancing/but they ended up by sleeping in a doorway/by the bodegas and the lights on upper broadway...

The fictional "Lucky Dragon" convenience store chain figures prominently in William Gibson's The Bridge trilogy.

External links

• Interview with a Korean 24-hour convenience store worker
• Japonismo.com Traditional and modern Japanese culture, with an article devoted to Japanese Konbini (convenience stores) (Spanish).

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