Japanese convenience stores remain a great place to grab food and drinks, in the sense that they’re still stocked with a wide selection of tasty items available in convenient locations. However, prices for convenience store fare have been steadily creeping up for more than a year now. It’s gotten to the point where putting together a meal at a convenience store can often be more expensive than getting something to eat at a casual restaurant with table service, making a combini run to pick up lunch or dinner a much less appealing option than it was not so long ago.
7-Eleven Japan is looking to undo that change, though. On Sept 2, the chain said it’s going to be putting a renewed focus on affordability by lowering prices to expand its “Ureshii Ne” (“Happy Price”) line of budget-friendly foodstuffs.
In July, 7-Eleven lowered the prices of two of its most popular onigiri (rice ball) varieties, salmon and tuna mayonnaise, to 138 yen, leading to a 10-percent increase in total onigiri sales for the chain. In August, there were 20 items in the Ureshii Ne line, and it’s scheduled to more than triple in size to roughly 65 items by the end of this month, with 7-Eleven dropping the price of its fried rice plate, mapo tofu rice bowl, and butter chicken curry from 399 yen to 348 yen as of September 3.
7-Eleven says that it’s been able to make these lower prices viable through improvements to its supply chain and manufacturing processes, implying that it isn’t trying to achieve them simply by shrinking portion sizes. “We want to wipe away the perception that convenience stores are expensive,” said Nao Haishi, head of 7-Eleven Japan’s Products Division, explaining that it hopes that by offering items that represent a good value, customers will make more frequent trips to the chain’s stores.
In addition to foodstuffs such as onigiri, bento boxed lunches, and pre-made side dishes, 7-Eleven is also planning to add household supplies such as toilet paper and dish soap to the Ureshi Ne line.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun via Jin
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6 Comments
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リッチ
snacks are so expensive at 7-eleven. Went to buy popcorn for a home movie there and double the price that family mart or Lawson. I was shocked. It was like 250 yen vs 105. Other things might be good but overall not just 7-seven prices at convenience stores are nuts. Newley 600 yen now for a bowl of spaghetti that last year was 450 is ridiculous.
Japantime
Supermarkets are cheaper than convenience stores. If you want to save money on the same items, plan ahead and stock up at the supermarket.
DanteKH
Yeah, 7/11 is by far, the most expensive konbini in Japan. Lawson and specially FamilyMart have way cheaper and also better products. However, compared to supermarkets, there are still expensive.
I have found out that drinks and snacks are between 30% and 60% more expensive in Konbinis compared to supermarkets.
Gene Hennigh
Yes, items in supermarkets are cheaper, but these are called convenience stores for a reason. Just thought of something you want? Just want to pick up something to go home with from a hard day's work? Just hanging out? Pop in and get your stuff. Sometimes convenience is worth a little extra, don't you think?
John-San
I was surprise the other day when the article on the fail takeover of 7&iholding, that JT used for the first time the correct company stock exchange corporate name. I look for the source and it an article by Kyodo. Why do JT persist in using the incorrect name for a this corporation ?
Pukey2
How about making healthy food like fresh fruit more afforable? 500 yen for one peach is ridiculous.