Gov't survey shows most convenience store owners overworked

Hire more foreigners.

A government survey on convenience store operations showed Tuesday that most store owners are overworked, with 85 percent of them saying they work six days or more a week

So? I have little sympathy for people who start their businesses and then complain about having to work too many hours.

The government should take a look sat how many hours other self employed people are working, and they may be surprised to see that it's probably even more than these folks. But the government does not give a shite about them!

There is a way to solve this, pay your employees a decent LIVING wage and you will get people to work for you!

This is the nature of the conbini business and the owners know it, if they didnt, they are fools!

Is the profitability of the convenience stores also a reason why the owners need to work?

What other reason would there be?

When they work, they dont have to pay anyone, so that is money in their pockets!

I know of a few conbini down here that are family run, and they make pretty damn good money! Because it all stays quite literally, "in the family"!

most owners/entrepreneurs of ANY business work more than 6 days a week

pay your employees a decent LIVING wage

I do not think anyone works at a 7-11 to earn a living wage...

The problem is not a shortage of workers. The problem is a shortage of workers who will work 8-10 hour shift for less than ¥1,000 per hour.

The problem is not a shortage of workers. The problem is a shortage of workers who will work 8-10 hour shift for less than ¥1,000 per hour.

My son lives in Tokyo and he told be about a Family Mart in his area that was looking for night shift workers, they were offering ￥2,000 per hour for the shifts from 8PM to 5AM,

According to him, the positions were filled in a day!

Pay the people, they will come!

So? I have little sympathy for people who start their businesses and then complain about having to work too many hours.

Becoming a franchise owner is not "starting a business". No-one with their own business is forced to work overnight in spite of having virtually no customers. They may work nonstop, but it is for actual customers or to set the business up. Either way, it will be according to their own judgment, not because some parent company thinks 1000 yen of overnight sales is more important than the franchise owner's profits or welfare.

yubaru:

2,000 yen per hour is not bad! I just worry what effect working during the nights and sleeping during daytime will have on the body in the long term.

need to really start enforcing those 7-11 hours (It's in the name)

the joys and pains of business ownership. I think the margins are too lean for the work/hassle and chances of theft too high for the reward.

And yet, they keep opening new conbinis right next to each other. Just three days ago another brand new Seven-11 opened its doors in my city just seven minutes walk (at a slow pace) from the other Seven-11. And within that radius, both Lawson and News Daily being five minutes walk and the Daily Yamazaki just two minutes walk. I wonder how long will this new 7-11 management will wait till they start whining that they can't get enough employees, can't keep up running the business for 24 hours a day.

Becoming a franchise owner is not "starting a business". No-one with their own business is forced to work overnight in spite of having virtually no customers. They may work nonstop, but it is for actual customers or to set the business up. Either way, it will be according to their own judgment, not because some parent company thinks 1000 yen of overnight sales is more important than the franchise owner's profits or welfare.

I agree with this.

The main problem with discussing franchise owners as if they were independent business owners is that they have very little actual control over business decisions (unlike a truly independent business owner who can make all the decisions and succeed or fail based on their own judgment).

Franchise owners under Franchise Agreements have no say in fundamental business decisions which affect the profitability of their franchise. The terms of the agreement almost always require them to do things that benefit the chain, but are detrimental to their own business. The requirement to stay open 24 hours is the most obvious: no independent business person would chose to keep their store open for long hours when they are operating at a loss, but they have to because the parent company requires it.

The lesson I guess is never become a franchise owner.

For sure. It's not an easy gig to run/own a store. You have to be adept at multi-tasking and the hours can be a killer.

Kudos to those who put in the effort and hours.

Maybe they are working too much because the 24 hour opening is unnecessary, and there are simply too many stores too close together.

They have oversaturated the market. The only way the franchise owners see they can make more profit is if they do the work themselves rather than hiring staff. The fundamentals seem pretty clear to me.

Yubaru - My son lives in Tokyo and he told be about a Family Mart in his area that was looking for night shift workers, they were offering ￥2,000 per hour for the shifts from 8PM to 5AM, 

According to him, the positions were filled in a day!

the positions probably were filled quickly. However, is ¥2,000 per hour ample payment for doing the graveyard shift? That should be the day time hourly rate.

The problem for me is 7&i keep adding services so I go in to buy a pack of gum and beer and have to wait 5-10 minutes because the guy in front of me is sending a package to Katmandu, paying all his bills from the last 6 months, ordering go-chuugen presents for his great Aunt and buying a lottery ticket!

These are not "new" services, and if you have to wait in lines, that means the place you go is understaffed.

Dont understand why people complain when "others" are in line doing these types of transactions, but when it comes to them, different story!

People are going to complain no matter what the circumstance!

It seems that the only stores opening these days are the ubiquitous convenience stores

I know some good ideas, coming from someone who works at a convenience store.

Pay more than 985yen/hour for any shift (I'd take 1000yen/hour, not great but it's something).

Include westerners as convenience store workers. I've noticed my time living here the foreigners that work here are mostly Southeast Asians. Westerner's aren't just good for eikaiwas.

Convenience store workers should be open-minded when hiring foreigners that don't have the best Japanese skills. Teach them. Make them comfortable. They will learn along the way.

Did I already say give workers a higher wage??? That'll bring in people.

zero sympathy.

Took the deal thinking easy start up and easy money.

most start ups work stupid hours and eventually fail.

These 'poor' owners(families) usually have enough to buy the franchise, sort the property and want to wait for the money to roll in. Made off the back of underpaid staff.

live in nice houses and drive nice cars.

Im freelance. I don't want my tax money to support these people.

> A government survey on convenience store operations showed Tuesday that most store owners are overworked, with 85 percent of them saying they work six days or more a week.

They have "less than a day" off from work per week, and 19 percent have one day off.

As for work hours, 29 percent of store owners and 56 percent of store owners' family members who help run the outlets said they work 12 hours or longer a day.

So what? So do I. So do many people.

Well, it's simple.

Hire more, pay them more, shut down the store, or deal with it and keep quiet.

Gov't survey shows most convenience store owners overworked

The title would be more appropriate if you replaced "convenience store owners" with "people".

Convenience store workers should be open-minded when hiring foreigners that don't have the best Japanese skills. Teach them. Make them comfortable. They will learn along the way.

You should travel down here to Naha! Damn near every conbini has foreign workers!

Automate. Make all aisles vending machines. Pay as you shop.

Then you get 7 days off, with maybe an hour or so per week for interactions with customers.