Back in the day, buying coffee at a convenience store in Japan meant either getting it in a can, or if you were feeling extra fancy, a prepackaged plastic cup.
However in recent years, the major convenience store chains in Japan have introduced relatively fresh coffee alternatives mostly by using an automatic dispenser which grinds and brews the beans on the spot. Among these chains, Lawson is unique in that you’ll even find a little chalkboard sign and clerk wearing an apron to really drive home that fresh coffee atmosphere.
What’s more, rather than being handed an empty cup and sent to the self-serve machine, Lawson’s pseudo-baristas will do it for you and hand you the brewed goodness themselves while asking if you’d like milk, sugar, or that weird syrup stuff people like to use around here.
This service, called the Machi Cafe, was developed by Hideomi Yamada back in 2011. Then it was the first fresh coffee service of its kind in a major convenience store and launched the trend that we know today.
▼ Coffee in most stores come from sleek machines like this.
Yamada’s original vision was that by creating a cafe atmosphere in a convenience store a stronger bond between customer and staff could be achieved, thus ensuring repeat business.
The only problem is, a lot of people don’t really want a deeper relationship with their convenience store clerks.
According to the owner of a Lawson franchise on Tokyo: “Customers don’t want to relax and chat at convenience stores.” Comments online largely concur.
“A convenience store is supposed to be convenient, and this doesn’t really seem convenient.”
“I really don’t want people chatting and holding up the line.”
“It’s just increasing my chance of catching an infectious disease.”
“I just want to get in and out as quickly as possible.”
“I kind of feel bad for the part-time staff who have to do double duty as a barista too.”
In response to the last concern, Lawson has tried to reduce the burden on staff by adding more automated registers and tablet computers to help with other tasks so they can focus on the coffee service.
There’s also an inventive program wherein clerks who go the extra mile at learning about coffee and customer service will become coffee “Fantasistas.” To date about 13,000 of Lawson’s clerks have achieved this rank, and 300 of them have gone on to become Grand Fantasistas… a word which I’m not sure even exists in the soccer world.
However, Lawson’s own representative director Sadanobu Takemasu was the one who famously declared that there simply wasn’t enough human resources to keep up with the vast number of convenience stores in Japan anymore. Being hard enough to find good help these days, you can just imagine trying to get your hands on a Fantasista.
Nevertheless, while most people don’t seem to want this service and it’s getting harder and harder to sustain, Lawson is sticking with it.
In the end they may have the last laugh too. Because unheard among all the bellyaching online, there is the powerful silent majority of seniors that ought to be considered.
This ever growing segment of Japan’s population have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the increasing automation of convenience stores. If it ever does get to the point of removing clerks altogether, you can expect to see elderly patrons flock to Lawson in large numbers looking for that familiar touch of humanity. For that reason alone, you’ll probably continue to get your coffee handed to you by a Lawson Fantasista whether you like it or not.
Source: Toyo Keizai Online, My Game News Flash
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Lawson convenience stores in Kyoto to begin offering cancer screenings
-- Titans attack Lawson convenience stores, bring tons of anime goodies with them
-- 97 percent of Kumamoto convenience stores open for business just three days after major quakes
© SoraNews24
14 Comments
Login to comment
Aly Rustom
First world problems.
theFu
Uh ... 2 lines? 1 that's 100% service and 1 that's self-service.
GyGene
I like the way 7-11 does coffee, and it's better than most coffee you can get in 米国。
maybeperhapsyes
No need to complicate things. Let me get it myself. Neither party has nothing to say or anything they wanna hear.
talaraedokko
I’ll take it with two sugars, please.
Educator60
“that weird syrup stuff people like to use around here.”
I find it hard to take seriously writers who throw in a gratuitous “weird” to describe things they don’t like or that are different from wherever they are from.
I keep thinking I should give each of the convenience store coffees a systematic try to compare them. But seldom being in a car, and with the limited seating available, juggling those cups is more often than not a hassle for me, regardless of whether someone hands them to me or not.
Maria
Get a grip. It's a liquid sweetener, very useful for iced drinks, and better than white sugar.
talandisjr
Wow, I can't believe this is an issue. I love when they hand me the cup of coffee! It's a small gesture, but it is a nice one. Oh well. I hope they continue with it.
June Christensen
I actually love my local Lawsons because they do this. The lady behind the counter always knows I get the Jumbo Ice Latte in the summer and it's great that I can have these small connections with people around my neighborhood.
joyridingonthetitanic
Well if no one wants it, do they ship? Ill take it gladly!
Omachi
I want my convienience store coffee in a can - so I can safely sip it while driving. I'll never take it in a cup and will walk out if fresh brewed is all they have. I am not there for an experience.
kurisupisu
Is this really news?
Alex Einz
nah, its is just a badly written lawson plug...
but seriously, conveni coffee is probably the worst you could buy.. although cheapest.... anyone actually respecting coffee wouldnt drink that regardless of who handled it.