Mobile convenience stores in Japan

Convenience stores in rural areas

Hard to believe but in some Japanese rural areas, konbini do not exist! In the same way, supermarkets and other restaurants are missing subscribers. A system of mobile convenience stores has therefore been set up. These are grocery trucks that park in these villages twice a week, and which offer several hundred items , ranging from fruits and vegetables, to batteries and soap, and even, Japan obliges, sashimi bento !

Read : Konbini, the Japanese 24-hour convenience store

These mobile grocery stores are different depending on the region: they can be very modern, providing shopping baskets and refrigerated products, or be content with the bare minimum. The initiative can be individual - an individual who launches his grocery truck - or linked to a large company - the supermarket in the region offers a "home" service. The konbini Lawson chain has also launched its own mini-market on wheels!

A social grocery store

Beyond the service provided, these mobile convenience stores have a real social role : the inhabitants meet there and take the opportunity to exchange the latest news. This is where friendships are made and broken, with the convenience store becoming a mainstay of the small community in its own right. And if the first objective was to serve sparsely populated regions, today they have a new role to play with baby boomers, now very old, whether they live in open country or in more urban areas.

Read also : Keirô no hi, the day of the elderly

In fact, the elderly have difficulty moving around, carrying heavy shopping bags and sometimes their driving license has been withdrawn. These mobile grocery stores then park in front of their customers' homes. The items cost slightly more than in an ordinary supermarket, but the service is no longer the same: the driver / grocer ensures the good health of his customers, talks to them, helps them with small household chores and reports when something is wrong (absence at the appointment, mailbox full, etc.).

The business of mobile commerce is still in its infancy: the Japanese population is aging, and more and more elderly people will use this type of service. Several Japanese banks are even planning to launch mobile ATMs on the same principle!