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GOODS ON OFFER Sometimes abbreviated to c-store, various types exist, for example: Liquor Store s ( Off-licence s – offies), mini-markets (mini-marts) or party stores. Typically Junk Food ( Candy , Ice-cream , Soft Drinks ), Lottery tickets, Newspapers and Magazine s 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. Varying degrees of food supplies are usually available, from household products, to prepackaged Food s like Sandwich es and frozen Burrito s. Motoring items such as motor oil, Map s 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. The best sellers in convenience store in 2004 were the Trojan condoms. Some convenience stores have a hot food counter (often called, simply, a deli), with Chicken pieces, 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 Baguette s. Some stores have a self-service Microwave Oven for heating purchased food. Convenience stores may be combined with other services, such as a train station ticket counter or a Post Office counter. DIFFERENCES FROM SUPERMARKETS Size is the main difference, although larger newer convenience stores have quite a broad range of items. 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 Leader s). 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 Cigarette s. 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 . CONVENIENCE STORES IN THE UNITED STATES The first 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 , Soda (soft drinks), Cigarettes , Coffee , Slurpee s, Candy Bars , Snack Cakes , 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 a Toilet for customer use, and an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), though other bankings services are usually not available. Some convenience stores in the United States also sell Gas oline. This is because as Service Station s began closing in the during the 1970 s Energy Crisis , their Parent Companies converted some of those stations into convenience stores, eliminating their service bays. Even today, many convenience store Chains are owned by Oil Companies . Since alcoholic beverages are regulated in the United States by the individual state governments, the availability of Beer and Liquor and varies from one state to another. For example, convenience stores in Pennsylvania are not permitted to sell any alcohol, but convenience stores in Florida are permitted to sell beer and wine, while those in Nevada can also sell hard liquor and often have gambling machines. CONVENIENCE STORES IN CANADA Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (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 Simpsons and its store of the same name. In French-speaking areas, a convenience store is known as a "depanneur". Depanneur means literally "the one who gets you out of a jam". CONVENIENCE STORES IN TAIWAN Boasting 8,058 convenience stores in an area of 35,980 km&2 and a population of 22.9 million, , 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) . The idea of being able to purchase food items, drinks, fast food, magazines, videos, computer games, and so on 24hrs a day and at any corner of a street makes life easier for Taiwan's extremely busy and rushed population. SIMILAR CONCEPTS Convenience stores are similar but not identical to Australia n Milk Bar s. Corner Shop s in the British Isles, still to be found today, were the pre-cursor to the modern European convenience store (e.g. SPAR ) in these countries. In the Canadian province of Quebec , Dépanneur s are often family-owned neighbourhood shops that serve similar purposes. Travel Center s 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". CONVENIENCE STORES IN FICTION A Quick Stop convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey was the primary setting for the movie Clerks . Other films with convenience stores include Michael Winterbottom's ''Butterfly Kiss'' (1995) with a powerful performance by Amanda Plummer as a demented killer of convenience store clerks. 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 a local Kwik-E-Mart. 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. LIST OF CONVENIENCE STORES North America
Europe
Asia SEE ALSO SEE ALSO |
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