Comments by "XSportSeeker" (@XSpImmaLion) on "Taiwan's Ultra-Convenient Convenience Stores" video.

  1. Interesting subject... I kinda loved the selection of convenience stores in Japan, not only 7 Eleven mind you, but the variety of other ones we found during the trip. It is mostly 7 Eleven and Family Marts all around, but there are still some smaller names here and there, which were interesting in themselves as they seemed to be trying to differentiate themselves from the model and trying to offer something different. At the same time though, I also kinda wondered about the domination and ubiquity of those everywhere we went as a sort of potentially harmful monopolistic or oligopolistic practice. In my country, for whatever reasons, the convenience store model never caught up. You have some chains of what people call convenience stores here that are mostly operating inside a gas station, but it doesn't come close to offering the selection of products a Japanese convenience store does. It's often cleaner and more sanitized in comparison to mom and pop shops, but as prices are often more expensive, it's not a place people go to shop for daily necessities... it's more like stuff you pay while on trips. Some even carry imported stuff for those wanting to splurge a bit, or to buy a gift for relatives they are visiting, stuff like that. What the US would consider bodegas, or just smaller general markets are still surviving here, but really major chains that are consolidating are the big supermarket chains... Walmart is a big one here, but each region of the country has some local brands that went big. There is a huge mix of things that stops there major international franchises from entering the country I guess. Labyrinthic bureaucracy, high importation taxes, established local brands and names, how local commerce works, and perhaps some part of law against monopolistic practices which I'm not too aware of... don't think that's it, it's mostly the complexity of the market itself. Oh, my country is Brazil btw. There are some notorious cases of giant international monopolies not getting a big hold down here. Amazon, quite ironically, never quite caught on down here. I shop online locally with relative frequency, and among the big brands I have to say Amazon is the one I use the least, if at all. The company came down here pretty late and only offering books (both physical and digital), it took them a while figuring out how to sell physical products which they do these days, but they still don't cover most things that the biggest online retailers in the country do. One thing that caught on because of Amazon down here though is third party market sellers, but the local big brands launched that before Amazon basically stealing the concept, so Amazon got left behind there too. There are a few Starbucks down here, but it seems much more like a novelty thing rather than seriously trying to attend most of the country. That has a little more reason to happen though, as Brazilian taste for coffee simply does not match what Starbucks is trying to sell. McDonald's, Burger King and Pizza Hut came early on and they are far more widespread and integrated in our culture by now, but I think we face them differently... fast food in general isn't considered very cheap down here. Most of them are confined inside shopping malls (yes, those still exist here), which is a place middle to upper class goes to eat. They are kinda expensive in comparison to local restaurants, bars and whatnot. Pizza Hut in particular is very expensive in comparison to most other pizza places in Brazil, which we have by the truckloads... but I think it survives because it is markedly different to our style of pizza. It's almost double the price of other places I order from regularly though. Domino's is like that too. There are lots of other big franchises that either didn't enter the country, or have a way smaller presence... another one that comes to mind is Ikea. Not sure if we have none, or if there are a few in major capitals. Sometimes I miss those, but sometimes I also think it's kind of a blessing in disguise, because this allows for smaller local names, and even mom and pop shops to continue surviving, which not only allows for the flourishing of small businesses, but also from a consumer standpoint, allows for more diversity and options, so you are free to go for the ones that fits you best. I live in a relatively small capital city right downtown, some 4 blocks away from a couple of mid sized supermarkets, but I buy mostly of my grocery from a smaller shop one block away from me that has the best selection of produce for my tastes. Also 6 blocks away from a Japanese products shop that is half import, half local, and they also sell grains and other stuff by weight which is also great. My mom and some relatives who went on the trip to Japan with me back in 2018 were complaining exactly about that... they liked the whole convenience market concept, we visited a bunch of them, but they missed having different options for produce, fruits, and whatnot that they are used to here in Brazil. xD I think we should've visited some open street markets and fairs... thought I'm not sure if they have many of those selling produce specifically in Japan.
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