Konbini (Japanese Convenience Store) vs Sari-sari Store

Circle K, Family Mart, Lawson, Seven Eleven, konbini everywhere. In the Philippines convenience stores were not that popular as compared to Japan, instead we have our own version of neighborhood store which is the "Sari-sari store". Here's an inside look on these two stores:

Konbini (a japanese word for convenience store)

-More than 40,000 convenience stores can be found across Japan, most of them are open 24 hours 7 days a week.
- It offers a wide variety of products and services:

• Foods including ready to eat conbini meals such as onigiri (rice balls), sandwiches, bread, chips, candy, obento (lunch boxes), instant ramen, microwave meals and hot foods like fried chicken, nikuman and oden.


• Hot and cold beverages including soda, coffee, tea, water, sport drinks, juice, milk and vitamin drinks. Many convenience stores also sell alcoholic beverages including beer, happoshu, chuhai, nihonshu, shochu and wine.


• Body care products, cosmetics, batteries, blank CDs and tapes, umbrellas, newspapers, magazines and comics.

- Services Includes:

• Photocopying / fax service


• ATM


• Bill payment such as utilities, other bills and tax payment service


• Tickets reservations for concerts, theme parks, airlines, highway buses etc,


• Delivery or postal service


• Charging service for electronic money


• Digital Camera prints

Sari-sari store (the word sari-sari is Tagalog for "various kinds")- Uniquely Filipino style, they are everywhere and they pop up here and there, often side by side.
- They are privately operated, often from a window in a home, and carry small quantities of a wide variety of products. Commodities are displayed in a large screen-covered or metal barred window in front of the house. To save on space, most of the items are hanging from the ceiling.
- Basic product items are:

• Canned items (sardines, corned beef, tuna, salmon, and cooking oil)


• Drink items (bottled water, soft drinks, beer and liquors etc.)


• Sweet items (affordable chocolates and candies)


• Body Care products (shampoos, toothpaste, hair gel etc.)


• Plain food items (such as breads)


• Miscellaneous items (cigarettes)

- The sari-sari store allows members of the community easy access to basic commodities at low costs. Following the concept of "tingi", a customer can buy 'units' of the product rather than whole package. For example, instead of buying a bottle of shampoo you can buy one or two sachets of shampoos for only 4 pesos (8 yen). It is not just shampoo that you can purchase as single items, cooking oil, toothpaste, sugar, salt, charcoal, lollies, even single cigarettes can be purchased tingi.
- An integral part of every community. The stores frequently provide covered benches for people to sit on during congregation. Some men would spend some time drinking while women discuss the latest local news. Youths also use the place to hang out. Children would also rest here in the afternoon after playing and buy soft drinks and snacks.
- With rare exceptions, the Sari-Sari stores are not self service. The owner sits at a small window behind metal bars, and hands you whatever you request. The stores generally provide some credit to people who run up a bill between paydays. This "line of credit" is quite limited, perhaps 200-300 pesos (400 yen - 500 yen).

Sari-sari stores may not be as convenient compare to konbinis with its products and services, for us Filipinos it is an important economic and social location in a Filipino community. Surely, proudly Pinoy.