I was on a tour recently in Japan, and the tour guide noted that there are three main convenience store chains in Japan.  They are 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson.   The tour guide noted that each of the chains has over 10,000 locations in Japan.

He went on to explain that convenience stores in Japan provide services that they don’t provide in the U.S.  For example, you can pay most of your bills at a convenience store.  You can purchase international currency.  You can drop off and pick up your dry cleaning there.  You can ship and receive packages.    You can also send and receive your airport luggage at convenience stores.  For example, if you are flying from Tokyo to New York City, you can drop your luggage off at your convenience store, and they will send your luggage to the airport to be tagged and checked in.

Convenience stores in Japan are more like “Chore Stores”.  They are places to go to take care of all kinds of routine chores.

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My typical Saturday morning involves taking care of 5-10 chores.  My chore list includes stops at the dry cleaner, the pharmacy, purchasing gas, the post office, etc.

I look forward to the time when I can take care of all of these chores at The Chore Store.

Hal