Convenience
Stores
A convenience store are often found in the
form of gas stations supplementing their income with retail outlets,
or convenience stores adding gas to the list of goods that they offer.
Railway stations also often have convenience stores.
They are also frequently located in densely-populated urban neighborhoods.
The most common type of foods offered in convenience stores are breakfast
sandwiches and other breakfast food.
Throughout Europe convenience
stores now sell fresh French bread. A process of freezing part-baked
bread allows easy shipment and baking in-store. Some stores have a delicatessen
counter, offering custom-made sandwiches and baguettes.
Some stores have racks
offering fresh delivered or baked doughnuts from local doughnut shops.
Some stores have a self-service microwave oven for heating purchased
food – in Hong Kong, convenience stores even provide lunch and dinner.
In the USA, some fast food
chains like Chick-fil-a offer a counter in convenience stores. Instead
of cooking food in the store, these counters offer a limited menu of
items delivered several times a day from a local branch of the restaurant.
Convenience stores may
be combined with other services, such as a train station ticket counter
or a post office counter.
Although larger, newer
convenience stores have quite a broad range of items, the selection
is still limited compared to supermarkets, and in many stores only 1
or 2 choices are available.
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 leaders).
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 cigarettes.
In some countries most convenience stores have longer shopping hours,
some being open 24 hours
|
