Convenience Store Definition & Example

What is a Convenience Store?

A convenience store is a small retail store that sells a limited line of merchandise, that includes snacks, beverages and tobacco, as well as everyday grocery items such as bread, milk, coffee and cheese. Some convenience stores are stand alone, and others are attached to a gasoline station.

Convenience stores are also know as C-Stores, cold stores, bodegas, mini-markets and corner shops.

Why is it Called Convenience Store?

It is called convenience store because it is open in a convenient location that is close to customers, so they don’t need to drive or make a special trip to shop essential items. Another reasons for this name is also the fact that many c-stores are open 24 hours, making it convenient for customers who have an urgent need for an essential item and want to buy it on the spot.

Convenience Store Vs. Supermarket

A convenience store has a much limited product assortment than a supermarket. Even for the same category of products that they would both carry, a c-store would have a lower breadth (i.e varieties) than a supermarket. This is dictated by the small area of the c-stores, as most of them are smaller than 5000 square feet.

Convenience Store Layout — Store Layout of a Convenience Store

Convenience stores are also more expensive than supermarkets, due to the fact that they source products in smaller quantities, so they pay a higher cost price. Another reason is that customers typically are open to pay up for convenience, because for the customer, driving to a hypermarket represents a cost in the form of time and money.

C-Store Example

7-eleven is a famous example of a convenience store that is operating 24/7.

The chain has more than 70K retail locations that are either operated by the company or franchised to other operators. It is present in 19 countries, and has more than 130K employees.