I observed one 7-eleven store located in Taft Avenue. I noticed that the location of this particular convenience store is very strategic. For one, it is located around the University Belt. Furthermore, it is situated just below a condominium. I noticed that most of the tenants of this condominium are either students or young professionals. I was informed that the management of the condominium does not allow the tenants to use “gasul” to prevent accidental fire. This knowledge came very handy/useful with my observation.
I noticed that most of the tenants of the condominium are buying the convenience store’s ready-to-eat food. This is expected since these people were not allowed to cook inside their units. To understand the consumer’s behavior better, I conducted a random interview to those tenants who are buying ready-to-eat food. I also inquired the reason why they chose to buy in the convenience store instead of eating in one of the fast-food chains around the area. These are the top responses that I got: 1.
The tenant is pretty lazy to change into more decent clothes just to eat outside. By purchasing a ready-to-eat meal in the convenience store, the person could get by with his/her house clothes. 2. A busy tenant could save more time and effort by buying food just below their condominium. 3. The tenant could have his food in no time, have it wrapped and eat the same in the comforts of his own unit. I also observed that during the late hours of the night, when most of the establishments are already closed, most people are buying food in the convenience store.
With the emergence of call centers and the need for the students to study until the wee hours, being open 24 hours is an advantage to the convenience stores since they only have few competitors left. Through my observation and inquiry, those who are buying personal care products like shampoo, soap, etc. are those individuals who are called “quick shoppers”. These are the type of consumers who already know what to buy and are already in need of the said products.
