At the beginning of the year, I drove back to Hiroshima and went back to the convenience store where I used to work, bought a cup of my favorite hot latte, and took a photo with the convenience store where I worked. I still remember that when I first came to Japan to study, I submitted more than a dozen resumes in a row, but I didn't succeed in finding a part-time job, and I was extremely skeptical of my Japanese ability. Fortunately, at the recommendation of a senior sister, I finally found a job at a newly opened convenience store. I had the privilege of being the initial clerk.
The convenience store where I work and the coffee I love to drink, plus my favorite car ornaments.
On the first day of work, I was hit by heavy snowfall, I couldn't ride a bicycle, I was going to be late when I walked, I wanted to take a ride on the side of the road, I don't know where I got the courage, I gave a thumbs up, the second car I passed, pulled me up, it was a day care center car, I was about to pick up my grandparents, the driver asked me where to go, and I was sent to the convenience store nearby. Such an encounter with a convenience store is a warm beginning.
On January 16, 2017, it snowed heavily for my first training trip to a convenience store.
After arriving at the convenience store, it was the first meeting of the initial members, and since it was a newly opened convenience store, the store was empty except for the shelves. The store manager trained us little by little, and together with another clerk, we said welcome, thank you, patronage, and other common words, and we also learned how to make coffee and how to clean it. I studied for about two weeks. When it came time to officially open the store, I was very nervous, but I dared to go on the stage because I had already rehearsed many times.
The convenience store met a lot of people and a lot of things happened. I usually work from 5 to 9 a.m., and I often have the same people coming at the same time to buy a cigarette, the same coffee, the same bento and dessert. In the past two years of part-time work, I have met many regular customers, so familiar that when I see their faces, I can find exactly what cigarettes they want to buy, and I can start preparing the coffee they want to drink.
The convenience store where the author works and the sunset.
Among so many memories, today I would like to talk about the two or three things that impressed me the most.
The first thing is, the gentle store manager. Anyone who works at a convenience store knows that after putting the buns in the cooler, they need to be thawed for a certain period of time before they can be sold. Every time we put in a new bun, we need to stick a small note. One winter morning, an old man from a nearby construction site came, he looked very tired, had no strength, his clothes were construction site clothes, and his hair was a little messy. He lit a cigarette he smoked and told me, "I want a meat bun." "I looked at the small note on the back of the incubator and saw that the meat buns he needed were still 20 minutes away from being sold, and I just wanted to tell him. My store manager came over and said, "Okay." And put a layer on top of the meat bun, a much more expensive premium meat bun and gave it to him. When charging, the store manager charges according to ordinary meat buns. After this whole thing, he didn't explain to me or talk to me too much, and just went on doing his job. At that moment, I suddenly felt the warmth of the store manager, who was usually silent and seemingly indifferent. Yes, on a cold winter morning, why not fulfill the wish of an old man who wants to eat meat buns.
© Lawson convenience store
The second thing is a male high school student who told me "Come on today". As mentioned earlier, there will be the same customers at the same time every day. There is a convenience store near the station, and high school students often come here. The high school students were dressed in black uniforms and carrying school bags, and they were very energetic. They mostly buy some snacks. One of them was a tall boy who often bought the same chocolate. When I look at him, sometimes it feels a bit like watching Kashiwahara Chong in the movie "Love Letter". Little nymphomaniac. One day, for some reason, he bought the chocolate he ate every day as usual, and then when he was checking out, he suddenly looked up at me and said, "Today, you have to come on!" The heart has long been a nymphomaniac. Handsome high school students have rarely appeared since that day. I don't know if he moved. Sometimes I really want to tell him that your encouragement has given me a lot of strength.
© Love Letters
The third thing is that the uncle who gets up early every day to run is dressed very "perverted". My morning shift at the convenience store starts at 5 o'clock, and I usually go out around 4:30, three to four times a week, rain or shine from summer to winter. But I often meet my uncle who is running on the road. It was winter when I started working, so it was still dark, and I couldn't tell what he was wearing and what he looked like. I just knew that it was probably an uncle, and then he was thin and ran with wind under his feet. What I admire even more is that I work to make money, so I am rain or shine. But almost every time I go to work, I can run into him, and I think this uncle is a very willed person. I live in the countryside, there are no street lights, and I am the only one riding on the dark road in winter, which is actually very scary.
But every time I think of seeing my uncle, I feel a little more strength. As a result, on a spring morning, early in the morning, I saw the whole picture of my uncle for the first time. What shocked me was his clothes. His shirt only covered his chest, and underneath was a garment that resembled underwear. I didn't dare to look at him more, so I immediately sped up and ran. But when I told my friends, they said it might be a running costume. Since then, I don't look forward to meeting my uncle so much, and every time I meet him about to run, I speed up my ride. So I never saw him in full again. It's still a mystery to this day. Is it a "pervert"?
The above are the two or three things in memory. Finally, last year, four years after I left the convenience store, I actually received a text message from the housewife of the convenience store back then, saying that thanks to my smile that year, she brought her a lot of warmth and thanked me. Until now, my favorite convenience store is still the convenience store brand where I work, and I like to drink their coffee the most, and I like to eat a small dessert the most, and I go back to buy it every time I am in a bad mood. Every time, I will give Amway to my friends. Therefore, I am grateful for working in a convenience store, firstly, because there are job opportunities, and secondly, I have met many people and things. Next time I have a chance, let's talk about the survival of a part-time job at a convenience store! Everyone, if you have a convenience store that you frequents and a common clerk, please say a word of encouragement to them~
A text message from a friend of the convenience store era I received last year.