Is This The END Of Convenience Stores In The US?

追加: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]Well, I hate to say it, but it looks like we could see the end of convenience stores here in the next several years.

[00:00:07]And Amazon has already proven that the model works. But what's Amazon is doing is actually a threat to thousands and thousands of stores. I want to show you something though. Look at this. It says 7-Eleven to close 645 stores as it races to catch up in convenience. Here's the thing. The convenience store is now not so convenient because of some of the things that other retailers are doing. I want to show you something. Look at this. It says, "Why Walmart, Target, and Costco are asking more selfch checkouts as states in New York City push limits."

[00:00:52]Well, some of these stores, Walmart, Target, Costco, they are getting rid of selfch checkckout for a couple of different reasons. One, there's really no uh, you know, persontoperson interaction. Number two, there's theft, not so much at Costco, okay, but specifically at Walmart and Target.

[00:01:14]These are some of the stores that we see a lot of theft from, and it's all through the selfch checkckout aisle.

[00:01:22]Also, Dollar General has axe selfch checkout because they saw so much theft.

[00:01:30]But here's the thing, getting rid of selfch checkout doesn't mean the end of convenience stores because really, how many convenience stores were using selfch checkckout? Not many. Very few. I think I've only gone to maybe two or three in my entire life that had a selfch checkout. It's very rare.

[00:01:52]But here's the reason why I'm bringing this to your attention.

[00:01:57]These big stores like Walmart, Target, Costco, they're moving away from selfch checkout. And in the time being, they're bringing back cashiers. Okay, that would be great for convenience stores. But here's why experts believe this could be the death of convenience stores. It's because some of these stores like Walmart, they are actually turning to something called a depot or a dark store. Meaning this store is something that a customer cannot walk into. You have to be a gig worker. You have to drive for Walmart. You have to be somebody that delivers the items to the the customer. That is your job.

[00:02:44]So like those spark drivers for Walmart, that is what you do. You go to these depot style Walmarts where you go in, you are the one picking the products.

[00:02:54]You are the one delivers it to the customer. It's you. Now, how is this the death of convenience stores? Well, what is a convenience store? Convenience store obviously is convenient. They are right there. They have just those random items that you might need. uh at a moment's notice, right? But here's the thing.

[00:03:18]There are, and this is why I'm bringing this to your attention, there are more convenience stores than there are large grocery stores. I want I want to read you a comment that was left on one of my videos that I did just recently. This person writes, and I quote, "You are right about those depot style stores taking over for groceries, but they're also hurting convenience stores as well.

[00:03:41]There are roughly 45,000 supermarkets in the US right now, but there's over 150,000 convenience stores currently in operation. If even a third of those stores feel the same pain that I feel in my store, then they will be going out of business uh soon, too. I have owned my 7-Eleven location for 28 years, and it has been a great ride. But due to the theft and rising prices, I can't stay in business. And why would somebody decide to buy a product from me when they can get it delivered from a delivery service for almost the same price? I highly doubt traditional I highly doubt traditional convenience stores will be around much longer.

[00:04:26]So this person is saying that there'sund and there is there's over 152,000 I believe according to Google, but uh yes, there's about 45 to maybe 50,000 supermarkets here in the US. There's over 150,000 convenience stores in the United States. But what is more convenient than going to a a store to a your go down to the corner store and buying a a uh you know a Pepsi and a a cookie or something, right? Or a slice of pizza, a slushie, an ice cream, right? What's more convenient than that?

[00:05:04]Well, if you buy it through one of these delivery services and they bring it right to your doorstep, they knock on your door, here you go, and they hand it right to you. What's more convenient than that? Uh, nothing. Making the ice cream at home, right? That's not really convenient, but it's you don't got to go anywhere. This is why I'm bring this to your attention. Okay, look at this. It says Walmart is testing dark stores close to the public. They've been doing this for almost a year. But what's crazy about this is most people have never even heard of these dark stores. Never even seen a single Walmart depot.

[00:05:47]That's perfectly fine. Okay. Walmart doesn't care what Walmart cares about. And this is probably why in some cases you're wondering why you never see people walking through Walmart picking uh products off the shelf to go and uh deliver. It's because they don't do it in the same store. That's the difference here. It's a huge difference. But I want to read you something. Okay, there's a couple reasons why this is going to end badly for convenience source. First off is theft currently. Okay, just to give you an idea here, people go to convenience stores because they don't want to go to a a big uh box, you know, retailer. They don't want to go to Walmart or Albertson's or Kroger's or, you know, Aldi or something like that.

[00:06:35]They want to go and just get a a couple products. That's it. Okay, here's the issue. it. There's more people that are going to go from the the big supermarkets to the convenience stores now because they're seeing an end to selfch checkout. Selfch checkout thefts account for approximately 34% of the total retail shrinkage in the United States which costs these companies about $4.9 billion annually. Okay.

[00:07:06]So that's the shrinkage. That's the loss that we have. So, we are going to see more people go to convenience stores instead of going to these large uh retailers simply because they're going to get rid of selfch checkout. But here's the issue. How is going to a 7-Eleven more convenient? Driving to their location than just placing an order on your phone and paying maybe additional, you know, 50 cents or a dollar. Again, you if you go to a 7-Eleven, and this is why I think this is interesting. 7-Eleven is not inexpensive at all. It is expensive. For instance, I went to a 7-Eleven uh just this past week. I went to 7-Eleven, also went to a Target, and I wanted to buy the exact same stuff. Now, I went to 7-Eleven first because chances are I wasn't going to find the exact same items. So, went to 7-Eleven. I bought a a bag of Gardettos and I bought a a uh sharable size of the peanut M&M's. Okay.

[00:08:08]The the bag of Gardettos, which was small, this bag cost $7.99 or 97, whatever it is. Okay, almost $8 plus tax. Then the uh the sharable size of the peanut M&M's. Okay, sharable size. This thing was $12.

[00:08:30]Okay, so $8 for the Gardettos, $12 for the M&M's. Okay, let me just paint this picture at Target. The Gardettos. Okay, for not the small bag, for the big bag.

[00:08:45]Okay, this was the big bag. This was $4.97 or something like that, like five bucks.

[00:08:52]So, I'm saving $3 to buy a bigger bag from Target. Okay, so there you go. Okay, that that's five bucks there. Now, the sharable size of the peanut M&M's, guess what? Okay, they're $8.99. So, that that right there, I'm spending what? Nine bucks.

[00:09:13]So, I'm saving $3 there. $3 on the other item. So, $6 total. Do you think it's going to cost more than $6 to get the items delivered to me from Target? No, it's not. That's the reason why. And many people believe this is the end of convenience stores. It's just a matter of time. Okay, so that's a huge problem there. But here's the other one. As these dark stores really start to come online and more retailers are using these or more grocery stores are using these, convenience stores are likely going to go the same route, but they need to start getting you in. They need you downloading their app. They need you ordering stuff online. They need you to start doing that stuff. Amazon's been doing it for decades.

[00:10:02]Here's the difference. Walmart has been doing it for years as well, but they're now starting to do a full push towards that. You're going to see some Walmart stores, they're they're going to close down certain locations. They're already seeing it. But not only that, they're going to make some of these new stores smaller. They're going to make the front of the stores smaller, meaning you can still go in there and you can shop, but the majority of their business is going to be a a retail store in the front and a depot likely in the back. That's the difference here, and you're going to see it over the coming years. But just wanted to share that with you because I know a lot of people they really love going to their local 7-Eleven, going to their their uh you know corner store and getting a you know a snack, a Snickers and a and a soda. But honestly, that could be going away very soon. So, we'll see what happens. But let me know, what are you seeing in your area? Are some of these convenience stores shutting down around you? I mean,