Stores in the am/pm chain are located mainly in the Tokyo region. The franchise has launched a cellular phone recharging service in response to demand from businesspeople in the busy metropolis. They charge their phones in special coin lockers (100 yen for 10 minutes), and shop or go about their business while they're charging.

Another innovation from the chain is a consumer support service that tells you who to ask for guidance or help in getting a particular task done. If you telephone the service, a company that can help you will phone back the next day or soon after. Do you need a good babysitter? A reputable real estate agency? A bug exterminator? Someone to take away an unwanted electrical appliance? A funeral home? It's hard to think of a business that can't help you via the convenience store's support service.

How about meal deliveries? The Seven-Eleven chain started them in September 2000. Any of about 300 different types of meals will be delivered to your home or office if you place an order one day or more in advance. Or you can pick up the meal at the store. Another option is to order all of the ingredients for a meal you cook yourself-you specify how many servings you need, so there's no waste. This is ideal for elderly people who can't shop for themselves, and for working couples on the go. More than 24,000 people are now registered for these services.

In this way, convenience stores are evolving into centers that support different consumer lifestyles. Kawashima says, "Convenience stores are now an important part of our lives, so it's natural that people expect them to be more socially conscious. For example, we have to think about ways to protect the environment."

To reduce the amount of food thrown away, am/pm freezes prepared meals and thaws out only portions that are on order. The stores also collect food waste for composting, then send the compost to farmers who have agreed to use it. Stores belonging to the am/pm chain in Tokyo's 23 wards now recycle 85% of their waste.

Convenience stores are evolving in directions set by their customers. By examining this astonishing evolution, we see how consumer demand has changed in Japan over the years.