Seven-Eleven Japan Co. plans to strengthen security at its convenience stores as more are being run by a single employee overnight due to a severe labor shortage.
Under the new security system, employees will control access to the store, using a remote control to allow entry when a sensor detects that a customer has arrived at the entrance door, sources said.
Convenience stores nationwide are struggling with a persistent worker shortage and rising wages, leading to more stores being operated by just one or two people during certain hours.
Supplied photo shows a 7-Eleven store in Tokyo which has introduced a new security system to cope with a labor shortage. (Kyodo)
Such stores often become a target of robbery and assaults, and they are more susceptible to such emergencies as disasters and employees suddenly falling ill.
The operator of the 7-Eleven brand has already installed the system at some stores on a trial basis and will expand it to more outlets from around May, the sources said.
The company will also set up partitions at the cash register to prevent potential violence against employees, according to the sources.
Outlets operated by a single employee have become a social problem in the service sector in recent years, forcing many franchises, such as beef bowl store operator Sukiya, to cut business hours amid mounting concern over workers’ welfare.
The situation is particularly severe in the convenience store industry as many brands employ 24-hour operations to expand sales, leading many store owners to run their outlets singlehandedly when there is no one else to help them.
Seven-Eleven plans to limit the business hours when such one-man operations are allowed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. even after the new security system is introduced, the sources said.
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