Will keep this review very quick, just as quick as my having had to pass by here last night in a rush to get a pre-workout coffee.
I believe I've already disclosed about my love for Japanese kombinis, and my mix of elation and points for improvement for their Philippine branches.
Thus far, however, I see two defining advantages for Philippine FamilyMart, all of which I got to enjoy last night:
1. The fact that some of their branches have restrooms. For a commuter who consumes high amounts of water and gets stuck in apocalyptic levels of traffic, this alone is a godsend. Last night, when I was walking for almost 750m and holding it in for even longer was proof to this.
2. The fact that most of their branches accept credit cards for payment. Credit card terminals are actually already a standard in ALL of the kombinis I've been to in Japan (not just FamilyMart), precisely because of the convenience they bring to people who might not have enough cash on hand at that precise moment.
This particular branch tends to have kinks from time to time (I found the restsroom and the credit card terminal each out of order in two separate occasions), but what store doesn't have those problems?
For last night, their softdrink dispenser's ice machine was defective. Since the coffee I bought was still too hot, I was hoping to just get a couple of pieces of ice as I needed to gulp down the whole cup immediately. Seeing this, they directed me to a tiny cooler they kept on top of the freezer, containing a small stockpile of tube ice. This is testament to great customer service that adapts well to a changing situation! read more