Convenience stores of the Japanese persuasion aren't the most common of sights in the Quezon City…read morearea. It really is surprising, considering how large a chunk of land QC covers. There've been countless times where I've been put in a situation where knowing where to buy Japanese ingredients could have been a lifesaver. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get miso from regular groceries? Fuji Mart has been open for decades, purveying an eclectic mix of Japanese goods. Everything from katsu sauces, bottles of sake, instant ramen, and frozen fish are for sale. If you plan of serving homemade sashimi to your dinner guests, I highly recommend buying the raw fish here. It may be frozen (which is a no no for some people), but at least you're sure that it's been properly packaged and made. If you prefer something cooked, here's a quick recipe: get a nice slab of salmon steak, lather it up with Japanese miso, and bake it. Enjoy and you're welcome!

At the risk of sounding whiny, I'd like to share my lamentation about the state of convenience…read morestores in the country. Japan really ruins a lot of things for you, and after being exposed to their convenience stores some 12 years ago, I have come to call our version - inconvenience stores, because they contained practically nothing. Fast forward to ten years later, and I could not be happier about the changes in the convenience stores category. The entry of Family Mart and Circle K have helped shake up the competition, and we are seeing greatly improved store operations with better offerings for us consumers. Circle K is one or the newest entrants in the category. A US brand, the chain is being operated by the same group as Zuellig. The inside is roomy and very premium. The food offerings like the hotdog and sausages are imported yet reasonably priced. The ice cream is a favorite! I like the stand-up tables that let customers have a quick meal - encourages fast turn around of consumers and yet allowing them a convenient place to have a meal. This is a good convenience store concept.

Convenience stores, like coffee shops, are sprouting like crazy in Bonifacio Global City. I think…read morethis is a sign that the market here is booming as more and more people decide to work and live in the area. Among the first ones to get a whiff of the booming trend was Circle K, an international brand of convenience stores that was one of the pioneer establishments of its kind in BGC. It is situated in front of a park and near the busy Bonifacio High Street, so it's often filled with customers buying water, energy drinks, and snacks. Compared to the big convenience stores that we are familiar with, Circle K's layout is a bit different. I noticed that it's focus is more on giving customers more choices and options for freshly prepared meals and quick bites than selling items off the shelves. The layout of the store is proof to this. The portion dedicated to meals prepared on the spot is a lot bigger than the area alllowed for display racks of junk foods and ready-to-eat items. If you are looking for office supplies, cleaning materials or even personal hygiene products, this is not the place to go. But if you want affordable and delicious siomai, good cup of coffee or pocket-friendly combo rice meals, then this is the right convenience store for you.

The first day I arrived at Newport Pasay my cousin took me to Lawsons, it reminded me of a hip…read moreKorean Market but no Korean food at all duhhh this was in the Philippines. Supposedly, they have the best fried chicken. I only got drinks, water and snacks but the prices are pretty reasonable for the area and it was always busy and the staff very nice!

Great location, good prices and helpful! I was in Manila for a week visiting my fiance, and Lawson…read morewas literally right outside of our hotel the Belmont. The location was so close and convenient!

Finally, a big convenience store right in our neighborhood! For the longest time, I've been wishing…read morefor a convenience store to set up shop in our village. I don't know what it is, but there is something in these little stores that make me visit them again and again. That's what I used to do back when I was still part of the corporate world and convenience stores are everywhere outside the workplace. I would always find something useful and edible to buy from them. Alfamart opened its doors to our community late last April. It provides plenty of hassle-free benefits. My parents were able to pay for their utility bills at the store. That's a pretty good service and super convenient for senior citizens such as my parents. Now, they wouldn't have to go to the payment centers that they used to go to and line up for several minutes. The best part of having Alfamart right inside our village is that we can have gallons of our favorite ice cream flavors without having to drive to the supermarket! For our family, eating ice cream is the best way to beat this scorching heat.

My go to store cause it's close to my AirBnb. If I have the cravings for the hotdogs and meat buns…read moreand cheap but ok coffee and snacks those is where I go. I also load up my Grab app here. The staff are friendly and nice, they all know me already.

There's always no one here so I can simply get my coffee and rush to the office! They updated their…read morecoffee machines so now it offers Brewed Coffee, French Vanilla, Mochaccino, and Hershey's Hot Chocolate. The taste isn't quite the same, but I still like getting my coffee here from time to time.

I am so thankfully that Family Mart finally opened a branch so close to my office. For the first…read moretwo weeks that they were open, I had nothing but Family Mart food. As a convenience store, they honestly don't have a lot to offer (unlike your local 7-11 or MiniStop) but they have, by far, the best food selection. Everyday, I discover something new when I stop by this particular branch. In the first week, I was addicted to their Twirl-all-you can ice cream. Pistachio soft serve ice cream. Wow. Just wow. Then I started going through their food options. For 3 days straight I had nothing but tonkatsu maki. It's so packed with rice and was really good. Then I started focusing on their wraps. The chicken karaage wrap which had wasabi mayo was very filling for less than P100. They also have different ramens -- I like the karubi ramen. Lately, they introduced the Fresh N' Lite line for those counting their calories. So exciting to have healthy food at an affordable price and so conveniently close to where I work. This branch has a second floor dedicated to just the dining area. So if you're looking for a quick place to eat, this is the best choice. Last but not the least, I love how the people here are so nice and friendly. Coming in early in the morning and being greeted with: "Welcome to the Family!" really brings a smile to my face every time.

One of the newest convenience store brands that entered the market is Alfamart, which is located at…read morethe ground floor of SM Mall of Asia, on Sunset Avenue side directly facing One E-Com Center. This new store is a joint venture of SM Investment Group and Alfamart, a big industry player from Indonesia. The main difference that Alfamart has with other convenience stores in Manila is its bigger store space. The area in-between aisles are perceptibly wider. The store also has more products. This is the only establishment of its kind where there's a section for health and wellness. In fact, I saw several over-the-counter drugs that are not readily available in other popular convenience stores. I also noticed that there's an LBC kiosk right inside the store, great for sending mails and parcels. Lastly, I was amazed at the prices and variety of the to-go meals that they offer. I jokingly asked the cashier what makes Alfamart different from its more popular counterparts and she said, without batting an eyelash, that their products are cheaper.

To the management…read more Have you visited your store in MOA? I work in the same building were your store is located and is frequent shopper ( no other option since 711 is a block away ), the personnel who works in your store doesn't even know how to smile, it seems like they hate having customer falling in line to buy something. Most of the time you will see a long line of customer in front of just 1 active counter and the rest of the crew seems not bothered by it and just continue to chat with each other. You basically need to call their attention and ask if maybe someone can take the counter and address the needs of the customers waiting in line. You will literally see customers walking out of the store empty handed since the line is too long and there is only 1 counter person. Another epic fail is come 12mn when you try and buy a pack of cigarette they will say that they cant sell you any since they are doing their inventory, I get it, they need to do an inventory but does it take 6 hrs to do a cigarette inventory????why 6 hrs? we tried buying again around 6am and guess what? they are still doing the inventory! does it really take that long to count packs/rims of cigarettes?seriously? That area of your store is within the radius of call centers and most agents do smoke and 6 hours of not selling cigarettes is " suicide" for your sales. If you guys want to check the epic fails of your crew on that store try sending a mystery shopper and you will find out how poor customer service is. P.S. Tell your people to properly dispose the trash on your trash bins, you will see tons of garbage on your entrance door.