A collection of quote cards from Komaba Purchasing

Q:

It's extremely inconvenient to have many self-service registers, which are only used a few times, and many manned registers.
If you're going to set up a store on a university campus, you should be more aware of your responsibility to maintain convenience. Even if you do set up a store, make sure it accepts credit cards and electronic payments other than your own.

A:

We will take your opinions and requests seriously.
We would like to inform you of the background and current situation that led to the addition of self-checkout registers.

[Background]
- 3,000-4,500 people use the store every day
- Reference cash register payment speeds
: 20-30 seconds for cash/credit cards, around 10 seconds for the Co-op app
(By promoting payments via the Co-op app, a simple calculation shows that every 1% increase in payment rate will lead to a reduction in congestion of more than 5 minutes per day.)
- Membership rate is approximately 99% (1st and 2nd year students)
- Co-op app payment rate is 65% (as of July)

as a management measure to combat rising prices and labor costs, so
that as many students as possible
can use the store more smoothly we are installing more self-checkouts that are compatible with the Co-op app.

is to ensure that we can continue to provide products and services to our members as an organization operated with capital deposited by our members

[Current situation]
Co-op app payment rate: 68-71%

We believe that this has improved convenience for more students, allowing them to use the self-checkouts smoothly during limited times (such as break times). It may depend on
the time of day you use the self-checkouts, but even during peak lunch hours, the lines at the self-checkouts dissipate smoothly, so it may appear that there are fewer users.
We have also received comments from students saying, "Paying with the Co-op app is quicker" using the card.

On the other hand, we appreciate your request for other payment methods.
However, as you may know, payment companies charge fees for all payment methods, including credit cards.
Supporting other payment methods at self-checkouts would also require significant development costs.
As a non-profit organization operating solely on campus, this would be a significant burden that would have a significant impact on our operations.
Therefore, we would like to ask that you use the Co-op app for payments while you are enrolled, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

We ask that you continue to use the University of Tokyo Co-op, and we would appreciate it if you would feel free to contact us with any comments, opinions, or requests you may have

Q:

I want to see more monsters again

A:

The Monster series of energy drinks

has been halted from shipment by the manufacturer due to a system failure caused by a cyber attack on Asahi Soft Drinks, the distributor