Japan railways to quit on-train foods and drinks

Some popular Japanese railways have decided to abandon the service of selling foods and drinks on-train.

The Japan Times: Passengers unhappy on-train food, drink service ending

So far, you could purchase some foods and drinks, such as a riceball and beer, on the seat of Shinkansen super express or other rapid trains. Recently, however, few passengers are fond of getting foods on-train.

In Japan, there are a large variety of foods and drinks you can buy for a few coins. In a convenience store, hundreds of bottles of tea, juice and coffee are selectable. In contrast, a seller can carry only some kinds of drinks. It is disadvantageous for both seller and consumer.

In addition, some stores are selling foods and drinks for cheaper price. On the other hand, in general, express sellers do not discount the goods. Therefore, passengers who want to save the money tend to purchase foods and drinks before riding on the train.

To continue on-train selling, developing limited versions of goods is essential, I reckon. When you cannot get the food outside of the train, you will be interested in the food. But, creating an exclusive item is costly. Most railway companies are not motivated to increase the sales of on-train foods.