Why doesn't "Nomushin Shoten" go bankrupt even during the coronavirus pandemic?

My name is Fujisawa, and I'm in charge of public relations and recruitment, and I'm hooked on K-POP because of the Nizi Project.

you know “Nomushin Shoten”

In fact, at Beyond, engineers purchase food and sell it in their offices .

▲ Nomushin Shoten is located in the rest room and sells cup ramen and sweets. When purchasing, each person puts money into a piggy bank and selects the product of their choice.

 

▲ For drinks, there is a refrigerator for Nomshin Store, and there is a wide variety of drinks such as coffee and soup.

 

The person who runs Nomushin Shoten is the person in the middle smiling with an energy drink in hand.

This person is Yuki Nomura (nickname: Nomusin), who is our server side engineer and the owner of Nomusin Store.

Nomusin handles all product purchases and sales calculations.

has currently had work from home since April 2020 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus

The fact that there are almost no people in the office means that there will naturally be fewer people using Nomushin Shoten.

However, to my surprise, Nomushin Shoten did not run into financial difficulties and continued to operate as usual.

You must have wondered.

So this time, we asked , ``Why doesn't Nomusin Shoten go bankrupt even during the coronavirus pandemic?''

▲Interviewed online

Nomushin store history

-Why did you start Nomusin Shoten?

Before the office moved*, orders for sweets and cup ramen were outsourced, but there were a lot of unbranded, cheap cup ramen, and they weren't very popular with all the employees.

*Relocated from Sakuragawa to Namba in February 2018

▲The break room of the old office

 

I was joking and saying, ``If I were to run a store, I'd stock better products,'' and then someone in the company's ``Suggestion Chat'' wrote something like this.

▲ Posted on July 24, 2014. Exactly 6 years ago.

 

The idea of ​​selling cup ramen that I had carefully selected came up without me there, and Mr. Haraoka (CEO) said he liked it, and the idea started.

How Nomu Shin Store works

-How do you purchase?

Supplier information is a trade secret.

At first, they only had cup ramen, but gradually they started stocking canned coffee as well.

Since I was selling it so cheaply, there was a theory that I was stealing it from somewhere, but I am still buying it.

However, selling drinks for 50 yen per bottle is getting tougher...I'm buying a case of 30 bottles for 2,980 yen.

-By the way, do you like cup ramen yourself?

If I have to say whether I like it or not, I like it.

I don't eat that often.

-What is the key to choosing products?

I have my preferences.

I don't sell products that I think, ``I wouldn't buy this product at this price.''

People in the company say, ``We only stock rare items that you've never seen in a store,'' but in the end, the things you can buy for 50 yen tend to be more basic items.

In the worst case scenario, I choose items that I can take home and dispose of if they are left unsold.

-This one sold! What is that product?

Standard products such as canned coffee sell well.

When it comes to sweets , everyone was eating Dragon Potatoes

Another item that received good reviews was “ Baby Star’s sea urchin flavor .”

▲Legendary sweets rumored to be the most delicious in the history of Nomusin Shoten

 

Limited edition products sold at convenience stores are sold at a lower price once the season has passed.

Baby Stars were bought in bulk for 50 or 100 pieces for 80 yen each, and were sold at Nomushin Shoten for 100 yen each.

-Are there any products that didn't sell well?

Unusual drinks tend to go unsold.

Cold miso soup from a can. Maybe I was working the night shift and was absentminded when I ordered it.

I bought one case and ended up selling only two cans.

They only sold one shortcake drink, so they gave it away for free at the end.

Monster's coffee flavor also sold once when we received it, so when we added 150 bottles after that, half of them remained unsold.

Motivation of Nomushin Shoten

-When was the moment when you felt glad that you were working at Nomushin Shoten?

Well, I guess it's when everyone is happy.

-On the other hand, have you ever found it difficult?

It’s painful when there are too many products left (lol)

This year there are especially many unsold items, so it may be a mistake in the arrival of items...

Ramune sweets to prevent heat stroke also didn't sell well.

Also, when business is busy, the arrival of items may stop.

Nomushin store during the coronavirus pandemic

-How have your sales been since you started working from home?

Actually, I haven't counted my sales since the beginning of this year...

If your piggy bank is about to overflow, a member of our company will let you know.

Maybe sales are slowing down.

But cup ramen is eaten by the person on duty*, so it's not zero.

*Currently, only those on duty to monitor servers are in the office.

Nomushin Shoten was originally open for night shift workers, so I guess that was a good thing.

I also sell rice that can be cooked in the microwave, but I originally sold it because I wanted to eat Ochazuke while working night shifts.

-What is the reason why you have been able to continue even if sales have not increased?

I guess it's because I want to see everyone's smiles.

In fact, I don't even realize that I'm in the red because I don't count sales.

Once you've finished counting, you're done.

Also, getting things in stock is a stress reliever.

When I go shopping, I can put everything I want in my cart.

Maybe it's an occupational disease, but when I go to the supermarket to buy my own food, I'm also looking for things that I can sell at Nomu Shin Store.

The future of Nomushin Shoten

-What are your future plans?

Recently, the number of employees has increased and I don't know who is buying what, so I would like to accept requests for products that I would like to have in stock.

I've been getting requests for coke, but I'm afraid of diabetes so I don't have any in stock.

Some people eat the same sweets three times in a row.

I don't want people to get sick from the things I have received.

So I'm thinking of stocking health foods as well.

-Finally, what does Nomusin Shoten mean to you?

It's my life.

In the future, Nomushin Shoten may become our main business.

I will continue to do my best so that I can continue to eat at Nomu Shin Shoten Co., Ltd.

summary

It has been discovered that Nomu Shin Shoten has been able to survive through a novel strategy of continuing to operate by not recognizing that it is in the red even after a series of deficits.

I believe that even during this coronavirus pandemic, we have been able to continue our business without going bankrupt by continuing to be particular about the products we receive and being considerate to our employees.

I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Nomusin, who has provided Beyond with a better way of working for the past six years by running his own store without relying on contractors.

While working from home, I have fewer opportunities to use Nomushin Shoten, so I would like to contribute even more to sales once I am able to go to work normally.

It is a way of giving back when something is given to you.

This is the interview with Nomushin Shoten.