In Canada, I'd almost never stop at the convenience store for anything in Canada -- too damn expensive and the selection is far to small. In Japan, however. I could almost literally live on one.
I will admit that the prices are higher at convenience stores than the ordinary stores (by on average of about 20% or 30% compared to other stores) but they do a very good job of stocking the essentials. I live near the center of Sendai and usually come home pretty late from lab. Meaning I can't usually hit the regular stores unless if it's a weekend or I go in the mornings.
I just went to the 7-11 just yesterday night to restock on some supplies, ended up getting a toothbrush, toothpaste, gel and floss. If I needed breakfast or a late dinner, I can also stock up on rice balls for $1. If I have 2 of those for breakfast, then they'll usually hold me over till lunch when I have some time to eat something real.
There are also 24 hour dollar shops in Japan selling almost anything you might need. I've been meaning to document these stores for a long time but I don't generally lug around my large camera with me, unless going on a trip or to special events. Fruits, snacks and more are sold there at reasonable volumes for only a buck Well, $1.05 after a 5% sales tax! What?? 5% sales tax? And get this, almost all prices in Japan have tax included already. Doesn't that make life so much easier?
I had a hell of a time getting used to prices when I was in Canada last time I was around in town. After thinking that I'd be spending about $20 in purchases, the real price would it about $23 easy. A $3 price differential isn't something to sneeze at! Just imagine the differential when spending larger sums of cash. I used to be good a calculating GST and PST on the fly, it seems those neurons have gone since coming to Japan.
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