The recent trend of online videos showing "baito tero," or "part-timer terrorism," enacted by part-time workers has sparked another media discussion about the plight of low wage earners. Most of these videos were recorded by people working in food-related businesses, and explanations for why they are eating merchandise on the job or retrieving food items from the garbage to pass on to customers range from adolescent-grade mischief to payback for suffering the indignities of what the working poor put up with. The implication of all this rude behavior is that the perpetrators don't seem to care if they are caught because getting fired is no big deal. They can always find another low-paying job.
Some of the videos were made in convenience stores, a work environment that is presently being scrutinized from a different angle, that of franchise owners demanding more say in the hours they stay open. The norm for a majority of outlets attached to the big three convenience store companies — Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Lawson Inc. and FamilyMart Co. — is round-the-clock operations. Virtually all franchisees are required to keep their stores open 24/7.
This complaint has been common for years. The recent flurry of stories was triggered by a Seven-Eleven franchise owner in Osaka who decided to close his store between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. because there were almost no customers during this time period and he couldn't find enough workers to fill those hours, meaning he'd have to do the work himself. Seven-Eleven Japan Co. said it would fine the franchise owner ¥17 million in accordance with the terms of his contract.