Famima!! Convenience Store

National donut day and they were out of donuts *sad face :(
Awesome that it would have been Krispy Kreme though!

Literally just bought 1 item less than $ 2 at this location. Gave the cashier a $ 10 bill with the intention of breaking it to get a $ 5 bill and some $ 1 bills. He gave me $ 3 in change and insisted I gave him a $ 5 bill. Called his coworker over to look at the drawer. I have no idea where my $ 10 bill went but I’m guessing it went into his pocket. No matter what I said I could not convince them otherwise. I’m extremely disturbed about this, because seconds before I had bought food at Marie’s deli next door which was less than $ 10 and got $ 11 in change, leaving me with a single $ 10 bill in my wallet, a single $ 5 bill, two $ 20 bills, and some $ 1 bills. After the cashier claimed I gave him a $ 5 bill, I looked in my wallet and had the single $ 5 bill and no $ 10 bill, and the two $ 20 bills just like before I walked in the store. This has never happened to me before which is why I’m pretty shocked about this. The little amount of dollar difference wasn’t enough to get into a huge argument about it in front of the other customers, but it was enough for me to write this review and go back to the store to get the names/​IDs of both names assigned to the registers at the time. I don’t expect much from convenience stores like this, especially with what I’ve seen before (more on that later), but this is a new low.
In addition, they are understaffed quite frequently. Sometimes I’ll hear a lone employee mention they are the only ones working the store right now when talking to other customers, and explain that sometimes the other person is just on a break in the back room. On one of my lunch breaks I walked in and there was NOBODY in sight. Walked down the aisle heading towards the back, walked back up front, looked around, saw nobody, and left. Could have walked in and walked out with an item (I didn’t) and nobody would have known unless they checked the security tapes or have someone watching the cameras at all times. So… Go here if you want to support thieves (or people who get mixed up with handling money — he was frantically trying to troubleshoot a stuck ATM card reader at the register right before my purchase) and poor management practices (there should always be someone in the customer area).
As far as the pros… Their range of products is pretty good, and the employees are very friendly (even the one that claimed I gave him a $ 5 bill). The employees at this location also keep it looking pretty clean, too. So they have that going for them. I’ll be going to a different location from now on.

Chicken salad not recommended.
Way too much mayo.
Gross chicken mushroom bao. EW

Cool chain in the LA area. They have a lot of asian snacks and reheatable meals /​sushi as I’m sure has already been mentioned. The one on Wilshire and Hope is a lot bigger and has more product but they’re all obviously about the same.

This is just based on the experience I had tonight. I came into here to buy a water… The cashier, I guess was taking a dump so he asked us how we got in. We told him it was open. So he said «I guess we can’t take a shit now in days» I told him then your company should hire more people and to don’t take it out on us we are just customers. I would come here basically every day to grab a drink and chips maybe a sandwich but I can’t believe they have bad customer service because their manager is really nice

Famima is such a clutch store. It puts other convenience stores to shame. I love how they always carry Asian snacks and they have a way better selection of ready-​to-​eat lunches. They also have masubis for under 2 bucks a pop which are so good for a filling snack or light lunch.
I always come here to get their Kona Iced Coffee. Soo much coffee for such little money… AND it tastes like chocolate milk with a hint of coffee. I mix half mocha and half french vanilla– it’s perfect like that! This store gets super crowded because it is located by the metro. There is always a line, but the register clerks move fast. I love you Famima and I love that you’re just a quick hop on the elevator down from my loft apartment :)
24 HOURS OF PURE CONVENIENCE!

I don’t really get Famima. I am not sure why people rave about it/​them. It’s all very cultish in my opinion.
Anyway, I like the soft steamed pork bun.
And the staff are very professional and polite without being robotic.
This location is a bit on the edgy side at night, but that is Downtown LA for you.
The 3 stars are for the sticky pork bun and the lovely staff.

Five stars for convenience, I swear every time I am in Downtown, which I have taken the train to get to most of the time, I run out of something I desperately need. Usually cigarettes, yes I know, it’s a thoroughly disgusting habit. Famima is there to save the day. Open ²⁴⁄₇ and offering pretty much anything you may ever need at a fraction of the cost from say ⁷⁄₁₁. In addition to stocking quite a bit of the average items, Famima also has some pretty good looking food items. If ever I find myself in a time crunch and starving I may just pick up a small something, i’ll update if I do.
Service is fast and friendly, especially in the wee hours of the am, when most attendants can be a little squirrely.

They always seem to run out of the French vanilla coffee that I always get. Hot or iced, they’re always out. I had to press the button for the iced one for at least five minutes to fill up the large cup. For the hot coffee, they are always out of the French vanilla creamer.
But the staff is friendly. It’s a very small location but as long as I get my pretzels, I’m happy.

If you stop and think about it these stores are really bizarre and the selection is pretty strange and I’m glad there are a million of them downtown that are all like a block away from each other because it really adds to the Famima! experience.
Buy a «deluxe sandwich» and a drink for lunch and get coupons for chips and coffee. Come back between 6 and 10 for bogo Krispy Kremes and score 2 donuts a coffee and a bag of chips for $ 1. The dinner of champions.

This is closest place in America that reminds me of a true Japanese/​Thai/​HK style urban convenience store, which I love. I don’t understand why American c-​stores are so uninspiring and offer such low-​quality goods in general. Famimi has lots of selection and higher quality ready-​to-​eat baked goods and meals. Also has the popular calbee shrimp chips and melona bars :)

This Famima may be small, but the customer service is big. Stopped in to grab my usual steamed bun and encountered Saide (Sadie?) who rung me up. She was very nice, verbally welcomed all the customers who entered and had a friendly demeanor. She joked around with me while ringing me up and was very attentive. Rare for a convenience store employee in the busy downtown. I’ll always stop into this Famima even if I don’t need anything. :D

Since I’ve started going here almost every day, I should probably give them credit for having items that keep me going back.
Drinks from the cooler are pricy, but last time, I noticed their serve yourself fountain drinks were only 99 cents. In DTLA, that’s pretty good. They have quick food for working people who don’t have a lot of time to mess around waiting for things. Sad to say, but I like their sushi to go better than the sushi restaurant next door. Other days a 99 cent corn dog seems like a brilliant idea. They have a wide variety of items from wine to Krispy Kreme donuts, the daily newspaper, sandwiches and salads.
The location is convenient to 7^th Metro station and most of the time you will get a receipt with a coupon for a free coffee upon return. All in all, it’ll do in a pinch.

This place is small, compact, lines can get crazy, but its the only place that sells my favorite popcorn chips. So good. They get 5 stars just for that.

A 24 hour Fanima in downtown LA is like a beacon of light in a swirling storm drain of scabs and lost dreams. Delicious Japanese imports and fresh organic fruit pre-​cut along with fantastic original hot items such as the insanely good cheeseburger egg roll helps you away from suicide valley and eases you into contentment prairie.

open 24 hours?!?
Im there!

This place is perfect when it’s late, you’re getting off the 7^th street metro station and want to grab a quick snack to fill your stomach.
The store is clean, they have a nice selection, the staff is friendly and they’re open 24 hours, you can’t beat that because when it’s late, you really can’t be picky about what or where you’re gonna eat.

Why they have a Famima on every single corner of this building is beyond me. You walk to Hope, there’s one on the corner of Hope/​Wilshire, 6^th/​Olive, and another not so far down Figueroa. It’s Famima madness!
I like Famima because they, unlike 7 – 11, put out select items on sale. I’ve seen select items with buy 2 for $ 2 or buy 2 get 1 free sales, I love that. But that isn’t why I gave this place 5 stars. I love the people that work here. They’re more than just friendly, they actually care! They help you out if you need it, it’s just 100% great service.

I’ll make this quick. Famima, short for Family Mart (a place I haven’t been to since last year), is a popular chain of convenience stores in Japan meaning that yes, it’s the Japanese version of 7 – 11. (Oh yeah. I need to say that Famima and 7 – 11 are the two convenience stores that I go to.) They have your usual items like soap and medicine. The food and drinks are good. If only there are locations in San Jose and San Francisco.
+: It does its job of providing top notch items.
-: There are no locations up north?

I feel kind of bad for this Famima, it’s the tiniest one I’ve ever seen and even though it’s less than a year old, it seems pretty dirty. That’s because you have to dodge the bums and general hooligans crowding around the front of it.
Once inside, I found what I needed in less than 5 minutes. Since it’s a limited selection, I didn’t think much of it but they had their usual sandwiches, curry bowls, drinks and snacks for sale. They will heat up the sandwiches like other locations for you.
I bought a yogurt, an order of sesame wings and a spicy tuna onigiri. The sesame wings weren’t as good as the Famima’s over at Paul Hastings and the nori for the spicy tuna wasn’t the freshest.
Once I paid, I didn’t immediately see the spoons and such. I asked the guy who was already helping someone else. I would have grabbed them myself if he indicated where they were but he stopped mid-​transaction and grabbed one for me. Once I knew where they were I went over there to discover… no napkins. Damn.
I’ll be saving my Famima cravings for the larger and cleaner one at Paul Hastings.