The Reading / Listening - Convenience Stores - Level 4

Convenience stores are handy to pop into 24 hours a day. They also provide part-time jobs for thousands of people. A new report suggests that some stores are not so convenient for their part-time workers. Japan's national broadcaster NHK says workers are given unrealistic sales quotas. Labor rights experts say this exploits workers. Some workers get hundreds of dollars deducted from their salary and have to buy unsold stock for not meeting their quota.

An expert on Japanese labor law said deducting salaries for unmet quotas was illegal. He asked why so many part-timers felt they had to buy unsold stock. He suggested stores pressured workers to do this. The expert asked convenience stores to make sure part-timers were not exploited. One worker said he was "drowning in quotas". Another said that he once lost 30% of his monthly salary. The biggest losses are for quotas for unsold seasonal items.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Convenience Stores - Level 5 or  Convenience Stores - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.tokyoreporter.com/2017/01/29/japans-convenience-store-clerks-bemoan-overbearing-sushi-quotas/
  • http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00348152.html
  • http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20170202/k10010862671000.html?


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. convenience stores are
  2. Japan's national
  3. unrealistic sales
  4. labor rights
  5. this exploits
  6. deducted from
  7. have to buy unsold
  8. not meeting
  1. workers
  2. experts
  3. stock
  4. broadcaster
  5. their quota
  6. quotas
  7. handy
  8. their salary

Paragraph 2

  1. An expert on
  2. deducting salaries for unmet quotas
  3. part timers felt they had to
  4. stores pressured
  5. make sure part-timers were not
  6. One worker said he was
  7. The biggest
  8. quotas for unsold
  1. losses
  2. drowning in quotas
  3. seasonal items
  4. was illegal
  5. Japanese labor law
  6. workers to do this
  7. buy unsold stock
  8. exploited

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Convenience stores are (1) ___________________ 24 hours a day. They also provide part-time jobs for thousands of people. (2) ___________________ that some (3) ___________________ convenient for their part-time workers. Japan's national broadcaster NHK says workers (4) ___________________ sales quotas. Labor rights experts (5) ___________________ workers. Some workers get hundreds of dollars deducted from their salary and have to buy unsold stock (6) ___________________ their quota.

(7) ___________________ Japanese labor law said deducting salaries for unmet (8) ___________________. He asked why so many part-timers felt they (9) ___________________ stock. He suggested stores pressured workers to do this. The expert asked convenience stores to make sure part-timers (10) ___________________. One worker said he was "drowning in quotas". Another said that he once (11) ___________________ monthly salary. The biggest losses are for quotas (12) ___________________ items.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Conveniencestoresarehandytopopinto24hoursaday.Theyalsoprovid
epart-timejobsforthousandsofpeople.Anewreportsuggeststhatsom
estoresarenotsoconvenientfortheirpart-timeworkers.Japan'snati
onalbroadcasterNHKsaysworkersaregivenunrealisticsalesquotas.La
borrightsexpertssaythisexploitsworkers.Someworkersgethundreds
ofdollarsdeductedfromtheirsalaryandhavetobuyunsoldstockfornot
meetingtheirquota.AnexpertonJapaneselaborlawsaiddeductingsala
riesforunmetquotaswasillegal.Heaskedwhysomanypart-timersfel
ttheyhadtobuyunsoldstock.Hesuggestedstorespressuredworkersto
dothis.Theexpertaskedconveniencestorestomakesurepart-timersw
erenotexploited.Oneworkersaidhewas"drowninginquotas".Another
saidthatheoncelost30%ofhismonthlysalary.Thebiggestlossesarefor
quotasforunsoldseasonalitems.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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