7/11 is mostly a franchise setup in Japan, so things aren't completely uniform. The 7/11 combini I've been visiting over the years doesn't suffer from the empty bread syndrome. This isn't a big city, it's almost rural, don't know if that matters too. When that's said, the sandwiches they prepare in the bread shop in the nearby shopping mall is better, if anything there's too much filling. Anyway, it can never be truly good because it's all 100% white bread wherever you buy it.
It’s a franchise but it’s notorious for getting mom and pop convenience stores to switch to being a franchise and then forcing them to stay open 24 hours and source most goods from 7-11. There’s sometimes articles about franchise owners working 20 hour days because they are required to stay open but don’t make enough money to pay employees. On the other hand franchise owners are allowed to tailor what they sell.
