Convenience
Encyclopedia
Convenience is anything that is intended to save resources (time
, energy
) or frustration
. A convenience store
at a petrol station, for example, sells items that have nothing to do with gasoline
/petrol, but it saves the consumer from having to go to a grocery store
.
"Convenience" is a very relative term and its meaning tends to change over time. What was once a convenience (eg. an automobile
) is today regarded as a normal part of life. Likewise today's luxuries may be perceived in the same way in the future.
Some have criticized Western culture
, particularly American culture, for its reliance on such conveniences and the Eastern culture, particularly the Middle East for its lack of conveniences. The Amish
(such as the Pennsylvania Dutch
) shun all modern conveniences, including electricity
.
Some conveniences can also sometimes turn out to be nuisance
s, including personal computer
s (can be difficult to use, though this is improving gradually) and mobile phone
s (with annoying rings and conversations in what would or should be a quiet place). Conveniences also cost time
and money
to fix when they break down, and may cause much greater costs if something else that depends on them cannot take place. On the other hand, conveniences such as direct deposit
can save everyone money, though this may or may not be passed along to the consumer.
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
, energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
) or frustration
Frustration
This article concerns the field of psychology. The term frustration does, however, also concern physics. In this context, the term is treated in a different article, geometric frustration....
. A convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
at a petrol station, for example, sells items that have nothing to do with gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
/petrol, but it saves the consumer from having to go to a grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
.
"Convenience" is a very relative term and its meaning tends to change over time. What was once a convenience (eg. an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
) is today regarded as a normal part of life. Likewise today's luxuries may be perceived in the same way in the future.
Some have criticized Western culture
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
, particularly American culture, for its reliance on such conveniences and the Eastern culture, particularly the Middle East for its lack of conveniences. The Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
(such as the Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
) shun all modern conveniences, including electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
Some conveniences can also sometimes turn out to be nuisance
Nuisance
Nuisance is a common law tort. It means that which causes offence, annoyance, trouble or injury. A nuisance can be either public or private. A public nuisance was defined by English scholar Sir J. F...
s, including personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s (can be difficult to use, though this is improving gradually) and mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s (with annoying rings and conversations in what would or should be a quiet place). Conveniences also cost time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
and money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
to fix when they break down, and may cause much greater costs if something else that depends on them cannot take place. On the other hand, conveniences such as direct deposit
Direct deposit
Direct deposit also known as Direct credit is a banking term used to refer to certain payment systems used to transfer money where a payment is initiated by the payer not the payee, namely:* In Europe, the giro system...
can save everyone money, though this may or may not be passed along to the consumer.
See also
- ConsumerismConsumerismConsumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
- Convenience foodConvenience foodConvenience food, or tertiary processed food, is commercially prepared food designed for ease of consumption. Products designated as convenience foods are often prepared food stuffs that can be sold as hot, ready-to-eat dishes; as room-temperature, shelf-stable products; or as refrigerated or...
- Convenience storeConvenience storeA convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
- Flag of convenienceFlag of convenienceThe term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
- Marriage of convenienceMarriage of convenienceA marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than the reasons of relationship, family, or love. Instead, such a marriage is orchestrated for personal gain or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as political marriage. The phrase is a calque of - a marriage of...
- Public convenience