I concur. I’ve been to Japan 11 times in the past 15 years, including an eight-month stay in 2010. Japanese convenience stores are nice, and they’re certainly nicer than their American counterparts, but when it comes to food, whether pre-packaged or prepared, I’ve found better deals for food at grocery stores. Granted, konbini prices are reasonable, and it’s hard to find grocery stores in central Tokyo locations like Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Akihabara; a konbini is much easier to find, and you can’t beat the 24/7 schedules of konbini compared to the restricted hours of grocery stores. However, in the residential parts of Tokyo there’s usually at least one grocery store near a train station.

I must say, though, that the Family Mart konbini near the hotel I stayed at two months ago was amazing for being able to order off Amazon Japan and picking up deliveries there. This is something I wish I discovered many trips ago.

In general, though, I concur with your assessment; konbini in Japan are nice but they’re not mind-blowing.