Convenience stores in Japan are often lauded for their surprisingly high quality meals and wide array of services, but it's a simple show of hospitality and care for customers that has many praising convenience store Lawson online at the moment.

Twitter user Atsushi Noguchi (@A_gussan0531) recently shared a touching concern story about how staff at a Lawson he was shopping at had a system set up to make sure customers that are hard of hearing get everything they need. Noguchi suffers from severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears, and has difficulty making out what others are saying depending on the volume of their voice. This can make a trip to the convenience store challenging, as after purchasing food, most Japanese convenience store staff will ask whether you need a bag or not, what utensils you prefer, and if you would like to have your food warmed up right away.

After buying some food, a worker at the Lawson asked Noguchi if he would like to have his food warmed up in the microwave. Noguchi couldn't hear them and showed the staff his hearing aid to try and explain the situation. The staff member immediately understood the situ ation, and directed Noguchi to a chart attached nearby the register that made things much easier:

From top to bottom, the customer can pick out pictographs that indicate whether they want a plastic bag or not, what if any kind of utensils they need, and if they wish for their meal to be heated up at the store or not. With this, Noguchi was able to understand that the staff was asking him about warming up his food. Noguchi says as they made their purchase they thought about how truly convenient the system was.

The simple but incredibly useful chart was praised widely online, with many in the replies hoping the initiative would spread throughout all of Japan. We were able to get in touch with a Lawson representative, who told us the idea for the charts came from hearing-impaired employees, and that they were put in place on August 30th as a result.

The charts definitely make for smooth transaction and show a considerable amount of care for customers who have difficulty hearing, but could also be a life-saver for customers who don't speak Japanese as well.