One of Thousands of 7-11’s in Taipei
Convenience is a wonderful thing. Let’s not make life too difficult, after all. But it is often over-promised and under-delivered.
Take the so-called convenience stores that are liberally sprinkled across the United States. What exactly is convenient about them, anyway? More often than not, it is just a fancy name for a gas station that will sell you some fried sodium or a super-sized cup of syrup. If you are really lucky, they might have last week’s tube shaped mystery meat conveniently resting under a heat lamp
And then there are the automated customer service phone systems, available 24 hours a day. For your convenience. Press 1 to stay on hold. Your call is important to us
If that is convenience, I’ll take arduous
That is, until now
With one on nearly every street corner, the Convenience Stores of Taipei are a cornerstone of daily life. 7-11, Family Mart, Hi-Life, OK Mart, there is a unique brand for every lifestyle
Of course they offer all the staples, like quick cups of decent coffee, soft serve ice cream, individually wrapped packages of chocolate, dried shrimp flavored potato chips, and Hello Kitty themed stationary and yogurt, but they do so much more
Maximum Calories Per Square Meter
When you need an ATM that will work with nearly any card from any country, you go to 7-11
Need to print out some concert tickets? How about some photos? Maybe a legal document?
They have you covered with their full print, scan, and copy service, all accessible online
7-11 Print Center – So Easy Your Dog Can Do It
Don’t want that important package to get stolen or left out in the rain?
They will accept package delivery’s from all the major carriers. You can even pay on delivery
Maybe you want to pay your public utility or cell phone bill?
They will process payments for nearly anything you can imagine, even your taxes and credit card bill
Would you like some fresh organic fruit, veggies, and eggs?
You have come to the right place
Whole Foods, Taiwan
Need an air-conditioned oasis, where you can sip an iced latte and use the free WiFi while you relax and unwind for a few minutes?
Why go to Starbucks when you can go to to 7-11!
Maybe it’s 3 am and you need a bottle of wine and some protection
Say hello to your new wing man
Ate too much spicy hot pot and stinky tofu and had a little accident?
There is no better place to buy disposable underwear
Yes, 7-11 really does it all
Post Office, bank, grocery store, liquor store, and everything in between, we find ourselves stepping foot inside a convenience store once or more per day. Isn’t that convenient!
+1 for all Non-US convenient stores, where convenient really means convenient.
The convenience stores really do have it all. A shame they aren’t in the US (or at least not in the same way). I can definitely see this in the big cities where residents are starting to get used to outsourcing a portion of their home life and needs to other locations. Maybe with the advent of Apple Pay, this could take off in NY and SF?
We have some decent ones in the eastern US. Sheetz has pretty good “made to order” hot and cold subs and sandwiches and a variety of coffees. Wawa markets are similar though I’ve never been in one. If it’s 3 am and you need a bite, Sheetz isn’t a bad place to go when the other neighborhood options are 24 hr Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and IHOP. I don’t think they have a photocopy center, but they do have awesome free wifi and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and a full convenience store. I mostly get gas here but sometimes I get fuel for the car too.
Aw sheet haus, lets run down to the Kum n Go and get some of that there pizza pie there