Factoid for the day: Taiwan has surpassed Japan to become the country with the most convenience stores per capita.
The rest of the story:
taiwanheadlines.com/20030211/20030211b5.html
A dubious honor…
convenient
But they stock such crap items. I mean, you can buy a bottle of whisky at the 7-eleven, but why the fuck can’t they stock Panadol for the morning after?
2 Likes
Local bureaucracy.
Annoys me, too. Convenience stores in HK stock those items. Still, there are plenty of 24hr Watsons - thanks agian HK! 
I like’em. Most stock whisky, beer, cigarettes and porn…the necessities of Life! 
I just wish they could extend their range of pao-mian.
Convenience stores in Taiwan are a wonder. Where else in the world can you send a fax, buy disposable underwear, eat a day-old tea egg, buy a new stapler, and drink a bottle of yogurt all in one location? I’ve only actually done two of the above-mentioned activities, but wow, the possibilities…
The service sector - the way to go.
Wonder why the keep opening them. the market here is saturated. If you don’t believe me, then look at PCS’s share price.
Yeah it’s really annoying that they don’t sell any kind of medication. They don’t even sell contact lens solution! But it’s because they’re not authorized to do so, only pharmacies are allowed to sell medication in Taiwan.
And I cringe at the thought of going into any Watson’s. There’s plastic shite piled high to ceiling, the aisles are so cramped that you can’t pass people coming the opposite way, and I don’t think I’ve ever managed to make it from the cash register to the door without knocking something off a shelf.
But their condoms are cheap - and feel more roomy than average here.
Two years ago, I went to countryside with family, Chiayi b[/b] county, where I was born. I felt so surprised to see a new seven-eleven in the corner of the street. We went inside to see what it has in such a rural field, and were pleased to know everything there just the same as Taipei. Then we took a photo as a souvenir, it was really amazing!!
Why don’t they turn the fridges on ? I’m fed up with drinking warm beer…
I have friends who subsist almost entirely on 7-11/convenient store food. They’ll probably wind up with gall stones one day.
But I, when forced into the situation of lack of time or no other option due to the hour and location, find myself aimlessly wandering the aisles picking up packages only to be put off by the fat content and limited nutritional value of the majority of products on display.
Most items seem to be between 20-60% fat, the pao mians being some of the worst, loaded with MSG, sodium, and cholesterol. (it’s useful to learn the chinese characters for this)
On a recent diet, I had no choice one day but to eat a soggy stick of corn from the tembula vat and a package of seaweed laver!
I just wonder why they don’t stock fresh fruit (not in egg pudding, please) or salads (without 1000 island dressing), healthy sandwiches. (without that tiny triangle of dried up ham and whatever that bizarre hunk of pale yellow stuff is)
But tea eggs are ok if you ditch the yolks.
It is fun to try to perfectly peel off the shell and membrane without digging into the egg.
No convenience store in Matsu I guarantee …
Does Matsu still have the el cheapo military brothels? 
If they do, then you might want to invite us over 
What’s a brothel?
Just kidding, but is that what you mean when you say “convenience store”?
In that case I need to withdraw my statement …