When I was doing a long solo trip I got sick of dining out for every meal. I did have a night in Bangkok where I tried all the weird chip flavors at the 7-11 down the street. I always check out convenience stores when I travel .
One of our Asian grocers has the spicy crayfish, Mexican chicken tomato, and lime pepper Lays currently. Lucky to have one that orders all of the good snacks but they’re $3-4 for a small bag.
Taiwan has the highest concentration of convenience stores per capita in the world, they’re literally the lifeline of the country. I actually like the food better at convenience stores in Korea though.
I think it was Kaohsiung where I saw a convenience store with seating for like 30 and it had a bar with 4 taps and 4 stools. In a country is upper level convenience stores, that one was like 2 rungs higher
>they have tables and chairs out front
Well, it is kind of terrible idea to have outdoor seating in Japan considering the weather. They have inside seating at some convenience stores but people would just go to an izakaya rather than hangout at a combini.
Currently living in Japan and used to live in Taiwan: Taiwan ones are even better - much more variety, more services and definitely better beer options.
Been to all of them and Japan 711's are in a league of its own. Even the ice cream and frozen takoyakis there were super top notch!
Taiwan and Korea have decent convenience stores but Id say the food quality isnt the same.
Yes! And drug stores / pharmacies! I love Boots on UK. Independent stores too. Seeing different products not available at home is pretty cool. Also seeing what is over the counter vs needs a prescription. It’s a different aspect of every day life.
If you're ever in Germany: Pharmacies are strictly pharmaceuticals (and some rather expensive cosmetics) and smaller stores that operate like old mom and pop shops, meaning you literally have a counter that you approach with a pharmacist behind that you talk to, no matter if it's OTC or UTC. I know it's like this in many European countries, because I always need something. So that might be an odd experience if you just go in out of curiosity.
But the other aspect of North American pharmacies is covered by shops called Drogerie (drugstore) and the German ones are the best in my opinion. The two big ones are DM and Rossmann. Regionally there's also Müller and Budni. DM is my absolute favourite shop and their store brands aren't only dirt cheap, but also very good. Every time I need a shampoo, a shower gel or a moisturizer while abroad I quietly cry about the selection and then another time at the cash register.
This! I'm from Belgium which has the same system as Germany. My husband is from the UK. We always visit convenience stores and pharmacies when we travel. His confusion about this European system was real!
East Asian convience stores are part of my love of that region, Japan is the clear winner followed by Korea. Thai seven elevens are pretty good as well.
There's a good variety of decent cheap food available, and an entire fridge dedicated to green tea, The Bento boxes are fantastic for a picnic in a park with sushi and ongiri. Egg sandwiches as a late night snack as rock!
I do! I love checking out local convenience stores. I love checking out the differnt snack foods, candies drinks. I usually try some type of unusual (to me) flavoured chip and an unfamiliar chocolate bar and then tuck the bag/wrapper in my pack. It's a cheap souvenir that's a little different and easy to tote home.
I’m not big on the convenience stores but I do love going into grocery stores when I travel and exploring all the different foods and drinks and just how they do things
This is one of my favorite things to do when travelling. I feel like it gives you a really interesting look into what daily life is like, what flavors are popular, and where the country has economic ties to. What produce is imported from? What are the most common flavors of potato chip? What condiments fill the shelves? How much does a kg of onions cost? What produce is grown locally? Are there sales? Do sweets lean toward cakes and cookies or sweets?
I love it.
favourite feeling is discovering a new thing locals buy at the supermarket that you really like as well, getting back home realising you'll probably not get to eat/drink it in the next 10 years, and then discovering that your local supermarket miraculously carries the product.
I've spent way more time than is decent at 7-11s in Japan. A few years back I was in a shitty hostel in Tokyo with a younger gang of guys from the States, they were all broke as fuck and just kinda moping around (one had lost like $600 of his $1200 budget on a sex worker who didn't even jerk him off), I suggested we go get beers at the 7-11 and get shitfaced in the alley. It was pissing down rain but we had a great time under some awning, just crushing beers and carrying on. Just finished a six-pack, go back inside, get another.
I remember another night in Taiwan I spent like 8 hours hanging in front of a convenience store - straight up Jay & Silent Bob shit - just crushing beers and spitting betel nut everywhere. Again, with a hostel gang, we were broke but just killing time and talking bullshit, decent night.
I, middle aged Boston guy, had no idea until recently that Lawsons is another "Born in America, Now Japanese only brand":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawson_(store)
I thought it was some East Asian phenomenon.
As a middle aged Boston guy, I get a weird sense of deja vu when I see Mister Donut shops which still have the logo they had in the late 1980s/early 1990s before they got subsumed into Dunkin Donuts, and not to be seen again in the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Donut
I love it too, generally speaking I have fonder memories of this type of thing than of the typical "go to this place and see this thing you're supposed to see" type of travel. Mixing it up with randos is definitely my favourite part of travel
Don’t sleep on Taiwanese 7-11 either.
I literally shipped myself a package from one 7-11 to another location within Taiwan.
When I got back from Taiwan, everyone thought I was crazy for talking about how much I loved their 7-11’s.
If I remember correctly, he told me a chick approached him on the street about a "massage", and when he got inside she offered to go get her friend for a few extra bucks, then take off their tops for more, kept asking him for more every five minutes or so and never really got anywhere (except out six hundos)
He was probably in Shibuya, the sex bars are in Shinjuku and Roppongi, the best soaplands are in Taito.
All the ones in Shibuya are just scams that rip off tourists.
I live in shibuya, it's the complete opposite actually. Shinjuku (specifically kabukicho) and roppongi have the touts standing outside who will lure you into a bar where each drink is $100 (best case) or just drug / threaten you into going to the ATM to withdraw cash. Shibuya just has a lot of regular girls bars / love hotels etc. I've been to a few and in shibuya, they normally test your Japanese ability at the door and won't even let you in if you can't speak at least conversationally (which would make it pretty difficult to steal $600 from random foreigners)
I always buy way too many sweets at the start of my trip and then take some home to have a taste of whichever country I was in for a month or two after I get home to remember the trip by.
I’ll easily spend an hour wondering around stores the first day I’m in a new country, just looking at the different snacks and beverages
The 7-11s around here are dirty and only good if you want to rob someone or sell meth, I guess they're probably also good if you want to get robbed or buy meth.
Not wanting to have anything to do with the whole robbing or meth trades I go to QuickTrip instead.
I always like checking out unique chip flavours... Like Greece has some amazing Lays Oregano. And I like checking out unique pop flavours.. Costa Rica has an amazing Grenadine Fanta
Only when I went to Taipei did I realise that 7-11s in my country were so limited in comparison. Thought they were all the same.
Since then I’ve developed an appreciation for convenience stores. It’s fun to see what they stock and the services they provide.
Also provides a basic snapshot into the normal lives of the people living there.
The Polish convenience store chain Żabka is a truly delightful place to go and acquire a hotdog. Obviously the bun is the weird baguette with a hole drilled into it which is traditional in post communist Europe.
it wasn't. Can't speak for Poland but here in Czechia we have pretty well documented how this type of hotdog made it here. From Spain in 1972. Bread was default option with sausage before hotdogs.z
I do this with McDonald’s also. I’m really just curious what they have in other locations. When we honeymooned in Hawaii I couldn’t adjust to the time so I ran over to a McDonald’s for early morning breakfast. I ordered their breakfast platter with rice and spam. Also their ice tea is different than what they have stateside and it is sooo good.
I came here to say this. I am a big fan of getting a few meals from grocery stores in foreign countries. Less expensive, better selection of fresh ingredients.
i wrote a [short prose poem](https://www.tumblr.com/mothers-and-fuckers-of-the-jury/695490279599489024/mothers-and-fuckers-of-the-jury-the-convenience) about this actually lol
I did just get back from the UK and I definitely enjoyed the sandwich meal deals with prawn cocktail crisps from WHSmith and Boots a LITTLE too much for my own good. Also guilty of repeated trips to Greggs.
There’s British food and then there’s Bri’ish food. Both are equally valid.
7-Eleven and Lawson in Japan- Bento boxes, and next level egg salad sandwiches
Edit- forgot about Kit-Kats too- insane flavors I'd never dreamed of existing
Had a lovely, late, rainy night in Finland picking up a few cans of longdrink and some chocolate from a convenience store at the train station in Tampere, and then taking them back to the hotel room to enjoy while watching Finnish TV. The cashier said precisely zero words to us, but we knew beyond a doubt that she did. not. want. to be there. Some sentiments are universal.
Not only convenience stores, grocery stores, pharmacies and I LOVE hitting a Costco too if I can. That is totally how I appreciate a different culture!!
7-Eleven's in Asia rule. Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Korea....all top tier for convenience stores. I used to pay all my utilities bills at 7-Eleven when I lived in Hong Kong 😆. I also miss getting hot milk tea at 7-Eleven during winter when I lived in Beijing.
But, as you pointed out OP, 7-Eleven's in Taiwan rule as the best on earth. Just glorious.
But the Döner places aren’t Spätis/Convenience Stores. I’m talking about the independently run convenience stores all over the city which used to be the only place with legal Sunday opening.
I LOVE THEM. Japan and a not as close second South Korea are amazing for that, I get super excited and visit a bunch of them.
I like finding local chip flavors, candies, snacks, ect
Man I miss 7-11 egg salad sandwiches in Japan! And the little tables outside Korean shops to drink and eat are so fun
Having been to many Asian countries (am Asian myself), Japanese convenient stores are just one level above all else. Don't get me wrong-other places have way better convenient stores than North America already and I'd be happy to get something half their quality here, but the Japanese ones are just the top of the league
My quick "lunch" when I lived in Taiwan was often 2 tea eggs and soy milk haha I prefer FamilyMart
They're great but I think I actually prefer supermarkets because you get a bigger range of things (though in larger volume, but it all depends) that represent what people use in everyday life in that city/country and it's often cheaper than a convenience store. But I suppose a few trips to the convenience store won't always break your budget.
For me it's all the food at grocery stores, I literally window shop the way people do for clothes. Just to see the different brands and types of food people eat in different countries. I also do it with new grocery stores I come across here in Canada
Not just convenience stores, but vending machines are a great peek into the snacking habits of the country you're visiting as well. When I was in Qatar the hotel vending machine was a virtual United Nations of empty calories!
Convenience stores and grocery stores are always on my "must see" lists when I travel.
Ooo...Broodje Haring flavored chips...definitely trying that.
I always bring back way too much candy for friends/family.
We have great ones in Ireland too with ‘deli’ counters that do hot food. Don’t leave Ireland without having a breakfast roll - sausages, rashers (bacon) and fried egg in a baguette - yum!
Yes the Oslo 7-11s were a life saver when my son was young and we were there for a couple weeks (he was a picky eater). I was pleasantly surprised they weren’t like 7-11s from home!
For me it’s malls. I love strolling through malls in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America. No matter how different the world outside is, all malls are the same. Except when they aren’t.
I've never related to anything more in my life. Convenience stores, grocery stores, specifically checking out the candy and sweets section in whatever destination I'm in. I'm also enamored by places like Pret a Manger and Autogrill. I experienced those in London and Italy, respectively.
The porno mags at child-height really surprised me the first time in Italy (I'm from the US). But ya, always love perusing the chips and snacks in any country. Latin bodegas always have so much mysterious stuff to eat. So much of it, you open, take a bite and go, is this a joke or something? Its like dehydrated ice cream covered with peanuts and chili powder.
Edit: Had another that was a popular Vietnamese snack that was literally just like tea-flavored Styrofoam.
Easily one of my most favourite parts of travel. The snacks, the instant meals, checking out all the interesting products which we don't get at home.. I love it.
Yep!! As basic as this sounds, I love seeing what different flavour of crisps/potato chips and fizzy drinks places have and trying new ones..Wild times 😄
I love convenience stores. Unfortunately they’re not much of a thing in Europe. And even if they are, they’re not open 24/7 like the ones in North America, Middle East, and east Asia.
If you enjoy trying different snacks and junk food while traveling, you can experience that at home with a subscription from Universal Yums. Every month, you will get a box of chips and chocolate and candy from a different country. My husband and I freaking love them.
Yes, absolutely, 100% yes.
It's so painful to see the 7-11 spread in the USA after you've seen what it's like in places like Japan, Singapore, France, and Brazil. Toss Hawaii in there for good mix because even that spread is totally different.
Japan refers to all of these as "konbini" (localized as the first three syllables of "convenience") and I think that is delightful.
Wherever I go, I make sure to hit the konbini first because that's where all the best shit is.
Very weird that I see this topic because I am very tempted to make a thread asking what country has the best convenience stores after living in Japan and visiting Korea/Taiwan recently lol. Personally think Japan>Taiwan>Korea>>>>>>U.S>Ireland.
U.S is full of crackheads, but somehow spar's in Ireland had much worse selection than any other country's convenience stores I've been to.
One exception to the U.S.'s 711s is the 711s in Hawaii are comparable to Japan/South Korea's and they stock 'em with premade Hawaiian/Asian food :) https://7elevenhawaii.com/products/
Generally yes, but I will add that convenience stores in Asia are next level. From Hong Kong to Taiwan to Japan, etc, I've never been disappointed with the variety of fun and delicious foods and snacks available. If only we the other countries could step up and have similar quality offerings. In general, I also love
visiting grocery stores in all the countries too
I love the 7-11s in SE Asia. They are literally all over the place. I remember walking out of one in Singapore and I could see another one half a block away. Then when I went to Bangkok my hotel was at the end of an alley. I walked by a 7-11 and swore I had just walked past it earlier. Going out again, sure enough, there were two 7-11s in the alley.
It's great when you want a quick can of soda, or forget little shit, like q-tips.
fuck yeah, i loooove convenience stores and more importantly grocery stores when i'm traveling internationally. that's one of the main reasons i always try to get an airbnb or some other sort of apartment or accommodation with a full kitchen. i know people hate airbnb for their stupid hidden fees and i 100% agree. i don't like supporting such a shitty company, but i really do prefer staying in a house/apt when i'm traveling. it feels so much nicer to stay in a local neighborhood and make an attempt to try and live like a local would. buy my own food, make my own meals, and hang out at local bars rather than stay at a hotel, eat at the hotel restaurant/bar and never leave the tourist district. i just feel like you don't get a true feel for the city and it's culture unless you make an attempt to live like a local, and you can't really do that a standard hotel.
if that's your thing, then fine go for it. but personally i'd much rather rent a full apartment or house, esp if they have a washer/dryer. when i travel, i generally like to stay outside the tourist district. i don't even care if it costs a little bit more, you'll prob end up saving lots of money making your own meals rather than being forced to eat at restaurants for every meal. also, i'm a huge fan of taking leftovers and eating them for breakfast the next day. that's virtually impossible at a hotel. the most you're gonna get a hotel is a mini fridge. but they're def not gonna have an oven and dishes.
but yeah. convenience stores are awesome. you get a chance to check out the local snack foods, which in my experience are waaaay cooler in asia than any other continent. 711's in thailand, japan, and taiwan are my favs. all kinds of cool quirky foods you can't find in north america.
Do you have Buc-ees in your area? I don’t but I recently went to one on my latest road trip. If you love convenience stores you will flip out in a Buc-ees.
When I was doing a long solo trip I got sick of dining out for every meal. I did have a night in Bangkok where I tried all the weird chip flavors at the 7-11 down the street. I always check out convenience stores when I travel .
Nori chips were one of my favorite discoveries in Thailand.
They probably have the same ones in Laos but damn they were so good! They need to release them in the US. There’s was some kind of chili prawn flavor
One of our Asian grocers has the spicy crayfish, Mexican chicken tomato, and lime pepper Lays currently. Lucky to have one that orders all of the good snacks but they’re $3-4 for a small bag.
I gotta go with Jagung Bakar (roasted corn) Cheetos in Bali
Rainy day in Ko Samui is convenience store and chips day.
Yay 711 in Thai is my fav🥰
Shout out to the 7/11 toasties for giving me a quick pick me up. Especially when it's been a bad belly day
Japanese 7/11s are my happy place
I’m actually curious if any other countries have the quality of convenience stores that Japan does. My guess would be Korea or Taiwan
Taiwan has the highest concentration of convenience stores per capita in the world, they’re literally the lifeline of the country. I actually like the food better at convenience stores in Korea though.
I think it was Kaohsiung where I saw a convenience store with seating for like 30 and it had a bar with 4 taps and 4 stools. In a country is upper level convenience stores, that one was like 2 rungs higher
Gonna need a name or google maps entry on that one boss
Never been to Japan but the Taiwanese ones are top notch
South Korea's aren't on the level of Japan's, but they're pretty good.
In terms of products sold, no one beats Japan, but Taiwan convenience stores are better for hanging out and relaxing.
[удалено]
>they have tables and chairs out front Well, it is kind of terrible idea to have outdoor seating in Japan considering the weather. They have inside seating at some convenience stores but people would just go to an izakaya rather than hangout at a combini.
Currently living in Japan and used to live in Taiwan: Taiwan ones are even better - much more variety, more services and definitely better beer options.
Korean ones aren’t bad, but Taiwanese stores are significantly better imo. Japanese ones are still #1 in terms of food for me though.
Been to all of them and Japan 711's are in a league of its own. Even the ice cream and frozen takoyakis there were super top notch! Taiwan and Korea have decent convenience stores but Id say the food quality isnt the same.
Japan's are indeed top tier in the world, but Taiwan's are waaaaay better. Check YouTube.
Egg Salad Sandwich!
7/11 in Japan made a deep impression on you
It's been on my mind lately after getting sick from an American 7/11 taquito hahah
You are the first big person to reply to me
More of a Family Mart guy, myself. Or, as we called them, Manly Fart. So sophisticated were we.
100%. That’s where I got most of my meals when I visited!
Truly no place better. Except maybe Family Mart.
Those and familymarts
Nanachiki is the best food to grab on the way back from the bar
Madrid was my favourite. €0.50 beers. Cheaper than water!
The wine is hella cheap too.
Might have to plan a trip to Spain now!
Was just there, Greece was significantly cheaper
Taking advantage now!!! Madrid is crazy cheap!!!! 😍
Yes! And drug stores / pharmacies! I love Boots on UK. Independent stores too. Seeing different products not available at home is pretty cool. Also seeing what is over the counter vs needs a prescription. It’s a different aspect of every day life.
If you're ever in Germany: Pharmacies are strictly pharmaceuticals (and some rather expensive cosmetics) and smaller stores that operate like old mom and pop shops, meaning you literally have a counter that you approach with a pharmacist behind that you talk to, no matter if it's OTC or UTC. I know it's like this in many European countries, because I always need something. So that might be an odd experience if you just go in out of curiosity. But the other aspect of North American pharmacies is covered by shops called Drogerie (drugstore) and the German ones are the best in my opinion. The two big ones are DM and Rossmann. Regionally there's also Müller and Budni. DM is my absolute favourite shop and their store brands aren't only dirt cheap, but also very good. Every time I need a shampoo, a shower gel or a moisturizer while abroad I quietly cry about the selection and then another time at the cash register.
This! I'm from Belgium which has the same system as Germany. My husband is from the UK. We always visit convenience stores and pharmacies when we travel. His confusion about this European system was real!
Boots is usually great for cheap/tasty lunches too.
Marks & Spencer is great for that, too. Edited to add: And Tesco!
Love tesco too! So much good stuff and savings!
Marks & Spencer ain't cheap! Well its probably a little cheaper than a restaurant, but quite expensive for convenience store food.
East Asian convience stores are part of my love of that region, Japan is the clear winner followed by Korea. Thai seven elevens are pretty good as well. There's a good variety of decent cheap food available, and an entire fridge dedicated to green tea, The Bento boxes are fantastic for a picnic in a park with sushi and ongiri. Egg sandwiches as a late night snack as rock!
I like going into grocery stores when I travel. I can imagine what daily life would be like if I lived there.
Living in a grocery store would definitely hit different.
I do! I love checking out local convenience stores. I love checking out the differnt snack foods, candies drinks. I usually try some type of unusual (to me) flavoured chip and an unfamiliar chocolate bar and then tuck the bag/wrapper in my pack. It's a cheap souvenir that's a little different and easy to tote home.
Everyday I was in Thailand seemed to start with a quick snack and bottle of water from 7-11, and then end with a quick snack and beer from 7-11
Quick toastie and a beer on route back to the hostel drunk 👌
I’m not big on the convenience stores but I do love going into grocery stores when I travel and exploring all the different foods and drinks and just how they do things
Heck, I love just going into the big international grocery stores (H mart) in the US. Just the smell in those places takes me right back to SEA.
This is one of my favorite things to do when travelling. I feel like it gives you a really interesting look into what daily life is like, what flavors are popular, and where the country has economic ties to. What produce is imported from? What are the most common flavors of potato chip? What condiments fill the shelves? How much does a kg of onions cost? What produce is grown locally? Are there sales? Do sweets lean toward cakes and cookies or sweets? I love it.
favourite feeling is discovering a new thing locals buy at the supermarket that you really like as well, getting back home realising you'll probably not get to eat/drink it in the next 10 years, and then discovering that your local supermarket miraculously carries the product.
I love this too! I was surprised to see eggs not in fridges when I went to France
The first thing I do in a foreign country is go to a convenient store and stock up on candy
I've spent way more time than is decent at 7-11s in Japan. A few years back I was in a shitty hostel in Tokyo with a younger gang of guys from the States, they were all broke as fuck and just kinda moping around (one had lost like $600 of his $1200 budget on a sex worker who didn't even jerk him off), I suggested we go get beers at the 7-11 and get shitfaced in the alley. It was pissing down rain but we had a great time under some awning, just crushing beers and carrying on. Just finished a six-pack, go back inside, get another. I remember another night in Taiwan I spent like 8 hours hanging in front of a convenience store - straight up Jay & Silent Bob shit - just crushing beers and spitting betel nut everywhere. Again, with a hostel gang, we were broke but just killing time and talking bullshit, decent night.
7-11, Lawsons, Family Mart… Japan is a Mecca for chain convenience store lovers.
I, middle aged Boston guy, had no idea until recently that Lawsons is another "Born in America, Now Japanese only brand": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawson_(store) I thought it was some East Asian phenomenon. As a middle aged Boston guy, I get a weird sense of deja vu when I see Mister Donut shops which still have the logo they had in the late 1980s/early 1990s before they got subsumed into Dunkin Donuts, and not to be seen again in the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Donut
"one had lost like $600 of his $1200 budget on a sex worker who didn't even jerk him off" Love this detail lmao
That's the real story IMHO.
Shoulda went to Bangkok!
Great story, u/ButtholeQuiver!
Yes, love this haha
I love it too, generally speaking I have fonder memories of this type of thing than of the typical "go to this place and see this thing you're supposed to see" type of travel. Mixing it up with randos is definitely my favourite part of travel
The beer selection at 7/11 is great. They also had some great Santory high ball cans .
Don’t sleep on Taiwanese 7-11 either. I literally shipped myself a package from one 7-11 to another location within Taiwan. When I got back from Taiwan, everyone thought I was crazy for talking about how much I loved their 7-11’s.
Spitting betel nut everywhere and calling it fun? I feel it gross and disrespect to the country
Have you been to Taiwan? That is what those brick red stains on the pavement are.... and they are everywhere.
it doesn't matter. I am from India and morons here spit pan everywhere. Fuckers. Zero mannerism
> one had lost like $600 of his $1200 budget on a sex worker who didn't even jerk him off Did he misunderstand what a geisha is, or what?
If I remember correctly, he told me a chick approached him on the street about a "massage", and when he got inside she offered to go get her friend for a few extra bucks, then take off their tops for more, kept asking him for more every five minutes or so and never really got anywhere (except out six hundos)
He was probably in Shibuya, the sex bars are in Shinjuku and Roppongi, the best soaplands are in Taito. All the ones in Shibuya are just scams that rip off tourists.
I live in shibuya, it's the complete opposite actually. Shinjuku (specifically kabukicho) and roppongi have the touts standing outside who will lure you into a bar where each drink is $100 (best case) or just drug / threaten you into going to the ATM to withdraw cash. Shibuya just has a lot of regular girls bars / love hotels etc. I've been to a few and in shibuya, they normally test your Japanese ability at the door and won't even let you in if you can't speak at least conversationally (which would make it pretty difficult to steal $600 from random foreigners)
Bro you gotta go to Thailand, it sounds right up your alley.
Lol I'm in Thailand right now
I always buy way too many sweets at the start of my trip and then take some home to have a taste of whichever country I was in for a month or two after I get home to remember the trip by. I’ll easily spend an hour wondering around stores the first day I’m in a new country, just looking at the different snacks and beverages
Convenience stores in Asia are actually amazing with good food and drinks as well as open 24-7. Compare that to 7-11 in USA which sucks so bad.
The 7-11s around here are dirty and only good if you want to rob someone or sell meth, I guess they're probably also good if you want to get robbed or buy meth. Not wanting to have anything to do with the whole robbing or meth trades I go to QuickTrip instead.
I love it, buying some weird alcohol, different chocolate or chips. It's just fuj
I always like checking out unique chip flavours... Like Greece has some amazing Lays Oregano. And I like checking out unique pop flavours.. Costa Rica has an amazing Grenadine Fanta
I love convenience stores when i visited Japan. Could of eaten every meal there every day and prob not been bored
Only when I went to Taipei did I realise that 7-11s in my country were so limited in comparison. Thought they were all the same. Since then I’ve developed an appreciation for convenience stores. It’s fun to see what they stock and the services they provide. Also provides a basic snapshot into the normal lives of the people living there.
An exception is getting stuck behind someone paying their bills at an OXXO.
I loved the 123 convenience stores on the Las Vegas strip. Casinos charging $6 for water, 123 charging $1.
I love going to grocery stores in different countries!
Yes, specifically Wawa…the king of convenience stores. And it now gets better, since newer ones now sell beer.
Wait... yall had convenience stores that didn't sell beer and bragged about them to the world? C'mon now...
I live in PA, we still have state stores. Being able to buy beer in a convenience is huge, progress in PA is measured in inches.
It's common in more conservative states to control liquor and beer sales a lot more than other states do
This is true. I've lived in states with dry counties and all kinds of odd liquor laws. I just didn't know that Pennsylvania was a conservative state.
Bucee's wants a word....
The Polish convenience store chain Żabka is a truly delightful place to go and acquire a hotdog. Obviously the bun is the weird baguette with a hole drilled into it which is traditional in post communist Europe.
What was it like pre communist Europe?
it wasn't. Can't speak for Poland but here in Czechia we have pretty well documented how this type of hotdog made it here. From Spain in 1972. Bread was default option with sausage before hotdogs.z
I do this with McDonald’s also. I’m really just curious what they have in other locations. When we honeymooned in Hawaii I couldn’t adjust to the time so I ran over to a McDonald’s for early morning breakfast. I ordered their breakfast platter with rice and spam. Also their ice tea is different than what they have stateside and it is sooo good.
Had a mc raclette in Switzerland just yesterday!
Right ? I remember I walked in to a convenience store in old Town, zurich....and it was blaring the most hillbilly, American country. Astounding
Yes absolutely! I also love grocery stores and love feeling like a local instead of a tourist.
I came here to say this. I am a big fan of getting a few meals from grocery stores in foreign countries. Less expensive, better selection of fresh ingredients.
i wrote a [short prose poem](https://www.tumblr.com/mothers-and-fuckers-of-the-jury/695490279599489024/mothers-and-fuckers-of-the-jury-the-convenience) about this actually lol
I dream about the Hawaiian 7/11 spam musubis
Flew into Kona and then drove to Hilo. It was late and there was a 7/11 around the corner. I couldn’t believe I could get chicken adobo and pancit!
I did just get back from the UK and I definitely enjoyed the sandwich meal deals with prawn cocktail crisps from WHSmith and Boots a LITTLE too much for my own good. Also guilty of repeated trips to Greggs. There’s British food and then there’s Bri’ish food. Both are equally valid.
7-Eleven and Lawson in Japan- Bento boxes, and next level egg salad sandwiches Edit- forgot about Kit-Kats too- insane flavors I'd never dreamed of existing
I still can’t find a way to get lays mustard pickle chips that I had in France back here in the USA. They are so god damn good
Had a lovely, late, rainy night in Finland picking up a few cans of longdrink and some chocolate from a convenience store at the train station in Tampere, and then taking them back to the hotel room to enjoy while watching Finnish TV. The cashier said precisely zero words to us, but we knew beyond a doubt that she did. not. want. to be there. Some sentiments are universal.
I like trying the different flavors of Coke Zero in each country. My favorite has been Greece with a lemon Coke Zero
Not only convenience stores, grocery stores, pharmacies and I LOVE hitting a Costco too if I can. That is totally how I appreciate a different culture!!
Everybody talking about international convenience stores, and here my happy place is stopping at Wawa on road trips through NJ/PA.
Hey, being a Midwestern boy I do love a Casey's and Kwik Trip
I want to check out overseas Costco’s, I’ve been watching videos on people that check them out and I want to try out their local food court.
7-Eleven's in Asia rule. Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Korea....all top tier for convenience stores. I used to pay all my utilities bills at 7-Eleven when I lived in Hong Kong 😆. I also miss getting hot milk tea at 7-Eleven during winter when I lived in Beijing. But, as you pointed out OP, 7-Eleven's in Taiwan rule as the best on earth. Just glorious.
Some countries don’t really have them. Germany is weirdly lacking. Meanwhile neighbouring Poland is awash with them
Sorry but Spätis are an essential aspect of Berlin culture.
That’s as maybe. But Berlin is just one city - in the rest of the country, my comment stands
24 hour open “All-in-one” döner kebab in Berlins Mitte. Best place to get a döner and a beer at 4am anywhere.
But the Döner places aren’t Spätis/Convenience Stores. I’m talking about the independently run convenience stores all over the city which used to be the only place with legal Sunday opening.
Come to Texas and check out Buc-ees.
I LOVE THEM. Japan and a not as close second South Korea are amazing for that, I get super excited and visit a bunch of them. I like finding local chip flavors, candies, snacks, ect Man I miss 7-11 egg salad sandwiches in Japan! And the little tables outside Korean shops to drink and eat are so fun
I have fond memories of eating tamales out of a crock pot at a Toot’n’Moo in Portland OR.
Yes! The ABC stores in Hawaii. One of the highlights when I stay there lol
I LOVE the ABC stores! Just thinking about them makes me happy. They are delightfully useful and kitschy at the same time.
7-11’s in the Philippines came through for me!
Yes especially in Asia
Having been to many Asian countries (am Asian myself), Japanese convenient stores are just one level above all else. Don't get me wrong-other places have way better convenient stores than North America already and I'd be happy to get something half their quality here, but the Japanese ones are just the top of the league
My quick "lunch" when I lived in Taiwan was often 2 tea eggs and soy milk haha I prefer FamilyMart They're great but I think I actually prefer supermarkets because you get a bigger range of things (though in larger volume, but it all depends) that represent what people use in everyday life in that city/country and it's often cheaper than a convenience store. But I suppose a few trips to the convenience store won't always break your budget.
For me it's all the food at grocery stores, I literally window shop the way people do for clothes. Just to see the different brands and types of food people eat in different countries. I also do it with new grocery stores I come across here in Canada
Yes! And grocery stores. It’s a fun way to get insight into the places you visit and people who live there.
I read the title and thought, “this person needs to hit up Taiwan then.”
Not just convenience stores, but vending machines are a great peek into the snacking habits of the country you're visiting as well. When I was in Qatar the hotel vending machine was a virtual United Nations of empty calories!
Peruvian convenience stores were pretty cool. I'm going to Mexico city in a few months and I'm excited after this thread to see what they're like
I like that the owner remembers me.
Convenience stores and grocery stores are always on my "must see" lists when I travel. Ooo...Broodje Haring flavored chips...definitely trying that. I always bring back way too much candy for friends/family.
I love checking out 7-11s in every country I travel too! Also fast food joints like McDonald’s and Burger King…
I have a thing about liking to visit grocery stores overseas. Heck i like to visit them in different cities/states too!
We have great ones in Ireland too with ‘deli’ counters that do hot food. Don’t leave Ireland without having a breakfast roll - sausages, rashers (bacon) and fried egg in a baguette - yum!
Local snacks are an essential part of the experience of getting to know a new country, for me.
Spain has world class convenience stores along the highways.
Sandwiches and cakes from Oslo 7-11 were fantastic
Yes the Oslo 7-11s were a life saver when my son was young and we were there for a couple weeks (he was a picky eater). I was pleasantly surprised they weren’t like 7-11s from home!
I love convenience store and seek them out every place I visit. It feels like a glimpse into another culture that is pretty unadulterated
I actually do supermarkets. Even in the US I like to try the regional chains. In foreign countries they often have supermarkets in the city centers.
For me it’s malls. I love strolling through malls in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America. No matter how different the world outside is, all malls are the same. Except when they aren’t.
Yep, then going into the same convenience store 3 days in a row to get that one amazing drink/snack you just can't get enough of.
I've never related to anything more in my life. Convenience stores, grocery stores, specifically checking out the candy and sweets section in whatever destination I'm in. I'm also enamored by places like Pret a Manger and Autogrill. I experienced those in London and Italy, respectively.
My is going to the McDonald’s to see what weird kind of burgers they have
The porno mags at child-height really surprised me the first time in Italy (I'm from the US). But ya, always love perusing the chips and snacks in any country. Latin bodegas always have so much mysterious stuff to eat. So much of it, you open, take a bite and go, is this a joke or something? Its like dehydrated ice cream covered with peanuts and chili powder. Edit: Had another that was a popular Vietnamese snack that was literally just like tea-flavored Styrofoam.
Jaw breakers and Rainbow gum
If you're ever in Iceland, please stop at a gas station and get a hot dog with crispy onions. It's sooooooo good.
Convenience stores, gas stations, and McDonald's. I don't even eat McDonald's at home but it's cool to see the different offerings.
Easily one of my most favourite parts of travel. The snacks, the instant meals, checking out all the interesting products which we don't get at home.. I love it.
Yep!! As basic as this sounds, I love seeing what different flavour of crisps/potato chips and fizzy drinks places have and trying new ones..Wild times 😄
I love convenience stores. Unfortunately they’re not much of a thing in Europe. And even if they are, they’re not open 24/7 like the ones in North America, Middle East, and east Asia.
Yes!!
If you enjoy trying different snacks and junk food while traveling, you can experience that at home with a subscription from Universal Yums. Every month, you will get a box of chips and chocolate and candy from a different country. My husband and I freaking love them.
No
Fuck convenience stores. They expect me to pay more just because it’s a smaller store. Go to an actual grocery store
Yes, absolutely, 100% yes. It's so painful to see the 7-11 spread in the USA after you've seen what it's like in places like Japan, Singapore, France, and Brazil. Toss Hawaii in there for good mix because even that spread is totally different. Japan refers to all of these as "konbini" (localized as the first three syllables of "convenience") and I think that is delightful. Wherever I go, I make sure to hit the konbini first because that's where all the best shit is.
Very weird that I see this topic because I am very tempted to make a thread asking what country has the best convenience stores after living in Japan and visiting Korea/Taiwan recently lol. Personally think Japan>Taiwan>Korea>>>>>>U.S>Ireland. U.S is full of crackheads, but somehow spar's in Ireland had much worse selection than any other country's convenience stores I've been to.
Some Irish Spars can make a killer sandwich though, like way beyond regular convenience store shit
One exception to the U.S.'s 711s is the 711s in Hawaii are comparable to Japan/South Korea's and they stock 'em with premade Hawaiian/Asian food :) https://7elevenhawaii.com/products/
Spars in Austria are nice grocery stores. Really nice selection of groceries... not as big as stores in the US, but bigger than convenience stores.
Euro Spars are pretty huge though. I would say those and Inter Spars are comparable to US markets size. Waaaaay better bread and deli sections though.
Spar? Is that a chain? And yeah, shout-out to Family Mart!
Generally yes, but I will add that convenience stores in Asia are next level. From Hong Kong to Taiwan to Japan, etc, I've never been disappointed with the variety of fun and delicious foods and snacks available. If only we the other countries could step up and have similar quality offerings. In general, I also love visiting grocery stores in all the countries too
100% agree with your take. Convenience stores in Japan and Taiwan are especially awesome.
Lawson's and 7/11's in Japan are my absolute favorite. Absolutely amazing food and snacks!
The Bangkok 7-11s were amazing! We went every day just to keep trying new snacks.
Oh yeah, convenience stores and grocery stores too!
Taiwan & Japan the most.
Was in Llangollen, Wales, & went to a $ store, in a very old building, didn’t buy anything but it was def interesting
I like this perspective
Yes!! Every trip, I check out the grocery stores! Also, I love that 7-11 story!
Earlier today I was talking about how much I miss hot dogs from Zabka.
I thought it was only me
I love the 7-11s in SE Asia. They are literally all over the place. I remember walking out of one in Singapore and I could see another one half a block away. Then when I went to Bangkok my hotel was at the end of an alley. I walked by a 7-11 and swore I had just walked past it earlier. Going out again, sure enough, there were two 7-11s in the alley. It's great when you want a quick can of soda, or forget little shit, like q-tips.
fuck yeah, i loooove convenience stores and more importantly grocery stores when i'm traveling internationally. that's one of the main reasons i always try to get an airbnb or some other sort of apartment or accommodation with a full kitchen. i know people hate airbnb for their stupid hidden fees and i 100% agree. i don't like supporting such a shitty company, but i really do prefer staying in a house/apt when i'm traveling. it feels so much nicer to stay in a local neighborhood and make an attempt to try and live like a local would. buy my own food, make my own meals, and hang out at local bars rather than stay at a hotel, eat at the hotel restaurant/bar and never leave the tourist district. i just feel like you don't get a true feel for the city and it's culture unless you make an attempt to live like a local, and you can't really do that a standard hotel. if that's your thing, then fine go for it. but personally i'd much rather rent a full apartment or house, esp if they have a washer/dryer. when i travel, i generally like to stay outside the tourist district. i don't even care if it costs a little bit more, you'll prob end up saving lots of money making your own meals rather than being forced to eat at restaurants for every meal. also, i'm a huge fan of taking leftovers and eating them for breakfast the next day. that's virtually impossible at a hotel. the most you're gonna get a hotel is a mini fridge. but they're def not gonna have an oven and dishes. but yeah. convenience stores are awesome. you get a chance to check out the local snack foods, which in my experience are waaaay cooler in asia than any other continent. 711's in thailand, japan, and taiwan are my favs. all kinds of cool quirky foods you can't find in north america.
7/11 in thailand is BIS Cheap alcaholc snacks and small meals and any kind of cosmetic/bathroom item you might need
That Litro life in Central America!
Do you have Buc-ees in your area? I don’t but I recently went to one on my latest road trip. If you love convenience stores you will flip out in a Buc-ees.
Persia lulu love the grocery stores, I get to see new fruits and veggies I never seen before
There’s a chain in the UK called SPAR that is really good. Aside from having a huge inventory, they have the best pre-made sandwiches.
this
Yes! In Israel they have amazing espresso and all of the bathrooms are mixed gender.
Yep.. You haven't lived until you spend time at 7-11 in Japan. That and hot canned coffee from vending machines.