Convenience Store Culture

One of the most visible aspects of Taiwan is probably the sheer amount of convenience stores. In our first few days of exploring Taipei, I was amazed at how common it is to see one or two convenience stores on almost every block. Sometimes, two convenience stores are even located across from one another on the same street! I have primarily noticed 7-Eleven, Hi-Life and FamilyMart, though it is certainly possible that some chains of convenience stores are more popular by region. I decided to do some digging and see if I could find an explanation for why there are so many convenience stores in Taiwan.

Taiwan's territory is composed of about 36,000 square kilometers. Within Taiwan, there are nearly 10,000 convenience stores, meaning one can bump into a convenience store every 500 meters, taking into account areas with low population density (logically, convenience stores are fewer in number where there are fewer people, but even then convenience stores are still a common sight). With these numbers in consideration, Taiwan has the highest density of convenience stores of any country in the world. As of 2009, Taiwan has one convenience store for every 2,500 people of its 23 million population.

The reason for convenience stores' popularity is due to the services they provide. In contrast to foreign counterparts, Taiwanese shoppers can rely on convenience stores to withdraw money, book train tickets, deposit trash, drop off and pick up laundry and pay bills. Indeed, over 80% of urban dwellers visit a convenience store at least once a week. In my own personal experience, convenience stores in the United States can only be used to buy snacks, tobacco products, lottery tickets and sometimes services such as filling a gas tank or dropping off recyclable products.

Please keep in mind, I have not found any specific numbers online to support the following. Taiwan has a population of 23 million while the United States has a population of 313.9 million. There are 4,790 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan and 8,200 7-Elevens in the United States. Hypothetically, if all 7-Elevens in the world had 7 employees at each location, then there would be 33,530 7-Eleven employees in Taiwan and 57,000 7-Eleven employees in the United States, which would mean that 0.15% of Taiwan's population are 7-Eleven employees while 0.018% of the United States' population are 7-Eleven employees, a ninefold difference. In other words, Taiwan's 7-Eleven industry accounts for a significant amount of its job market, specifically for people under the age of 30.

Based off my experience in walking around Taipei, the Taiwanese seem to be a people in transit. Mass amounts of people use the subway and roving bands of motor scooters are an equally common sight. Convenience stores in Taiwan are not simply convenient; they are a necessity. Without them, Taiwan would lack an avenue through which people can acquire many daily services.

My next blog post will be about societal orderliness, specifically in terms of how I have observed the people here to be quiet, organized and polite.