一探本土便利店 / Checking Out the Local Convenience Stores

便利商店，我想現代人生活都離不開它，它們的占地不大，但商品種類多元、販售民生相關物品或即食食品的商店，最為出名的是日式便利商店，像是7-Eleven、FamilyMart、LAWSON等，它們都是在1970年代中期開始營運的，台灣在之後慢慢引入便利商店後，便利商店就攻佔了大街小巷，成為人們生活中不可缺少的一環。

我到泰國旅遊時，泰國也有便利商店，可以在裡面買到煉乳味超重的經典泰式奶茶，在英國出差時，英國也有便利商店，可以買到超浮誇甜甜圈，在廈門旅遊時，到處也可看到便利商店，我最愛在這裡買一罐大罐的王老吉凉茶，買這類飲料，因為很重，提太久手會很痠，在離住處近的便利商店買，是再好也不過了。

便利商店通常會根據所在地區，進行適當的在地化，它們除了提供一般常見的食品和日用品之外，很多特色商品，如當地特色小吃，如這家十分便利店，在店門口就有提到沙縣小吃，到店內一看，在熟食櫃台，看到很多在台灣無法見到得熟食，像是肉夾饃，對我而言，還蠻特別的，因為肉夾饃在我們這裡，有賣的店家不多，一份大概要七十多台幣，還有很多形形色色的烤串，包子的種類蠻多樣的，在店內也看得到熟悉的星巴克罐裝咖啡等常見到的商品，不過，基本上，賣的商品品牌我沒見過的居多。

此外，這家便利店還有內用座位區，很多便利店並沒有提供座位區，這家便利店位在鬧區，店面雖然不大，硬是整理出座位區，方便像我這樣的外地遊客可以稍稍休息一下，吃個東西，回復體力，另外，在這段旅遊期間，我也去7-Eleven和LAWSON便利店看過，它們相對乾淨明亮，商品品項也蠻多元的，但是賣的商品，對我而言，並沒有吸引力，我就是進去看看，比較一下，便利店的商品價錢通常較貴，實際上，有些較貴，有些相對便宜，但是方便性是它最大的賣點。

I think modern life is inseparable from convenience stores. They don't take up much space, but they offer a wide variety of products, selling daily necessities and ready-to-eat foods. The most famous ones are Japanese convenience stores like 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and LAWSON, which started operating in the mid-1970s. After Taiwan gradually introduced convenience stores, they quickly spread to every corner, becoming an essential part of people's lives.

When I traveled to Thailand, I found convenience stores there too. You could buy classic Thai milk tea with a heavy condensed milk flavor. On a business trip to the UK, I saw convenience stores selling extravagant donuts. While traveling in Xiamen, I saw convenience stores everywhere. My favorite thing to buy there was a big bottle of Wong Lo Kat herbal tea. These drinks are quite heavy, so buying them from a nearby convenience store instead of carrying them around for too long was perfect.

Convenience stores usually adapt to their local areas. Besides the usual food and daily necessities, they offer many local specialty items. For example, at this particular convenience store, there was a sign at the entrance mentioning Sha County snacks. Inside, at the hot food counter, I saw many foods you can't find in Taiwan, like roujiamo (a type of Chinese sandwich). It was quite special for me because there aren't many places that sell roujiamo where I live, and a portion costs over 70 NTD. There were also all sorts of skewers and a wide variety of steamed buns. I also saw familiar items like Starbucks canned coffee, but most of the brands were unfamiliar to me.

Moreover, this convenience store had an indoor seating area. Many convenience stores don't offer seating, but this one, located in a busy area, managed to carve out a seating area, making it convenient for travelers like me to take a short break, have a snack, and regain some energy. During this trip, I also visited 7-Eleven and LAWSON stores. They were relatively clean and bright, with a wide variety of products. However, the items they sold didn't particularly attract me. I went in mainly to have a look and compare. Convenience store products are usually more expensive, but while some items are pricier, others are relatively cheap. Convenience is their biggest selling point.

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