TAIPEI, Taiwan – Need to ship an international package, get clothes dry-cleaned or download a government tax certificate at 3 a.m.? Want to buy a train or movie ticket, then grab a tray of noodles you can heat and eat? How about a cold draft beer while you’re at it? In Taiwan, convenience stores have you covered.

What began as an American innovation has flourished across Asia. In high-density cities with compact apartments, the humble convenience store has been reinvented as a public and civic lifeline.

Recommended Videos

Here in Taiwan, it’s an essential part of daily life.

“I’ve studied at Starbucks before, but it was noisier, with lots of people chatting,” said 17-year-old high school student Huang Jing-ya, her textbooks spread across a table at a large 7-Eleven outlet near National

See Full Page