Seven reasons why I like 7-ELEVEN
Soup du Jour at 7-Eleven
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Seven reasons why I like 7-ELEVEN in Beijing:
1. Staff: Generally well-trained and polite. I would never expect to witness an employee washing her hair in a plastic basin near the cash register, as I did at another chain’s store earlier this week.
2. Space: The shelves are organized, the floors clean, the stores generally roomy compared to the competition.
3. Food: A nice array of on-the-run items, including California rolls and tuna-rice triangles. I like the soup station with eggs, cabbage rolls, and various items on a stick. And kimchi is 2.5 kuai.
4. Wine: A good place to grab a last-minute bottle of Jacob’s Creek, Frontera, or budget-friendly Changyu sparkling cider. Same goes for beer and spirits.
5. Cheese: I noticed yesterday that the store near the St. Regis Hotel sells several brands of Brie and Camembert from RMB37 per package.
6. Fruit: They have it. Usually oranges, bananas, and pears; sometimes mangoes, plums, cherries, and others.
7. Disposable razors. They have these, too. Gillette. A pair for 9.9 kuai.
By the way, I frequent the 7-ELEVENS near the St. Regis, The Place, Gongti West, and Sanlitun South, and I have NEVER seen more than one copy of China Daily in any of them. Is one issue per outlet the maximum?
(Photo: Xiaming)
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The “soup station” is actually a Japanese dish known as oden. Different items are slow cooked in soup stock. Delicious and considered the ultimate test of a mother’s cooking talents. And Mama 7-11 is famous for her oden in Japan.
The local 7-11 branches are from the Japanese company, not the American chain. Which is why, in my opinion, they have such great fresh food, Japanese candies and liquor selections. And also why they feature oden all year round.
@ Gracie,
Yes, the food is much fresher than at other shops around the city and the service is better, too (the exception: the shop in Jianwai Soho, near Cafe Europa, where I have had several bad experiences).
Cheers, Boyce
I have a 7-11 in our office building in VanTone Plaza.
It’s garbage food that sits in open containers, with the staff wearing their face masks under their chins. The stench when you walk in is simply awful. Faced with a choice of that or Amigos or Pekotan or even Subway, I vote with my feet.
Hey 8 Songs,
We already have one regular poster called “The Village Grouch.” Stop crowding his space!
Cheers, Boyce
The strangest thing about 7-11 in China, though, is the lack of coffee. US 7-11 chains are not a bad place to go for q quick, effective fix.
How is it that China chains are missing out on this lucrative stream of income?