Convenience Stores Transform Taiwan(1) | 台湾超商传奇(1)

Urban Oases: 我爱便利商店？

本篇中英文节录自《台湾光华杂志》

九十九年七月第三十五卷第七期

『我爱便利商店？――台湾超商传奇』

Strolling through the streets of Taipei, even if you stop at random and look around, you will surely see several convenience stores only a short walk away. The huge number of convenience stores in Taiwan is not only a source of wonder to foreign visitors but also one of the things that Taiwanese who go abroad miss most about home.

Taiwan is ranked first in the world for having the most convenience stores per capita, reflecting an obsession with immediacy because the Taiwanese hate to wait. Since time is a scarce resource, convenience stores can be seen as a revolution in time—no matter when you enter, the shelves are fully stocked and the lights are on. You can pick up or send packages, get cash from the ATM, pay bills, photocopy documents, grab a pre-packaged fantuan for breakfast or a bedtime snack, or simply buy a latte and sit in the shop flipping through a magazine. There is no distinction between day and night. Without your even realizing it, the scope of your day is expanded and you have broken free of the restraints of the clock.

Moreover, in contrast to the "early to bed, early to rise" constraints imposed by the nine-to-five society, the boundary between work time and play time is blurred, and the demand for nightlife is high in post-modern society. People in Taiwan already commonly use the term 7-Eleven as a metaphor for a working pattern where the sun never sets. When everything becomes dark and quiet late at night, you can still see city life carrying on at the convenience store, making it the standardized image of a city that never sleeps.

走在台北街头，随意抬头一望，百步之内就可看到多家便利商店比邻而立。台湾便利商店之多，不仅是外国观光客眼中的『宝岛奇景』，还是许多出国民众心中最想念的东西。

　　台湾便利商店的密度是全球第一，反映了我们对『实时性』生活的着迷，因为台湾人不喜欢等。由于时间已是稀少资源，因此便利商店也可视为是一种『时间革命』：无论你何时光顾，都是货品满架、灯火通明。你可以收送包裹、领钱缴费、打印文件，可以随意把御饭团当早餐或当宵夜，也可以买杯拿铁坐在店里翻看杂志，完全没有白天和黑夜之分。不知不觉中，你的一天幅度变长了，也挣脱了时间的束缚。

　　此外，相对于工业社会朝九晚五的『早睡早起』制约，后现代社会中，工作和玩乐的时间界线模糊，对夜生活的需求也高，日常生活中大家也已习惯用『7-Eleven』来比喻日不落的工作模式。夜晚时分一切尽归沉静，而城市生活仍在街角的便利商店中上演着，成了不夜城中的标准化地景。