Insight & Analysis

Cliff side shop named most inconvenient convenience store

Published: Nov 2023

A tiny shop on a steep mountainside in China, that supplies refreshments for climbers, has been nicknamed the most inconvenient convenience store.

Close up of climbing gear equipment

Located in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, Hunan province, China, the small shop sits on a mountain route and takes 90 minutes to reach. Getting to the shop is no easy feat and successful climbers are gifted a free bottle of water.

The store is a small wooden shed only 21.5 square feet, situated 120m (394ft) above the ground.

Workers replenish stock daily using ziplines, and only one member of staff can be inside the store at one time.

“The store doesn’t make much money, but the tourists are very grateful for it, so we all feel like our jobs are very meaningful,” an anonymous worker reportedly told CCTV, a Chinese state-run media outlet.

According to the worker, after getting over the initial fear of the climb, the biggest issue is the bathroom. “It’s exhausting to have to climb back down and up again to use the toilet, so we try not to drink too much water.”

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