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The world's 'most inconvenient' convenience store hangs on the side of a cliff in China, selling bottled water and snacks to parched climbers

Waiyee Yip   

The world's 'most inconvenient' convenience store hangs on the side of a cliff in China, selling bottled water and snacks to parched climbers
International2 min read
  • The world's "most inconvenient" convenience store hangs off a cliff in China's Hunan province.
  • The wooden box in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park sells refreshments to climbers.

It takes a bit of work to get to this convenience store in China — for starters, you have to climb 120 meters (393 feet) up the side of a cliff.

Dubbed the world's "most inconvenient" convenience store, the small wooden box hangs on the side of a mountain in the Shiniuzhai National Geological Park in Hunan province, providing refreshments to climbers who need a quick break in the middle of their climb.

Pictures of the store went viral in China over the weekend after several news outlets reported on it, with the hashtag "most inconvenient convenience store" receiving close to 50 million views on the Twitter-like Weibo platform.

Many users wondered about the workers who operate the tiny store.

"The workers must be very fit if they have to climb up and down to their 'office' every day," a Weibo user commented.

According to the Chinese state media outlet CCTV, the store stocks drinks and some snacks, including potato chips. Prices are not hiked up either, with the price of bottled water capped at 2 yuan ($0.30).

"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," a worker told the outlet.

Only one worker is stationed inside the boxy space at any given time — and part of their job is to replenish the store's supplies every morning before dawn.

"Every new employee is quite scared of doing this at first, but you get used to it very quickly," the worker said. "The only issue is having to use the toilet. 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."

The Shiniuzhai National Geological Park is a popular scenic tourist spot in the country, known for its steep cliffs, waterfalls, and climbing trails. According to CCTV, the convenience store opened in 2018 but is currently closed due to China's Covid outbreak.

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