Why on earth would I dedicate a blogpost to the 7 Eleven stores in Thailand? These are boring convenience stores, right? Ding-Dong…that annoying sound when you enter the shop. Terrible. Right?
Wrong.
At least for travelers, 7-Eleven has become part of the daily Thai life. It will actually be very difficult not to visit one while traveling in Thailand! Those who have been to Thailand for sure know what I’m talking about.
Do we like the 7-Eleven? Yes! It’s for sure the favorite go-to-place for our kids. Perfect stuff to ‘survive’ a day in the happy chaos of Bangkok. 7-Eleven will never disappoint you; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week your trustable partner for food, drinks, snacks and other travel must-haves….
What’s not to like?
Well, maybe the fact that you cannot really call this authentic Thai culture. However… the first 7-Eleven store was opened in Bangkok in 1989, 27 years ago! Not historic but part of contemporary Thai culture for sure.
7-Eleven in Thailand – you cannot miss it
There are over 8,000 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand, of which half are in Bangkok! Really, the density of these stores in the Thai capital is amazing. Wherever you are in Bangkok you will find a 7-Eleven store nearby; some even say you will find one within a 5 minute walk from anywhere….
What do they sell? Well, for us travelers everything you need for a quick breakfast, lunch or snack. Let me show you our favorite 7-Eleven (food) products!
1. Our bread and butter
Yes, sometimes we are fed up with noodles and rice. Can you imagine the joy when we buy some slices of bread? Especially with the ham that you can see in the back of the image.
Of course it doesn’t compare at all with fresh baked bread…. but when in Ayutthaya our kids didn’t mind to skip breakfast at the hotel in favour of this 7-Eleven bread/ham combination…(omg)
We always buy some of the cakes they offer. Not the most healthiest of options, but a nice snack if you cannot quickly find a restaurant for lunch during your day trip.
2. Ice Ice Baby
We have always traveled Thailand in July and August…Hot! After an exhausting day of biking or exploring temples a bit of real ice cream is delicious! How a little bit of ice cream can make you feel a different person again…
3. “He was a wise man who invented beer”
Even better than ice cream after a sweltering day: an ice cold beer for Dad. Be aware that 7-Eleven is not selling alcohol between 14.00-17.00 and before 11.00. The morning one I can understand, but I have no idea about the meaning of the afternoon one. Do you?
P.S. This is no ad for the Chang brand… I just love the Chang beer.
4. I eat…and I snack.
These coconut cream flavored nuts are our favorite. They go very well with an ice-cold Chang beer by the way.
5. Sandwich. Grill it!
This year we discovered the 7-Eleven branded Cheese Sausage Sandwich (we call this a Tosti in the Netherlands). At the counter they will grill it for you within a couple of minutes. Melted cheese…bon appetit! I am convinced that lots of backpackers eat this for breakfast and/or lunch!
6. Slurpy and Ice-coffee…mmmmm
We always have our own 7-Eleven challenge: who can get the most slurpee or ice-coffee in the cup? We were taught some tricks by local students: pour slurpee in your carton cup, tap on the bottom and you will see the slurpee settle. More room for more slurpee! Just pull the dispenser level again…
7. Mama Mia: Green Curry Noodles
Your kids will for sure love these cup noodles. Just boil some water on your hotel room and off you go: slurp those noodles! Again, maybe not the most nutritious meal but perfect for a quick lunch. Our kids go crazy for a cup of noodles.
8. Toiletries (and other stuff)
Please don’t try to bring unlimited amounts of toothpaste or soap to Thailand. There is enough choice at the 7-Eleven, where you can also buy other things that you really don’t have to bring to Thailand: travel plugs, mosquito spray, toilet paper, rain ponchos, and much more. It’s one happy convenience store!
7 eleven stores Thailand
Have you ever been to Thailand? How do you feel about the 7-Eleven? Care to start up a fanclub? Just look at me having fun shopping!! 🙂
Interested to read more about Thailand? Here are some great stories for you:
– 8 Best Bangkok Temples
– Ayutthaya or Sukhothai?
– Khanom, unspoiled charm in the South of Thailand
– Impressions of Phetchaburi, the place to be for temple lovers
– Bangkok bicycle tour
– The coolest guesthouse in Bangkok
– Day-dreaming on Koh Chang island
– Letter to Chiang Mai
Text and photography by: Emiel van den Boomen
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30 comments
Love that post. 7 Eleven is truly one of the best thing about Thailand. And boy their toasties and redbull saved many from hangovers.
After an exhausting day of biking or exploring temples a bit of real ice cream is delicious! How a little bit of ice cream can make you feel a different person again ?
So true, thanks Janice!
[…] amazingly cheap price. Most of them are cooked over charcoal. You might tend to upset your tummy. 7 Eleven in Thailand will come to your rescue by selling common medicines. You will also find simple remedies and herbs […]
[…] food). Overall, it was a struggle to find high quality food there, and we ended up eating a lot of 7-Eleven […]
I was there this December on a family trip. It was my first time visiting and yes, we definitely shopped at 7-Eleven every other day. There was one at every few steps (it seems). Same with pharmacy’s… why is that? I will take pictures at my next visit. Definitely visiting again!
Thanks for leaving a comment Yeng! Why so many? Well, it’s their grab-and-go strategy to have a store available where ever you go. By keeping them small they are able to launch stores almost everywhere.. Intriguing concept for sure.
Sometimes even the weirdest-sounding products end up being amazing! Other times, not so much. This is a great place to post your findings and help one another suss out the difference 😉 : https://www.facebook.com/groups/162759500842590/
Haha, love it!
Makes me thirsty for Singha!
I bet it does 🙂
7-11 stores a must. Many now have an automated cappuccino machine. (A sign outside tells you). A hot latte (latte lod) or iced coffee with milk (latte yen) costs around 1 Australian dollar and is quite good.
Excellent, good to know! I love a big ice coffee after a long, hot day of sight seeing… 🙂
me too!!!! I shopped at 7eleven everyday! when I was in Thailand! I just can’t stop buying evry time I go in there! I wanted to bring home all the beauty products and snacks in there esp the bananacake
Thanks for leaving a comment Helen! Glad to know we have so many 7-Eleven fans 🙂 Next time we also try the banana cake!
[…] There are over 8,000 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand, of which half are in Bangkok! Really, the density of these stores in the Thai capital is amazing. Wherever you are in Bangkok you will find a 7-Eleven store nearby; some even say you will find one within a 5 minute walk from anywhere…. “actoftraveling.com“ […]
Pretty sure the 2pm – 5pm alcohol ban was put in place to discourage students from purchasing right after they’ve left school. Of course, it applies over the weekend as well. TIT ><
That could definitely be a very good reason, thanks!
Ik ben zoooo benieuwd geworden naar de 7-Elevens in Thailand, iedereen is er helemaal lyrisch over. Ik zag er eerder een in Kopenhagen maar dat was gewoon een mini-supermarkt. Als ik in november in Thailand ben ga ik er zeker een (of meerdere) bezoeken, en dan vooral voor de knakworsttosti!
Ze zijn echt gewoon overal en daardoor super gemakkelijk. Totaal on-Thais maar daardoor juist weer leuk in die Thaise omgeving.
Mr Emiel I just knew you but I would great if we are friends on Facebook……
Love the way you made em…..next time I visit Thailand with my parents I’m gonna hunt for 7-11’s and a stupid question to ask but…”Hoe tall are you”
Haha, you should Oliver. I am 1m86 🙂
Oh….you’re tall
Convenience stores are indeed every travelers’ best friends!
When cruising around on our motorbike, the kids would play a game to see who spotted each 7-Eleven first. When they saw one back in the USA they were SO excited. Slightly different experience on the inside. 🙂
Same kind of reply on Facebook; her kids didn’t even know 7-11 existed in the US until they came back from Thailand! 🙂
Ugh. Chang. I’m a Singha man myself. Some locals told us the afternoon ban has to do with not having alcohol readily available in the afternoon hours when kids are getting out of school.
It was the only place we could find diapers and tissues. No need to stock up because as you say: ” they are probably always in a 5 minute walk”. Thailand is so convenient!
So convenient indeed! Always fun to walk around to see if you can discover something new and interesting….