A special place for everyone

When it is merely a matter of satiating his hunger, Liu Yichen said that a cheap snack that costs around 10 yuan ($1.45) in a convenience store is far more satisfying than a 1,000 yuan-meal in a swanky restaurant set in a classical mansion.

Liu was recalling his recent dining experience during the Chinese Lunar New Year when he met up with a classmate from his senior high school.

"The food and wine served at the mansion are premium but they seemed to have formed an invisible wall between the two old buddies. The dinner felt more like a business event rather than a reunion," said Liu, a white-collar worker from Beijing.

"After the dinner was over, I walked into a convenience store on the way home and bought some noodles, a salted duck egg and a cup of oden. That was a real meal that truly satisfied my stomach."

"Besides, convenience stores are a very special place because they are always there for us around the clock, regardless of what time it is."

Liao Chen, a junior manager at a financial company, shares Liu's love for convenience stores. He said that the microwave meal of fried chicken fillet and rice sold at FamilyMart store ranks among his favorite lunch options.

"My current job requires me to do a lot of overtime. Whenever I have no time to cook, I will go to a convenience store. The food there may not taste as delicious as what is cooked in restaurants, but they are clean, cheap and time-saving," said Liu.

A staff from a Lawson store in Songjiang district, Shanghai, said their customers don't just patronize the store for main meals - many seek out seasonal snacks too. He said that as the Qingming Festival is approaching, sweet green rice balls, the traditional snack for this festival when Chinese visit their ancestors' tombs, has been selling well.

Tang Zhuyan, who runs a business on social networking platform Wechat, said that she always goes to convenience stores whenever she travels to large Chinese cities or abroad. She said that such stores usually allow a traveler to buy something that is unique to the city.

To Cao Ming, convenience stores are more than just a place where he can buy daily essentials - it can be a courier delivery point too. "When I am away from home and cannot receive packages, I would ask the courier to send the package to a nearby convenience store. This saves me a lot of time," said Cao.

Zhang Han and Lu Qian in Shanghai contributed to the story.