When you think of a convenience store, you probably imagine one on a street corner or at a petrol station.
But in China, climbers scaling a mountain in Hunan province can stop for a drink or a snack mid-ascent – if they’re willing to cling to a ladder 393 feet above the ground to get there.
Perched precariously on the side of a cliff in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, this wooden box-sized shop has been dubbed the "world's most inconvenient convenience store", and it’s going viral for obvious reasons.
Photos and videos of the tiny store blew up on Weibo (China’s version of X/Twitter) over the weekend, racking up close to 50 million views as people tried to wrap their heads around the unique concept.
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Reported by Business Insider, the store sits 120 metres up the mountainside and offers basic supplies to parched and exhausted climbers, including bottled water and potato chips.
Despite its extreme location, the shop doesn’t cash in on desperation — a bottle of water costs just 2 yuan (around 30p).
Speaking to CCTV (China Central Television), one of the workers said: “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.”
Working there is far from your average retail shift. Each morning before dawn, the staff climb the cliff face to restock supplies before opening for the day. Only one worker fits inside the box-like space at a time, and the reality of the job is gruelling.
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As another worker explained: “Every new employee is quite scared of doing this at first, but you get used to it very quickly. 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 shop first opened in 2018 to serve climbers on the steep route up the mountain.
While it temporarily closed due to China’s Covid restrictions, its recent viral fame has had people around the world baffled and amazed at the idea of a literal cliffside corner shop.
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Over on Reddit, the bizarre store has sparked plenty of conversation. User Xaxafrad summed it up simply: “Convenient for climbers.”
Meanwhile, SteadfastEnd highlighted the real benefit of the shop, saying: “Not just that, but it enables the climbers to avoid having to pack heavy bottled water during part or most of their climb. They climb without water, then buy at the store.”
And u/NoTechnician3792 made the obvious point that maybe it isn’t so ‘inconvenient’ after all: “Actually the MOST convenient if you just so happen to be climbing that particular rock…”
Whether it’s a genius business idea or a terrifying workplace, either way, this isn’t your average corner shop run for getting a quick four-pint bottle of milk.