Indirectly related: before visiting Thailand I heard that 7-Elevens were everywhere (they were) and a core part of daily life for locals and tourists alike. I expected them to be more like the Japanese model, but was surprised that they all had a very limited number of salty snacks, energy drinks, and toiletries - similar to the US.

Other than a nice selection of tourist-friendly pre-paid mobile plans, I couldn't really understand (or validate) the "important" role they played.

Anyone have a perspective on this?