Why are there so many 7-Elevens in Taiwan?

Variety of pork buns at 7-11

winter meals at 7-11

7-11 quick meals

Taiwan has 4,800 7-Eleven (7-11) convenience stores, making it the third highest in the world regardless of geographic size (Taiwan is about the size of Connecticut!), and the densest internationally. There is a 7-Eleven at almost every single gate of Taipei Main Station (TSR) and many neighborhoods in Taipei have them on every block. Why are there so many? Coming from the US, I was accustomed to thinking of 7-Eleven as a desperation road stop for directions, a dirty bathroom, lottery tickets, or for a giant slurpy. But in Taipei, 7-Elevens offer services and quality goods that are impossible to imagine: order a 10-course Thanksgiving dinner, you can pay all your bills,  buy tickets to a remote village, purchase tasteful winter clothes, find rare California wines, obtain a rental agreement, send a fax,  develop pictures, mail packages, or surf the web. Apparently, 80% of people in Taipei visit 7-Eleven at least once a week. I buy my tickets to Nan’ao using the Chinese-only ticket machine (took me 3 times to memorize the characters), for  prepared salad (hard to find), and freshly-cut papaya and guava. My cell phone plan is with 7-Eleven. One time I was looking everywhere for shoe polish, I searched at least 20 stores. Where did I find it? 7-Eleven. A Fulbright colleague once told a group of us that 7-Eleven shipped a large live fish to a remote mountain so his friends could make sashimi! I am definitely partial to using the independent shops and food stalls in Taipei for my meals and goods and I don't think anyone wants 7-Eleven to take over the quaint and unique aspects of Taipei markets. But for paying bills, buying tickets, and the occasional salad it’s wonderful.