Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) The official opening of Taiwan's first Don Don Donki store, from the Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, attracted more than 500 people who lined up in front of the outlet before its grand opening Tuesday.
According to the Japanese retailer, at the head of the line was a man, who arrived at about 5:30 a.m. and waited for the opening at 10 a.m.
The new store, which is famous for its mascot "Donpen," a penguin, occupies three stories of a building at No. 123 Xining Street, not far from Exit 6 of MRT Ximen Station.
The three-floor outlet will open 24 hours a day and offer a wide selection of Japanese products, including cosmetics, snacks, beverages, fresh produce, made-to-order meals and sushi, directly imported from Japan.
Since the maximum number of patrons allowed into the new store at any one time is 350, staff applied entry restrictions, but the long line continued to grow with more people arriving later in the day.
The discount chain was a favorite destination among Taiwanese travelers visiting Japan before the COVID-pandemic.
In the wake of border controls amid COVID-19, the arrival of the first Don Don Donki outlet in Taiwan is expected to be a big hit with the many Taiwanese unable to visit Japan.
Among the patrons lining up in front of the Don Don Donki store, a woman surnamed Lin (林) who was with her 3-year-old daughter told CNA that she went to Japan three times a year on average before the pandemic, and the store chain was somewhere she always visited.
Lin said she was happy to have the Don Don Donki store in Taipei because it means she can now buy products that are not offered by other retailers.
A college student, surnamed Chung, who was also standing in the long line, said before the pandemic, he visited Japan once every two months and always went to a Don Quijote store.
Chung said he came to the Taipei store Tuesday to find a beverage from Japan not stocked by other retail outlets in Taiwan.
Another college student, surnamed Chen, who had never previously visited a Don Quijote store when she visited Japan, said she simply wanted to see what the store looked like and the products it sells.
