The short version: a Chinese convenience store clerk asks the same few questions in the same order: heat it (需要加热吗？), a bag (要袋子吗？), membership (有会员吗？), how you are paying (微信还是支付宝？) and the receipt (要小票吗？). Two answers cover almost all of them: 要，谢谢 yào, xièxie (yes, please) and 不用了，谢谢 búyòng le, xièxie (no need, thanks).
You have a bento box, a bottle of iced tea and a steamed bun. You have practised 多少钱？. Then the clerk says something quickly, looks at you and waits.
The good news is that this is less a conversation than a script, and it is almost the same at every FamilyMart, Lawson and 7-Eleven in the country. Learn the lines in advance and the only thing left is to choose between two answers.
The two answers that cover almost everything
Yes, please
要，谢谢yào, xièxieFor heating, a bag, chopsticks or a straw. With a number: 要一个, one please.
No, thanks
不用了，谢谢búyòng le, xièxie“No need, thanks.” Soft and completely polite.
The eight lines, in the order you will hear them
Nothing. Often it is not even the clerk speaking but a recorded voice set off by the door.
Nothing yet: the payment question comes next.
Paying by phone: who scans whom
Almost everyone in China pays with WeChat Pay or Alipay, and there are two ways it can go. The clerk's words tell you which one.
They scan you
付款码fùkuǎnmǎ, payment codeYou open the barcode in your app and hold it out; the clerk scans it. Prompt: 请出示付款码.
You scan them
收款码shōukuǎnmǎ, the shop's codeYou scan the QR code on the counter and type in the amount. Prompt: 扫这里, or 扫码.
Three things you may need to ask
Shared power banks (共享充电宝) are rented from machines in shops and restaurants and paid for with a phone app. The 一下 in 热一下 softens the request, the same way 看看 and 等一下 do; see doubling verbs in Chinese.
Check yourself: at the till
Pick the answer you would give.
不用了，谢谢 is the polite no. A bare 不要 sounds blunt.
Answer a 要 question with 要.
A 有 question is answered with 没有.
The 五 after 块 means five 毛: 15.5 yuan.
付款码 is your payment code; the clerk scans it.
热水 is hot water.
Hear the script before you need it
Hanzijo takes you from HSK 1 to HSK 9 with characters, vocabulary and the full grammar syllabus in one connected path. Every character and word has an exclusive mnemonic, tones are colour-coded with native audio and a tone trainer, and a 7-stage SRS engine times each review. Keep going all day with home, lock screen and interactive test widgets, decode real text with the OCR scanner, and build real skill through reading, listening, conversation with shadowing, dictation, lessons from any Chinese video you paste in, and full HSK mock tests, all in a calm, zen design.
Learn Chinese with Hanzijo - FreeQuick reference
- Yes, please / No, thanks
- 要，谢谢 / 不用了，谢谢. Avoid a bare 不要.
- Heating
- 需要加热吗？ The clerk heats it for you.
- Bag
- 要袋子吗？ Bags cost a little: 要一个 or 不用了.
- Membership
- 有会员吗？ → 没有.
- Total
- 一共二十八块五 = 28.50 yuan. 块 = yuan.
- Paying
- 微信还是支付宝？ Show your 付款码, or scan the shop's 收款码 (扫这里). Cash: 可以用现金吗？
- Receipt
- 要小票吗？ → 不用了.
- Leaving
- 慢走 / 欢迎下次光临 → 谢谢 / 拜拜.
- You ask
- 有热水吗？ · 有充电宝吗？ · 能帮我热一下吗？
Frequently asked questions
What does a Chinese convenience store clerk say?
The usual order is 欢迎光临 (welcome), 需要加热吗？ (shall I heat it?), 要袋子吗？ (do you want a bag?), 有会员吗？ (are you a member?), the total such as 一共二十八块五, 微信还是支付宝？ (WeChat or Alipay?), 要小票吗？ (receipt?) and 慢走 (take care).
How do you say I don't need a bag in Chinese?
Say 不用了，谢谢 (búyòng le, xièxie). It is the polite way to decline anything a clerk offers. A bare 不要 sounds like a flat refusal.
Can foreigners use Alipay or WeChat Pay in China?
Yes. Since 2023 both apps let visitors link many foreign Visa and Mastercard cards. At the till, either show your payment code (付款码) for the clerk to scan or scan the shop's code (收款码).
Can I pay with cash at a Chinese convenience store?
Yes. Cash (现金) is legal tender and shops are required to accept it, although most customers pay by phone. Ask 可以用现金吗？ if you are unsure.
What does 一共二十八块五 mean?
It means 'that's 28.50 yuan in total'. 块 is the everyday word for yuan, and the 五 at the end stands for five 毛 (tenths of a yuan), so it is 28.5 yuan.
- 吕叔湘 (Lü Shuxiang), 《现代汉语八百词》: the entries for 要, 不用 and 一下.
- General Office of the State Council, 《关于限制生产销售使用塑料购物袋的通知》 (2007), the rule that has required shops to charge for plastic bags since 1 June 2008.
- People's Bank of China: guidance on the acceptance of cash (人民币现金) as legal tender in retail payments.
- 国际中文教育中文水平等级标准 (GF 0025-2021): the official standard behind the new HSK levels.