Before they made their claim to fame, some celebrities made ends meet by working at a convenience store. Some even have ties to the convenience industry to this day. 

• Carrie Underwood’s first job was at the local gas station as a cashier, and during a long drive to the “American Idol” auditions, she changed into her outfit in a gas station bathroom.
• Steve Carrell admits to using stories about former customers at his Store 24 cashier job for inspiration. He also owns the Marshfield Hills General Store in Massachusetts.
• Hugh Jackman worked at a 7-Eleven store—but it didn’t last long.
• Ranjeeta Masand, better known by her maiden name Ranjeeta Kaur, was a Bollywood actress in the 1970s and 1980s and now runs a 7-Eleven on Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam worked as a security guard at a gas station in Old Town San Diego.
• John Mayer spent 15 months working as a full-service gas station attendant for $7 an hour. He referenced that experience in his first hit, “No Such Thing” that includes these lyrics: “See this shirt I’m wearin’? Used to wear it all the time. Workin’ at a gas station, Dreamin’ about the sensation, of playin’ for you, playin’ for me.”
• Clint Eastwood was a gas station attendant.
• Wayne Rogers, best known as Trapper John from the TV show M*A*S*H, was chief executive of the convenience store chain Stop-N-Save, which at one time had 200-plus stores.

Ramen For a Star

South Korea’s convenience stores are famous for their assortment of products and foods, from bagged drinks to baked eggs to instant ramen that customers can prepare on-site and take to go. Actor Ji Chang-Wook, star of “Backstreet Rookie,” a Korean romantic comedy TV series set in a convenience store, recently shared his favorite do-it-yourself Korean convenience store recipe in an interview with the Philippine Star. “Even though the combination of hot chicken stir-fried ramen and cheese ramen is mentioned a lot,” he said, “the most delicious food combination is still jajangmyeon and Neoguri ramen,” a combination of noodles in an oily black bean paste sauce and a popular brand of thick Udon-style instant ramen.