11 7-Eleven Controversies | Mental Floss

For nearly a century, the 7-Eleven convenience store chain has quenched consumers’ thirst with Big Gulps, Slurpees and other refreshments. (It actually got the name 7-Eleven because of its original opening hours – 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. – from 1946; before that, it was called Tote’m Stores.) -Eleven stores (71,100 and over) as there are McDonald’s restaurants (an impressive 34,000).

With so much success there is sometimes a hiccup, and not just too many Big Gulps. As the world celebrates 7-Eleven Day on July 11, take a look at 11 times the company has sparked some controversy.

1. The 7-Eleven Cold War with a Japanese Franchisee.

In 2019, 7-Eleven franchisee Mitoshi Matsumoto decided to reduce the hours of operation of its 7-Eleven location in Osaka, Japan from 24 hours standard to 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. This prompted 7-Eleven to engage in a legal battle with Matsumoto over control of the store, and the feud escalated beyond normal channels. The company built a second store in the parking lot of the Matsumoto store and claimed it had surveillance footage of him assaulting customers, once with a head butt and once with giving a kick in a car. 7-Eleven also alleged that Matsumoto failed to fulfill its obligation to deliver “commemorative mayonnaise” to customers when it opened in 2012. The court’s eventual ruling could affect the power of franchisees over the operations of the store and on the power that belongs to the company.

2. 7-Eleven has been involved in a charity 3D glasses fiasco in the past.

Intrigue and 3D glasses combined to spill over in 1982, when 7-Eleven in Montana came under fire for selling 3D glasses for a movie, Revenge of the Creature (1955), broadcast on local television. The problem, according to the Easter Seal Society, was that the film was screened so that profits from sales of the 50-cent glasses could be directed to the Society. But 7-Eleven was not among the participating retailers, meaning they could keep the profits to themselves. Dave Bingman, regional sales manager for 7-Eleven’s parent company in Montana, Southland Corporation, said the chain was offering the company 5 cents for every pair sold, but the company wanted it all. Instead, 7-Eleven donated a share of the profits from the glasses to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

3. A 7-Eleven sandwich has sparked dissent online.

In 2020, 7-Eleven in Japan gained attention on social media for what some consumers claimed to be a deceptive sandwich. The Atsuyakitamago Mix Sand (“thick omelet mixed sandwich”) looked like a delicious egg offering for breakfast. But the sandwich is loaded in the front, that is, the egg wall seen in profile is not consistent everywhere. Critics have dubbed it a “paper tiger sandwich”; 7-Eleven responded by stating that a manufacturing error resulted in a small serving of egg and it was not intentional.

4. 7-Eleven found a rival convenience store too close for convenience.

In 2019, 7-Eleven sued Quick E Mart, a convenience store in Portland, Oregon, for trademark infringement. The Quick E Mart, which takes its name from the Kwik-E-Mart store seen on The simpsons, used the green and red stripes of the 7-Eleven logo. Between that and the fact, 7-Eleven has occasionally straightened out stores to look like the Kwik-E-Mart as a promotional tie-in with The simpsons, the chain argued that consumers would be confused. No resolution of the case has yet been announced.

5. 7-Eleven has received criticism for some deceptive drink packaging in Japan.

Slurpees and Big Gulps aren’t the only drinks on tap at 7-Eleven. In Japan, milk mixed with a strawberry or banana flavor has proven popular. But in both cases, the plastic beverage container seemed to be designed in such a way that it looked like the cup was full of liquid to the brim (banana) or had packed fruit at the bottom (strawberry). Once consumed, customers realized that these images were only a visual part of the design of the mug and that there was less liquid in each mug than they originally assumed. looking at her. The complaints escalated in early 2021: One social media critic called the work practice “underhand geniuses.” However, most agreed that the included small drink was delicious.

6. 7-Eleven had to force customers not to fill toilet bowls or children’s pools at Slurpees.

Slurpee, that branded (and branded) frozen drink, is often promoted. In 2015, 7-Eleven offered to fill containers brought in by customers for just $ 1.50. The problem? Some have decided to slide in kiddie pools, toilet bowls, and sleds to play with the system. The following year, the store required that any container fit into a 10-inch cutout set up in the stores.

7. 7-Eleven endured ICE raids.

In 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stormed 98 7-Eleven sites in 17 states and Washington, DC in what was touted by ICE as an organized raid on undocumented workers. A total of 21 people were arrested. In a statement, the company said the stores are overseen by independent franchisees who hire themselves. The ICE conducted an earlier investigation in 2013 that found nine 7-Eleven managers in New York and Virginia who used false identities to employ illegal workers and then kept part of their pay for themselves. Franchisees who broke the laws have had their 7-Eleven franchise agreements terminated.

8. 7-Eleven had to navigate a Big Gulp ban proposal.

The Big Gulps make no secret of their goal: to deliver up to 64 ounces of non-alcoholic beverages to wanting and wanting consumers. In 2019, the state of California attempted to curb this consumption by banning the sale of unsealed wholesale sodas over 16 ounces in stores and restaurants. The bill was shot, but it was a scary time for 7-Eleven, who argued that diet education would have a bigger effect on waistline than drinking bans. A similar bill championed by then New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg was withdrawn by a Manhattan judge in 2013, although contrary to perception it would not have affected Big Gulps – only places receiving health notes should have complied with the ban.

9. 7-Eleven was caught in an Australian salary theft plan.

In 2015, The Sydney Morning Herald released an explosive investigative report that alleged managers of 7-Eleven in Australia were cutting international students’ salaries in half and threatening them with expulsion if they complained. Managers also scheduled employees to work beyond what their visa requirements allowed (student visas limit work to 20 hours per week) and insisted they cover lost earnings if someone pumped fuel without paying. The report prompted the Australian Fair Labor Ombudsman (FWO) to investigate the complaints. Over the next five years, 7-Eleven paid over $ 173 million in back wages.

10. A 7-Eleven employee must have been assaulted by Slurpee.

Slurpees can be refreshing, but probably not when you’re wearing them. In 2020, 7-Eleven customer Brian Duffy was arrested in Pinellas Park, Fla. For slapping a Slurpee at the hands of an employee because he thought he was overcharged. He was treated as a felony because of a previous conviction.

11. 7-Eleven used to be a little too dirty for some customers.

In 1984, the National Federation for Decency staged a picket line in 7-Eleven with signs reading “Slurpees yes, porno no”, a response to the channel’s cast. Playboy magazine. In 1986, 7-Eleven succumbed to pressure from conservative groups and halted the sale of Playboy at its 4,500 sites in the United States. At the time, the channel was the magazine’s biggest selling point, and its release represented a 5% loss in revenue. But Playboy may have had the last laugh: A photo in a later issue featured “The Women of 7-Eleven.”