Who invented 7 eleven

At a management meeting in Washington, D. John Thompson noticed that in densely populated areas, people could walk to the stores even when the weather made driving impossible, and that 7-Eleven's long operating hours and unusual stock could provide exactly what customers might need, from canned soup to tissues to aspirin. Southland began to focus on the traffic patterns around potential store sites, choosing high-volume corners whenever possible. At the end of the s, John Thompson, now vice-president, began to introduce 7-Eleven stores outside of Texas, in Virginia, Maryland, and eastern Pennsylvania.

In reaction to mass migration to the suburbs, Southland opened more suburban stores. Southland also refined its marketing by studying customer traffic in its stores and eliminating products that moved slowly. In Joseph Thompson named his son John as the second president of Southland.

His son Jere W. Thompson was elected vice-president of sales. Upon the elder Thompson's death that year, the Dallas Morning News credited Thompson with transforming 'the ordinary corner ice house from an ice dispensary to a multimillion-dollar drive-in grocery enterprise.

Southland, incorporated in , moved quickly to national prominence. The unprecedented expansion began with dairy acquisitions, notably Midwest Dairy Products in , with production plants and branches in Illinois, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama. Purchasing continued through the s and s, as Southland bought existing convenience market chains in Arizona, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia, and Tennessee.

In addition, Southland experimented with its first hour store, in Las Vegas, and expanded to the East Coast and into Canada in With the acquisition of SpeeDee Marts in California in , Southland was introduced to the concept of franchising, a system already in operation at the very successful SpeeDee Mart stores.

The company developed two-week training sessions for prospective franchisees, which allowed greater decentralization of stores. By , Southland had climbed to 49th in Fortune magazine's top 50 merchandising firms.

In January , 1, 7-Eleven stores were operating; by December the number had increased to 3, Meanwhile, the Slurpee slush drink made its debut in 7-Eleven stores in Through a new computer inventory system, 7-Eleven was able to pinpoint its strengths and discover that single purchase items were its best sellers. But with such growth, problems began to surface: due in part to the operation of hour stores, high employee turnover and insufficient security systems drew management attention.

The company committed itself to the hour store nonetheless, and the number of hour 7-Eleven stores rose from in to 3, by the end of Thompson establish Southland Ice Company and the first known convenience store.

The first regional distribution center was opened in Florida in ; by several such centers were fully functioning and serving more than 3, 7-Eleven stores. Jere Thompson, named president of Southland in , continued Southland's American retail store expansion.

Southland began to use microwaves for fast-food sales and introduced self-service gasoline through its newly acquired Pak-a-Sak stores. In , the 5,th 7-Eleven store opened in Dallas at the site of John Jefferson's original ice dock. Penetration of the European market occurred with Southland's purchase of a 50 percent interest in Cavenham Ltd.

By early , Southland's international operations included 50 percent interest in 1, United Kingdom outlets, 75 7-Eleven stores in Canada, and four Super-7 Stores in Mexico. Like the franchise concept in the United States, area licensing worked well in Japan because of its emphasis on the individual businessperson operating a store but able to take advantage of 7-Eleven's name and established systems of management and accounting. By late , 7-Eleven stores were open for business in Japan.

Also in , Southland bought Chief Auto Parts, a California chain of retail automobile parts stores. The ad touted their curbside grocery delivery service, and an animated rooster and owl reminded customers that the store was open early and closed late. When his soda fountain went on the fritz, he improvised by putting some bottles in the freezer to stay cool. However, when he popped the top, they were a little frozen and slushy. Folks loved them and started requesting "those pops that were in a little bit longer.

On this one day, 7-Eleven gives away about , gallons of Slurpees Some 7-Eleven stores get the machines themselves certified kosher as a selling point for their Jewish customers. The province has an average of over , Slurpees sold in five regional stores every month.

Maybe next year, guys. Customers vote by purchasing special red or blue coffee cups printed with each candidate's name. World Population Day Basically this day focuses on franchise customers. We all know that July is known for its summer heat and so the icy cold beverage is a popular choice for cooling off all summer long. Visit your local 7-Eleven on 11 July and make a beeline for the Slurpee machine, where staff members will be doling out drinks in customer's desired flavours.

Let us tell you that if one Slurpee was not enough then 7-Eleven is giving out even more free Slurpees to their 7Rewards members and you can join the program free of cost. After that, simply scan the available in-app coupon for a free drink on 11 July and your account will be credited with another free Slurpee of any size. Also, you'll receive another coupon for one free small Slurpee valid for 30 days starting 12 July.

Not only this 7-Eleven is also providing several other dishes like hot dogs, pizza slices, cherry Slurpee cookies, and Nashville hot chicken tenders with several discounts. After the IRS verifies your identity, you receive an email with a link to your payment code and ask the clerk to either scan or enter your code upon payment.

Every four years from to , 7-Eleven has hosted an informal "7-Election" poll where customers make their party preferences known by choosing different colored coffee cups either blue for Democratic or red for Republican. In recent years, the company has also offered a third nonpartisan purple "Speak Up" cup that urges costumers to discuss issues that are importance to them. The company skipped the poll in , citing an "unprecedented and financially challenging year for customers," but are not ruling out bringing it back in Past years have also included special deals on other items like hot dogs, pizza slices and, yes, Slurpee-flavored cookies.

In other words: Yes, you can buy sushi at certain 7-Eleven locations. According to 7-Eleven Australia , their sushi is delivered daily and includes ingredients like chicken teriyaki and cooked tuna. Reviews are mixed. Described as "a dog who comes from the Open planet and who loves to eat onigiri," 7-Eleven mascot Open Chan was introduced in Taiwan in as the "first cartoon spokesperson in the convenience retailing industry of Taiwan.

They sure do love their Slurpees in Manitoba. The Canadian province's capital city of Winnipeg has been the company's No. Is your city next? If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission to support our work. Learn more. Cheapism may earn a commission if you buy through a link on our site.