On this date in 1964 the first 7-11 convenience store opened. It was called a convenience store because of its extended hours: from 7am to 11pm. 10 facts about these stores:
The forerunner of the 7-11 was the Southland Ice Company in Dallas, Texas. One of its employees, Joe Thompson, hit on the idea of selling perishable goods like Milk, Bread and Eggs in front of an icehouse, using the ice to keep the goods cool. Thompson went on to open more convenience stores in Texas and in due course, bought the ice company.
The shops were known as Tote’m Stores for a while after one of the executives placed a totem pole that he’d bought as a souvenir in Alaska, outside the busiest shop. This resulted in that shop getting the nickname Tote’m Store, because of the pole and because customers toted away their purchases. The idea spread to the rest of the chain.
The name changed to 7-Eleven in 1946, when the stores adopted the opening hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the post-World War II economic boom.
Many of the shops now open 24/7. This started for 7-11 in 1962, when students arrived in droves after a university football game. There were so many customers that the shop ended up staying open until dawn. The company realised that there was a demand for shops that were open all night and so they adopted this schedule in other locations.
“Seven & I Holdings,” has been the parent company of 7-Eleven since 2005.
A brand new 7-Eleven opens somewhere in the world every two hours.
In the US, 7-11s are known for an ice cold drink called a Slurpee. Every year on this date, which is considered to be the birthday of the company, 7-Eleven gives away about 500,000 gallons of Slurpees. They weren’t invented by 7-11, though. It was a Dairy Queen which sold the first Slurpees. 7-11 bought the licence to the concept in 1965 and renamed it the Slurpee after the sound made while sipping it through a Straw.
In other parts of the world, 7-11s are very different. In Indonesia, they are more like a hip, coffee house mostly frequented by people under the age of 30. The stores offer free Wi-Fi, plenty of tables and chairs inside and out, and often feature live musical performances.
In Taipei, Taiwan, there are more than 4,000 7-11s with many city blocks having more than one. Aside from purchasing local food and Slurpees, customers can pay utility bills, book travel arrangements, buy small electronics like iPods, and even get health screening.
In the US, since 2000, the store has run a promotion called "7-Election" in election years. It is a kind of poll in which customers buy red or blue coffee cups depending on who they intend to vote for. These are scanned at the checkouts and the results are collated. It might not be very scientific but can be surprisingly accurate. In 2000 and 2004, the number of coffee cup votes and the number of actual popular votes for both candidates was only off by 1 or 2 percentage points.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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