Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Gas stations & convenience stores (AM/PM, 7-Eleven, etc.)
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storewanderer
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Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by storewanderer »

Looks like the integration has started at least in California.

Some Speedway locations have signs on the gas pump
NOW AVAILABLE
Big Gulp (photo of cup with 7-Eleven logo)
Slurpee

Go into the store and the graphic on the fountain machines has a picture of BIG GULP cups that are without any store logo. Also the graphic on the Speedy Freeze machine has been removed and now a Slurpee graphic but the product being dispensed is still the Speedy Freeze, which is not the same texture or thickness as a Slurpee.

So far they still have only plain clear cups or cups that say Speedway; none of the cups in the photo are available. Also they continue to offer all tea/soda/frozen at .89. The new 7-Eleven signs do not have the .89 price point so I wonder if a price increase is coming, given that 7-Eleven is over $2 for the 40 oz size Slurpee or Soda in some locations.

Also noticed when using the Speedway gas pump and entering loyalty card information it no longer is showing loyalty offers at the gas pump to add and use in the store today. That is too bad as that was a neat program.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by Alpha8472 »

I liked the orange vanilla Speedy Freeze. I never saw any flavor like it at 7-Eleven. I hope they keep the flavor.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by storewanderer »

Alpha8472 wrote: November 27th, 2021, 6:50 pm I liked the orange vanilla Speedy Freeze. I never saw any flavor like it at 7-Eleven. I hope they keep the flavor.
Keep watch at larger AM PM locations, they have a good variety of freeze flavors.

The orange vanilla Speedy Freeze is a rare sighting up around Sacramento which is unfortunate.

7-Eleven is too overpriced for the Slurpee. The best they could so was a $1 small 12oz or 14oz maybe Slurpee during the summer. Regular prices for that small Slurpee range from 1.29-1.79 up around Reno. Speedway and AM PM are constantly under $1 for larger sizes. Circle K runs a 16oz at .99.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by Bagels »

It appears to be national, and limited to beverages status quo.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by storewanderer »

Bagels wrote: November 29th, 2021, 3:40 pm It appears to be national, and limited to beverages status quo.
Nothing on the website about it.

https://www.speedway.com/in-store/cold-beverages

Also website is still noting they price the Speedy Freeze at the same price as fountain drinks... this is a practice 7-Eleven does not engage in pricing the Slurpee much higher than fountain drinks typically and also having weird/different size cups for the Slurpee. Speedway was all about efficiency for the clerk and simplicity for the customer having all dispensed fountain/freeze the same price regardless of size. I'm not sure what 7-Eleven is about other than being the D grade c-store operator.

7-Eleven could learn a lot from Speedway. Let's see if they do. Speedway has better programs, better systems, and runs corporate stores far better. Speedway is also much more efficient at integrating acquired c-store chains into its fold (so it will be ironic to see it slowly and sluggishly torn up and rolled into 7-Eleven; slow and sluggish describes past acquisitions I've watched 7-Eleven do).

I do think 7-Eleven is planning to keep the Speedway brand around though but perhaps not in the form it has operated as in the past (as a corporate operated convenience store chain). Beyond the very recent conversions of USA/Tesoro sites to franchisee run Speedway Express in SoCal/Alaska, for a few months they were responding to reviews over on Google Maps for Speedway stores with a canned response about "your local 7-Eleven Store values your feedback" which made zero sense and in recent weeks they have started to say "your local Speedway Store.."

7-Eleven is the largest c-store chain in the world by store count so there is that I guess. Not impressed with how they are run in the US or Canada. And Canada 7-Eleven is 100% corporate run. Same dirty old poorly maintained stores as the franchised US ones, just with about triple the staff of the franchised US ones. The one good thing in Canada is at least pricing was the same from location to location.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by Bagels »

Wikipedia notes that “in November 2021,” Speedway rebranded its drinks to Gulp and Slurpee. No source was given, but individuals from across the country have reported this in recent weeks, so I have no reason not to believe it. Additionally, press releases from last year indicated that the drinks would be rebranded by the end of 2020…. Not sure what took them so long.

Convenience store food was never good, but in the 2000s, one could get a decent (not necessarily healthy), cheap meal at Speedway, AM/PM, Circle K, etc. All of those chains have regressed, although Speedway is building up its rosters of Speedway Cafes which are really, really good… and really, really cheap. I’m sure 7-11 will get rid of these.

Will be sad to see Speedway go. Many fond memories there, when it was known as Starvin Marvin, gorging on junk food while taking family road trips.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by Romr123 »

Before it's too late, there's a cute animated ad for Speedway "79" in Michigan back in the late 50s/early 60s (presume it was a second brand for Marathon) out on Youtube. It will earworm you!
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by Alpha8472 »

I saw a very busy 7-Eleven location in the San Francisco Bay Area near Oakland close recently. It is a bad neighborhood, but it was at a busy intersection across from a Walmart. It did not sell gas.

Perhaps it was the homeless people or the panhandlers? Or maybe it was just too many convenience stores. Every few hundred feet is another convenience store. 7-Eleven just cannot compete with gas station convenience stores.

There is a Speedway down the street, but not that close.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by jamcool »

Marathon bought Speedway 79 in the early 60s, taking their station design and replacing the “running man” logo and the Speedway brand with the big M logo. Marathon revived Speedway as a secondary brand for company owned sites, which included acquisitions from Exxon in the Midwest (which still used the Enco brand into the late 70s) and discount gas sellers like Cheker and Martin. Speedway was the fuel brand, the convenience stores ran under a variety of brand names, like Starvin Marvin.
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Re: Speedway/7-Eleven integration

Post by storewanderer »

There are a handfull of Speedy Choices brand items that have gone "on sale" this week:

Single Serve Chips 2/2.50 (regular 1.59)
Sugar Gummy Chewy Candy Bags 2/2.50 (regular 1.89)
Large Bagged Nuts/Trail Mix 3.99

Speedway Motor Oil still selling at full price.
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