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Whether you're low on gas, looking for a late-night snack or just craving a Slurpee, the glowing 7-Eleven logo is like a beacon of hope. The massive convenience store chain stocks road trip essentials, ridiculously large sodas and beyond, and keeps its doors open to customers all day and night. You won't believe how long this popular pit-stop has been around.
1. 7-Eleven pioneered the convenience store concept.
An ice dock employee named "Uncle Johnny" Green kicked off the idea of convenience retail back in 1927 in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, TX. He kept his block ice business open 16 hours a day, seven days a week during the summer before refrigeration was widely available, making it easy for customers to get ice whenever they needed it.
2. The first store sold only one thing.
Uncle Johnny originally sold just block ice, but his customers soon began asking him to carry items like bread, milk and eggs that they couldn't purchase elsewhere late in the evenings or on Sundays when local supermarkets were closed. The idea was so successful that Uncle Johnny struck a deal with an executive at the company, splitting the cost and profits of carrying the convenience items throughout the winter between them.
3. The name has history behind it.
Back in the day, the retail operation was known as Tote'm Stores, but the new name was introduced in 1946 once store hours had expanded to 7am–11pm.
4. It's open 24/7, thanks to football fans.
A University of Texas football game kept a 7-Eleven location in Austin open all night with post-game business in the 1960s, inspiring overnight hours every weekend. The first 24-hour store opened across the street from Texas Christian University, followed by another near Southern Methodist University as well as operations in Las Vegas. By 1975, two-thirds of 7-Eleven stores were open 24/7, and today they all are unless prohibited by local laws.
5. The chain sells a crazy amount of snacks and drinks.
Customers come to 7-Eleven for their caffeine fix, guzzling more than 1.1 million cups of coffee per day, but the chain fuels customers with more than just java. Over 26 million pizzas, 30 million pounds of chicken wings and 1.9 million pounds of 7Select brand gummy worms were sold in 2015. You might not think of 7-Eleven as a spot for fresh fruit, but customers buy over 75 million bananas from the chain each year which, stem to stem, could span the length of the entire Amazon and Nile Rivers. There have been a few questionable menu items, too.
6. A quarter of U.S. residents live within one mile of a 7-Eleven.
With more than 10,700 stores in North America, and a whopping 59,500 in 17 countries worldwide, you can bet there's a 7-Eleven located near you.
7. The Slurpee has been around for over 50 years.
The iconic frozen drinks were introduced back in 1966 and have since become a major symbol for the massive chain of convenience stores. Wild Cherry and Coca-Cola have long been favorites, but fun flavors like Skittles, Sour Patch Watermelon, Birthday Cake, and a spicy cinnamon flavor, Pepsi Fire, pop up now and then to keep things interesting.
8. 7-Eleven is home to the Big Gulp.
We can't forget about another of the chain's buzzed-about beverages. These 32-oz. cups hit stores in 1976, allowing customers to quench their thirst with a giant serving of whatever soft drink they chose. The Big Gulp was such a hit that consumers asked for a container that would fit into their car's cup holders. It even spawned larger cups: the Super Big Gulp (44 oz.), the Double Gulp (64 oz.) the X-Treme Gulp (52 oz.) and the Team Gulp (128 oz. or 1 gallon). 7-Eleven dispenses over 38 million gallons of soda per year, making it an inevitable topic of discussion within the obesity debate in America.
9. Once a year, you can snag a free Slurpee.
Each summer, frozen drink fans look forward to Free Slurpee Day on July 11th (also known as 7/11), when they can grab a small Slurpee from any 7-Eleven store without dropping a dime.
10. You can drink your Slurpee out of almost anything.
In addition to Free Slurpee Day, watch out for Bring Your Own Slurpee Cup Day, when customers are invited to bring whatever vessel they choose to fill to the brim with Slurpee. A beach pail, and fish bowl and watering can are all fair game!
11. Slurpees have been turned into donuts.
The chain sells more than 4 million donuts per week, because who doesn't love something to dunk in their coffee? So it's really no surprise that they've come up with some creative flavors, including limited-time Slurpee donuts that tasted like Wild Cherry and Blue Raspberry.
12. The coffee cups can get political.
During election season, customers get the chance to join 7-Eleven's coffee cup poll by choosing cups marked for the Democratic and Republican nominees. In the past, the results have been oddly accurate, so make sure to stay updated on the results via the 7-Election website!
13. You can even pay your taxes there.
Yep, the IRS made it possible for Americans to make cash-only payments at participating 7-Eleven locations during the 2015 tax season, . That made things easier on people who don't have a bank account or credit card to pay their taxes, plus gave them the opportunity to reward all that tedious work with a ice-cold Slurpee.
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