July 11th marked the convenience store’s 86th birthday
Since 2002, 7-Eleven has been celebrating its birthday by generously offering free Slurpees to the public. In past years, 7-Eleven has offered 7.11-ounce cups for its birthday. This year, the convenience store upped its game and offered the regular size cup of 12 ounces. This nearly doubled the previously used size.
“We’re doing that because people wanted more Slurpee and we already have a lid for the small size,” company spokeswoman Margaret Chabris said. “So it makes it much easier to pour the Slurpee, easier for the straw to hold up in and easier for moms to avoid a mess.”
7-Eleven’s summer flavors are Strawberry Lemonshade and Slurpee Lite Sugar-Free Mango Lemonade.
After customers picked their flavor of choice, the longtime-running convenience store encouraged them to dance with it! 7-Eleven says YouTube sensation, Nathan Barnatt, posted his own version of the Slurpee dance. He insisted that others take part by posting clips of their dancing skills to 7-Eleven’s Facebook page.
7-Eleven offered free Slurpees between the hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at participating stores.
Laura Gordon, 7-Eleven vice president of marketing and brand innovation, said, “7-Eleven Day, July 11, occurs at the approximate midpoint of summer and the Slurpee season when summer fun is in high gear. It also marks a milestone for 7-Eleven when we raise a collective Slurpee toast and dance a crazy dance to celebrate our birthday and all things 7-Eleven.”
According to a Times.com report, each year on July 11th, 7-Eleven sees a dramatic boost in overall sales. Customers are drawn into the convenience store on this special day and tend to purchase small snacks to go along with their free Slurpee. In addition, Slurpee fans can’t seem to get enough so they purchase larger sizes of the popular frozen drink or become regular customers.
Memorabilia from the epic day can be purchased on 7-Eleven’s website, which offers free printable party favors and “Slurpee swag” including hats, sandals and sunglasses.
“We promised #Awesummer this year with more fun, more free stuff and more surprises and summer is far from over,” Gordon said. “There’s lots more to come.”
