7-Eleven Food Stores #17312

I patronize this 7-​Eleven store frequently because it is one of the few convenience stores in town that offer fountain Cherry Pepsi to mix in with my fountain Diet Pepsi. But I am trying to cut out soda, so this may be a mixed blessing.
This 7-​Eleven is the kind of old-​fashioned neighborhood convenience store you may remember from childhood: Small, dingy, and cluttered. Single-​occupancy restrooms. No food that is remotely healthy. No gas. But it has all the important things: beer, liquor, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and lottery tickets. And they accept food stamps.
The cashiers are friendly, displaying varying degrees of interest in their jobs. They greet you as you walk into the store. Their repartee is devoid of the memorized, rapid-​fire one-​liners you hear in newer convenience stores, such as «Wouldyalikeareceipt?» or «Seeyanexttime.» And they wear the cool red-​and-​black 7-​Eleven smocks.
If you want a hot dog, the cashier will get it for you. Actually, it’s store policy. As a customer, you are prohibited from picking up a pair of tongs and retrieving your own hot dog from the roller grill. You must be a 7-​Eleven employee to perform this dangerous task. I would be willing to bet that corporate headquarters requires its trainees to complete a hot-​dog certification course before starting their first day at work.
One nice touch is the pay phone in front of the store. I can picture Sgt. Friday stopping there to call headquarters. Except this phone is covered with graffiti. Sgt. Friday would have shaken his head in disgust and blamed the younger generation.
Overall, this store is a pleasant throwback and refreshing alternative to the big, sterile, brightly lit, faux-​friendly, everything-​to-​everybody convenience stores that are so popular today. I even bought a 7-​Eleven t-​shirt and hoodie online so I can spread word of their greatness to the rest of the world.
Thank heaven for 7-​Eleven.