7-Eleven

I’ve had 2 separate occasions where the clerk’s are rude and offer poor customer service. For one, I overhead an individual ask the clerk if they could park their car overnight to avoid towing charges. The clerk refused to allow the person to park their until the next morning when a friend could help him out. Today, I went in and asked for change for a $ 5 and was confronted with annoyance and dismay. I will not be returning, as customer service is severely lacking in this store/​corporation, especially for customers who visit the store. There are plenty of other stores that are friendly to customers and earn their respect.

Stopped by after a visit to the zoo this summer. It was a hot day and we decided to get slurpees (why else go to a 7-​Eleven?) I gathered up the slurpees to pay while one of us went out to the car to grab a wallet. The tall african clerk steps out from behind the counter, goes dashing out the door bumping into people in line and DEMANDS to know where the drink went that she took. She said tells him that she didn’t take a drink outside at which point he argues back that he saw her holding it in the store and wants it back. She then tells him that I am waiting at the checkout counter with her drink trying to pay for it. At that point, he whips around and storms back into the store without anything even resembling an apology.
I sent this interaction to 7-​Eleven through their website’s feedback tool and never heard anything back. Perhaps the zoo has a rehabilitation program going on with 7-​Eleven because this guy had the people skills of a charging rhino. It’s a shame because their slurpees are pretty darn good.

Since the new owners took over I’ve been significantly overcharged 4 times and then told I was wrong when I complained about it.
Twice on soda the sign said 2 for $ 2 and I was charged about $ 5 for 2.
Recently on ice cream the sign said 2 for $ 6 and I was charged $ 8. I brought the sign to the counter. Clerk took it, told me I was wrong. I asked for him to refund the difference. He told me it was tax. And started helping the next customer. I said there’s no tax on food items and he ignored me.
A little while ago they charged me $ 0.10 per gallon over the pump price when I filled my tank, but I didn’t notice until I got home and looked at the receipt.

I don’t know why people are complaining. The Asian woman who I believe owns this place is bad ass, and the store generally has what I need. It’s a 711… its there when you need a 711. And it never fails.

This is a generous 2-​star rating — more like 1.5. I only go here because it’s the closest gas station to my house. I don’t know what the deal with the gas nozzles are, but I always have to hold down on the handle the entire time pumping and still, it shuts off on me after every couple of seconds… so annoying. The windshield cleaner tool is busted. At night, there are questionable folks hanging out by the entrance asking for money or trying to sell you «porcelain» (plastic) clocks.
The only ‘plus’ is the convenience of the Red Box and usually the employees are friendly enough. However if I didn’t live on this street, I’d never go back.

Used to go to the playground near here a lot. Once my son was crashing and needed food, so I came here for a cheap snack. The person who I think owned or managed the place was at the register (she was directing work when repaving once). Anyway, I was over charged and she refused to charge me what was posted. I went to Phinny Market a block away and got a more nutritious snack for less.

I liked this place so much better when it was privately owned as a franchise. Now it’s a corporate store, which means that everything has to be done exactly as corporate wants. It also means all the employees I had grown to know were let go. Not a fan of that at all! However; it remains to be said, that the products and prices are the same, so for Phinney residents the same availability of cheap convenience store food and products still exists.

Drip coffee tastes like warm water filtered through shredded cardboard. If it weren’t for the inexplicable failure of the Citibank ATM inside to charge me a fee for cash withdrawals I’d never set foot in this place.

I got gas here regularly wqhen I first came back to Seattle. GAS only! For heavensakes — it’ a 7 – 11.
Don’t buy coffee here. Make it at home. Go to Beth’s or that fancy French place up the street — they have excellent coffee and treats. I forget their name.

I wonder how such a bland, soulless place stays in business. Convenience stores must operate on a different plane, where our mortal laws of business don’t apply.
The slurpees were spot on, but I don’t think it’s chemically possible to ruin one of them. The crème cheeze — jalapeño taquitos that looked so appealing before I dared pop one in my mouth were ready to eat about this time last month. The coffee was bad, even by Seven Eleven standards.
The real mystery to me us how they survive in the shadow of the Phinney Market, just up the street, a real neighborhood store, with real espresso to boot. I guess it must be the slurpees… Where else am I gonna get one of those?

I keep people. It’s what I do. I have friends that knew me before I deviated my septum, before I had a drop of ink imbedded in my skin, before nary a gray hair was visible in my silky mane, before my Cocker Spaniel lost his hearing and began to smell like a pair of some unclean fat man’s work socks (he actually died in 1992, so that would represent a super long time ago). Long time people, way back.
It was with one of these sorts of friends that I went to Zoo Tunes last night, to see — The Indigo Girls (insert steroetypical, Croc, armpit hair, box eating comment here and then get the fuck over it please). You see, this friend and I have been singing along to Closer to Fine at the top of our lungs in the car since 1989 when the ladies were just a little folksy duo that KCMU was playing before any mainstream stations had heard of them. Long time people, way back.
We met up at this 7-​Eleven before the show so I could get the parking pass that went with my ticket from her. As I drove off to the zoo, I noticed my friend wasn’t following behind and circled back to the store. Her car won’t start, the show is going to start any minute and we have Salumi sandwiches that we pre-​ordered waiting for us in our fabulous VIP seats. That’s right VIP AT THE INDIGO GIRLS BITCHES. Shut up, you know you’re jealous.
At any rate, this is obviously a huge bummer.
Friend: SHIT!!!
Me: Ok, we can call AAA after the show. Let’s see if they are cool with you leaving your car here?
Friend: FUCK!!!
Me: Ok, I’m going to go ask.
ME: Um, car won’t start, concert about to start, promise to take care of it in a couple of hours, goodness of your heart, etc…
Immigrant 7 – 11 Franchisee: NO.
ME: Um, opportumity for good karma vs. making this less desireable to us decision that will ulitmately lead to your having some very BAD karma? Hippy talk, hippy talk? (already in Indigo Girls personna).
Immigrant 7 – 11 Franchisee: NO.
Friend: FUCK. Whatever. *storms out*
ME: Way to screw up a great opportunity to do something nice. Good luck with that karma thing.
Immigrant 7 – 11 Franchisee: That’s your opinion.
ME: That’s THE UNIVERSE’S OPINION ASSHOLE. *all hippiness falls away*
So the moral of the story? The people who own this store are dicks. Don’t buy their Slurpees.
Thankfully, the people of Phinney Ridge are not dicks and we had fellow Citizens of the Universe helping us push the car out to the Doris Day spot in front of the store (CAUSE OUR KARMA IS FUCKING AWESOME) in no time at all and made it to the show with time to spare.
IT WAS A VAGINA FEST TO BE RECKONED WITH.
Don’t hate.

Slurpee’s will always be a symbol of my childhood.
Along with the stomach ache that generally goes with them.

Dear 7 Eleven
Why are you always on my walking route when I return home from a pub. Why must you tempt me with your molten hot magma burritos and your seductive meat from a button nachos. Now, after crawling back into your bed, I have to see a doctor. I am pretty sure you are trying to kill me. Please Stop.