Since 1963, 7-Eleven stores have kept round-the-clock hours, and today about 99% of the more than 5,800 U.S. stores stay open on Dec. 25. For people who need to prepare a family recipe, wrap a last-minute present, shoot a baby’s first Christmas picture or operate a new toy, their neighborhood 7-Eleven store stands ready to come to the rescue.
7-Eleven offers shoppers more than 2,000 items that customers can run in to grab during the holiday season, such as :
-Coffee, including in seasonal flavors like gingerbread. Coffee is available in a refillable mug. December is the top-selling coffee month for the chain, typically 40% higher than in summer months.
-Chocolates. More than one-third of all boxed chocolates sales at 7-Eleven occurs in November and December, making Christmas the third highest-selling candy holiday for the convenience store chain behind Halloween and Easter. 7-Eleven stocks many favorite Christmas candies, like Dove dark-chocolate peppermint bark and traditional candy canes. Speaking of candy canes, 7-Eleven sells enough of the traditional peppermint treats for everyone in the state of Virginia to have one in their stocking.
-Wine. December is the top-selling wine month of the year, and 20% of all champagne is sold in December. Last year, 7-Eleven sold enough champagne during December to provide a New Year’s Eve glass of cheer to every adult in St. Louis, Mo. (or Tampa).
-Calling cards. 7-Eleven sells lots of prepaid wireless phone cards, second only to those mega-mass retailers. And customers buy more phone cards in December than any other month. This year, 7-Eleven has a new $19.99 Verizon Smooth u350 model phone for just $19.99 that features a camera, blue-tooth capabilities and access to reliable service from Verizon, the country’s largest wireless carrier. In December 2008, 7-Eleven sold enough phone cards for a teenager to talk on the phone 24 hours a day for 12 years.
-Hot Food. Wings are hot sellers during the holiday party season. And 1,500 7-Eleven stores are ready with a selection of hot foods to create an instant party. Buffalo wings, all-white-meat chicken wings and whole pizzas are cooked hot while customers wait – in 90 seconds or less. In addition, Christmas Day is one of the busiest days for Big Bite hot dog sales at 7-Eleven. One of the only places open Christmas Day where customers can grab a quick meal, 7-Eleven even offers not only its popular Big Bite dogs, but also spicy Go-Go Taquitos, fresh-made sandwiches and nachos.
-DVDs. Great for last minute gifts, 7-Eleven has holiday and new-release DVDs. 7-Eleven also sells eight sizes of batteries. Battery sales at 7-Eleven stores triple Christmas week. The most popular batteries sold are AA, most commonly used in videogame controllers, cameras, electronic handheld games and small toys, and personal music players.
-Dairy Products. Whipping cream, sour cream and butter sales almost double the week before Christmas. In fact, Christmas week is the biggest week of the year for dairy sales, 25% higher than the year’s biggest food holiday —Thanksgiving.
-Lottery Tickets. Company officials estimate that 7-Eleven sells more lottery tickets than any other retailer, and more lottery tickets sold can mean more lottery winners. December is one of the busiest months for lottery ticket sales–with people buying them for stocking stuffers, gifts, and for themselves, of course.
-Snack foods, like chips, dips, canned nuts, cookies and crackers fly off the shelves during the holiday party and football season. Tortilla chips increase 20% during December and January. Likewise, nuts and crackers show sales increases between 25-30%. 7-Eleven has added a host of private-label snacks, including kettle-style potato chips, popcorn and nuts, which have shown significant month-to-month sales increases since being introduced a year ago.
-St. Jude bears and puppies. These plush stuffed animals can easily fit in a stocking or under the tree. This is the sixth year 7-Eleven stores have sold the toys to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They retail $8.99 each of which $2 is donated to St. Jude.
-Music in the form of iTunes gift cards and CDs is a popular gift, and sales skyrocketed about 400% in December. Participating 7-Eleven stores are also carrying a limited selection of holiday CDs in both contemporary and traditional styles.
So, whether it’s a topping for the pumpkin pie, gifts for unexpected guests, stocking stuffers, batteries to keep games a-going, or snacks and beverages to keep holiday hosts a-hopping, the neighborhood 7-Eleven store has it all in store.
