7-Eleven is also offering its VIP customers—who have maximum points on the brand’s app—two extra free slurpees as part of its loyalty programme
New Delhi: Texas-based convenience store chain 7-Eleven is offering free slurpees on 7 July 2023, as it celebrates its 96th birthday. The day is known as ‘Slurpee Day’ and ‘7-Eleven day’. The chain is also offering its VIP customers—who have maximum points on the brand’s app—two extra free slurpees as part of its loyalty programme.
Every year on this day, the company offers a free 12-ounce (355ml) slurpee in the flavour of the consumer’s choice between 11am and 7pm. The partially frozen drink made of small ice crystals is available in 34 flavours across America, including an exclusive flavour, i.e, ‘What the Fanta’, a limited-edition-only Slurpee Day flavour.
This year 7-Eleven has added four new flavours to its Slurpee Day celebrations, exclusively available today only, i.e. sprite lymonade legacy, summertime citrus, fanta dragon fruit zero sugar and hibiscus lemonade.
Apart from free slurpees, the chain also offers $1 deals on fan-favourite snacks like hot-dogs and pizza slices.
However, this offer will only run across the chain’s US and Canada stores which follow the American style of writing dates i.e, month, followed by date (7-July / 11 date).
Continuing the same logic, the convenience store chain celebrates Eastern countries including India on 7 November (7/11), which follow the British style of writing dates i.e date, followed by month, explained a source from 7-Eleven India.
7-Eleven started this concept back in 2002, while it was celebrating its 75th birthday and has continued it ever since except in 2020, when it was cancelled due to COVID-19, according to the media source.
Slurpees were invented by mistake in 1959 by Kansas Dairy Queen franchise which started storing its soda in a freezer due to a malfunctioning soda machine. Customers got a hang of the semi-frozen pop and began requesting for it. It was initially called ‘Icee’ and before earning the name slurpee owing to the sound made while sipping the beverage.
Today, over 300 flavours of Slurpees are being sold worldwide. The most popular flavours in the U.S. are coco-cola and wild cherry.
Founded as an icehouse storefront in Dallas, Texas in 1927, 7-Eleven today is a global brand with over 83,000 stores across 19 countries. The brand also has a history of coming up with firsts—it was the first to serve coffee in the to-go cups, to stay open 24/7 hours open and have self-serve soda fountains. Today, the convenience store chain is wholly owned by Japan-based Seven and I Holdings Co. Ltd., according the brand’s official corporate website.
In India, the Japanese-owned, US-headquartered 7-Eleven chain is operated by Reliance Retail. The Texas-based brand 7-Eleven had earlier inked an agreement with Kishore Biyani’s Future Group to enter the country before the two groups mutually terminated the agreement in 2021. To know more, read here. As on July 2023, there are 40 7-Eleven outlets in the country out of which, 38 are in Mumbai and two are in Pune.
