7-Eleven

gasious

The number seven didn’t turn out to be so lucky for this particular 7 – 11 location. How the mighty have fallen… after being chosen to be converted into a Kwik-​E-​Mart for a nationwide promotion for the Simpsons movie in the summer of ’07, this vendor should be raising the bar for 7−11s everywhere! Instead, today I saw it for what it is: a busy location with subpar customer service. What I wouldn’t give to bring Apu back!
Like all the stores I visited for my ⁷⁄₁₁ adventure in West Denver, this, the 7^th store on my journey, was graded on five factors:
Gas Price, Slurpee Flavors, Business Flow, Customer Service and Location (with special attention to the last two).
A gallon of unleaded gasoline was $ 2.49 at this store, which proved to be the high for the day, tied with several other area stores.
Slurpee Flavors of the day included: Crystal Light Wild Strawberry, Wild Cherry, Banana, Mountain Dew, Coke, and the promotional Liquid Artillery Blue Raspberry flavor.
Having put off my favorite flavors in the interest in experimentation at previous stores, I decided to give in and try out their Coke flavor. Pure liquid came out of the nozzle, and EVERY OTHER NOZZLE. Isn’t the whole appeal of Slurpees supposed to be their icy nature? Strike one, 3^rd and Broadway.
Since all the Slurpees I’d consumed in the last hour were quickly accumluating in my bladder, I asked the attendant (manager?) if I could use the key to their bathroom. After he pointed to the plunger handle sitting on top of a nearby trashcan, I opened the door and braved the convenience store wash closet. Although by no means insufferable, the toilet wasn’t clean, and it looked as if the floor hadn’t been mopped in several days. I know this is a busy day for you guys, but with three attendants on hand, can’t one of you swing a mop for a minute, especially on one of your busiest days of the year? Strike two.
The final strike came in the form of poor customer service on the way out of the store. On my way out the door, I thanked the workers for their bathroom and watery attempt at a Slurpee. With no one making purchases at the counter, I figured somebdoy would at least offer up a ‘you’re welcome’ for my patronage… but no dice. Two attendants kept chatting it up, not acknowledging my presence whatsoever. I know it’s a thankless job being a gas station attendant, but when one of your customers actually bothers to shout ‘Thanks very much!’ on his way out, and you can’t even be bothered to look twice? You just struck out, gang.
The one thing this store has going for it is a whopping eight (I think) fuel-​ups out front, and plenty of parking. But with Slurpees, bathrooms, and attendants this poor, I think I’ll be heading down to the friendlier location over at 8^th and Lincoln, instead. At least they smiled at me.