This week 7-Eleven is introducing their new Slurpee Lite, which is sugar-free, and contains 50% fewer calories (20 calories for 8 ounces), and marks the first time in 45 years (that's how long the Slurpee has been around) that the Slurpee is being offered to the sugar-free set. more ›

A NJ cop responding to a 3 a.m. panic alarm at a 7-Eleven in Bridgeton, NJ found a woman attacking a 7-Eleven employee. And apparently the woman was driven into a rage because...there were no hot sausages at the store. more ›

Phew, New York City's getting more generic 7-Eleven convenience stores like the rest of mini-mall America! No more will consumers be forced to tolerate the tiresome idiosyncrasies of locally-owned and operated convenience stores; soon they'll find a shiny new 7-Eleven on just about every corner, where they can enjoy the same shopping experience they used to enjoy back home in Ohio. It's like that planet in A Wrinkle in Time where all the children play in perfect synchronization, bouncing their balls and jumping rope in happy uniformity! Welcome to the United States of Generica, NYC. Craine's reports: more ›

Good news for budget-conscious diners who don't care about crushing whatever soul was left in the East Village: the brand-new 7-Eleven on The Bowery is offering $1 pizza slices! EV Grieve posted a shot of the ad today, nothing that 7-Eleven is bravely entering the East Village $1 pizza war (more on that here), with little more than a double-chambered Slurpee machine as its strongest ally. more ›

Police are searching for four thieves who tried to rob a 7-Eleven in New Jersey Friday morning. And though they didn't pull off stealing the store's ATM machine as they had hoped, they did leave a mark—by leaving the clerk in the freezer. more ›

There are a fair amount of 7-Eleven stores around New York City (let's say... 26? Who's counting? No one.), which means there's a fair amount of stores that will sell you Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips. That's correct, fellow American, the franchise has just introduced their latest product, which got its flavor inspiration from 7-Eleven's own Big Bite hot dog. There are also ketchup, mustard and relish spiced chips, according to Laughing Squid—so in theory, you could mix all of these up for what one Gothamist staffer called "a symphony in my mouth." more ›

The economic crisis is hitting us all hard, but we thought there were still some professions that were essentially recession-proof, such as sanitation workers, foreclosure agents, and robbers. But it seems that now even robbers are feeling the credit rating downgrade heat: a would-be robber has been accused of beating a 7-Eleven clerk in Long Island with a tree branch after his stick-up was unsuccessful. more ›

Whether you bask in their frostiness on the reg, reserve them for the occasional impulse buy to sweeten the tang of your hot dog flavored potato chips, or use them to bribe your children to just please be quiet for fifteen minutes, Slurpees have cooled this nation off since 1967. On Monday, you'll be able to pick up a free 7.11 ounce Slurpee in celebration of the company's 84th anniversary. While those cool new dual-chambered cups with the "valve thingy" won't be given away, a source tells us that two free Slurpees with two straws would create the same taste bud-shattering effect. more ›

With warm weather just around the corner, USA Today has taken a look at some of the strange new drinks coming to chains near you (Mountain Dew Coolattas! Jamocha Oreo Shakes!) and one new drink in particular deserves calling out for its sheer genius (really a new cup). In June 7-Eleven will be putting out a line of dual-chambered Slurpees for those times when one flavor just isn't enough. And it gets better. more ›

The Times reports that Gov. Paterson is once again pushing to allowing New York groceries to be able to sell wine, as a means of raising revenue for our depleted deficit. The same measure was defeated last year, largely due to lobbying efforts by wine store owners and distributors who feared losing business. But under the new proposal, wine and liquor stores for the first time could sell "breads, cheeses and other items that would go naturally with wine," install A.T.M.'s in-store, and sell directly to restaurants, bars and convenience stores! Watch your back, 7-Eleven. more ›

Love 'em or hate 'em, 7-Eleven is here to stay. According to the Observer, the store will be a "recessionary scar" on this city for quite some time. The company will open 100 new Manhattan locations (up from six) in the next five years. They're also encouraging storeowners "to convert their existing business to a 7-Eleven store, complete with business model, products and technology." Will the corporate giant kill the bodega? At least we can look forward to easy access to Free Slurpee Day and that cabernet "with juicy plum Slurpee overtones." more ›

For truly special occasions when a bottle of Two Buck Chuck simply won't suffice, the discerning oenophile may soon turn to 7-Eleven, where a far more sophisticated wine will be sold. Sure, the $3.99 price tag may give some pause, but sometimes in life you've got to pamper yourself a little bit. 15,000 7-Eleven outlets will start stocking chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon; the chardonnay is described as zesty with notes of apricot, peach and honey; and the cab as full-bodied with juicy plum Slurpee overtones. [Via Grub Street] more ›

Since time immemorial, the only thing protecting the world's precious banana fruit from contamination has been the boring old peel. Well, Momma Nature, it's a new millennium, and it's time for a brand new bag! So 7-Eleven has come up with a new twist on an old classic: The company will now begin individually wrapping each banana sold in its stores in plastic. It's a start, but ultimately we'd like to see each banana also packaged in a bruise-resistant Styrofoam shell. more ›

Yay, New York's getting more generic convenience stores like the rest of mini-mall America! Because the city has more retail vacancies and rents are down, the 7-Eleven chain is capitalizing on the changing market to aggressively expand in the metropolitan area, which had 431 stores at the end of 2008. Executives at the company, which was founded in Dallas in 1927 but is now a subsidiary of the Japan-based Seven & i Holdings Company, plan to open at least 44 more 7-Elevens around the area this year, more than twice the number that opened last year. And they promise 350 more to come in the next five to seven years! An article in the Times offers an interesting look at 7-Eleven’s business conversion program, in which the owner of an existing convenience store gets an average of $280,000 to convert his or her space into a 7-Eleven. Holy smokes, we'd open a 7-Eleven in our apartment for half that...but first we need to get rid of the Starbucks location that's still operating out of our kitchen. more ›

A reader sent in this photo taken at a Manhattan 7-Eleven this morning. Barack Obama is the clear winner, and if the 7-Eleven demographic is any indication, he has this in the bag -- the 7-Election map shows he's even got the lead in the battleground states. The Slurpee set is really doing us all proud today, America. more ›

When the convenience stores first opened, they were called Tote'm stores because customers toted away the goods. In 1946 they changed the name to 7-Eleven to reflect the store's hours. Though the hours are no longer relevant, without that name change there wouldn't be free Slurpees today! As the company celebrates their 81st year, customers will be given free 7.11-ounce Slurpee drinks in special birthday cups. Last year the day was made a little more fun when 7-Elevens transformed into Kwik-E-Marts, and Slurpees into Squishees, to promote The Simpsons Movie. We suggest you follow Bart and Milhouse's suit and order the Super Squishee (made entirely of syrup) and "go crazy, Broadway style." more ›