On 7/11, get a big gulp of nostalgia with a look at Dallas’ 7-Eleven through the decades
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For nearly a century, 7-Eleven has proven time and again that it is capable of fulfilling customer demand for convenience.
The 20th century saw an unprecedented change in daily life with the growth of the middle class and the expansion of the suburbs. For families, this meant a new focus on convenience, and 7-Eleven pioneered fast access.
What started as a neighborhood helper to help customers in trouble grew into a multinational company that introduced a new way of shopping. Dallasites were the first to experience the late hours and wide variety of goods on offer in the early 7-Eleven stores.
The early days
Illustration published August 1, 1947.(The Dallas Morning News)
The chain was originally known as Southland Ice Co. The company had stations all over Dallas. Uncle Johnny Green, who ran one of these ice cream parlors, had an idea out of neighborly friendliness that would change shopping for generations to come. In 1927, Green began selling eggs, milk, and dairy products alongside ice cream in the open shop.
The idea quickly came up in other Southland branches. When a souvenir from Alaska showed up in front of stores, they were renamed “Tote’m Stores”.
Illustration published October 16, 1970.(The Dallas Morning News)
Before long, “the company expanded the practice to other of its ice stations and then expanded the list of items to more than 3,000 – an abundance”.
As families at the Metroplex became more car-centric, 7-Eleven delivered its revolutionary park-at-the-door store.
It’s 1952, what would you find on 7-Eleven’s shelves?
- Blue Plate Jellies and Jams
- Foster’s eggs
- 1869 coffee
- Oak Farms Dairy Products
- Morton’s potato chips
- Holsum bread
- Dr. Pepper
- 7-Eleven’s Broiler Burger
- Fresh vegetables on a bed of ice
‘Thank god’
Illustration published October 16, 1970.(The Dallas Morning News)
From radio to print, 7-Eleven had a remarkable range of memorable ads.
“Where does the supermarket manager go when he wants a loaf of bread?”
“Shop four times faster at 7-Eleven.”
“Strange things happen to people who shop at 7-Eleven.”
Illustration published February 20, 1970.(The Dallas Morning News)
But one stood above the other: “Oh, thank heavens for 7-Eleven!”
Southland Corp. underwent major expansion to bring a variety of products under a single roof – including the purchase of Oak Farms Dairy and Cabell’s in its early decades.
What did that mean for the customers? It meant growing high quality groceries in a convenience store. Ads from before the 1970s illustrate how 7-Eleven merchandise could solve shoppers’ problems.
Innovative offers
There is arguably an abundance of products that made 7-Eleven the iconic store it is today. First on the list? Ice cream, for those who remember. The second? Oak Farms dairy which had its own baseball team in the 1930s. 7-Eleven served households as a practical substitute for the milkman in an emergency.
Illustration published May 7, 1957.(The Dallas Morning News)
Illustration published July 11, 1970.(The Dallas Morning News)
The Dallas-based stores began to see a shift towards specialty items. In 1965, 7-Eleven offered its first take-away coffee. His most iconic product – the Slurpee – debuted the following year. “
Illustration published July 11, 1967.(The Dallas Morning News)
“Strange Things Happen To Those Who Sip” was an ad campaign launched around this time that led to catchy tunes like “Dance the Slurp” for customers with brain freezes.
Other lesser-known products were only making short-lived debuts on the shelves at the time. In 1968 Southland Corp. developed its own line of soft drinks. The carbonated drink made short headlines when it was used as a creative weapon in a 1970 fight.
Illustration published August 28, 1970.(The Dallas Morning News)
The convenience even extended to shotgun shells that were commercially available in the 1970s.
Later that decade, another famous 7-Eleven product first hit stores – the Big Gulp. Oversized sodas are commonplace these days, but at the time of their debut they had never been seen.
A new generation
7-Eleven’s pursuit of comfort began as a friendly act of the neighborhood at an ice station. For decades, the company became a mini market leader with a wide variety of fresh products before turning to international expansion.
Currently, the store is leading the way in enhancing the customer experience with the Evolution Store offering handmade tortillas, a taco bar, margaritas on tap and more to cater to a new generation.
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