In our lifetimes, we’ve always had convenience stores, where we can pop in for a gallon of milk and our favorite junk food (Bugles). But 100 years ago, that wasn’t the case. Consumers had to go to their local market. Grocery stores as we know them started in 1916 when Piggly-Wiggly introduced self-service, baskets and check-out lanes.
In 1927, a company in Dallas, Texas, began selling bread, milk and eggs. The company changed its name to “Tote’m” store because customers toted their purchases home.
It was rebranded in 1946 and now operates more than 86,000 stores in 19 countries.
What is the company and what was its first business?
The company is 7-Eleven, which started as the Southland Ice Company in Dallas, Texas. Customers picked up blocks of ice to take home to put in their ice boxes to keep their food fresh. One customer pointed out that it would be great if she could pick up milk and a few other items at the same time. The company complied with that request and that’s how the first convenience store started.
If you’ve been to Texas in the summer, then you can imagine how quickly ice in the back of your wagon would melt. The store decided to open earlier and stay open later so people could avoid the heat of the day. After World War II, the store rebranded to reflect its opening hours, 7-Eleven. It expanded those hours to 24 hours a day in 1963.
It expanded internationally in the 1970s and in 2005, was purchased by a Japanese company, Ito-Yokado (now Seven & I Holdings).
7-Eleven is credited with introducing us to a number of concepts and products: coffee in to-go cups, self-serve soda, the Slurpee® and Big Gulp®.
Test yourself with our previous Travel Trivia questions.
– The Travel 100 staff