Early 7-Election voting kicked off on Sept. 6 and to date Mecklenburg County results show 56.7% blue for Obama, 43.3% red for Romney. Special campaign cups are tabulated at the register when the sale is made, and the retailer posts national and state results daily on www.7-election.com. Poll tallies reflect the percentage of candidate cups sold to date, not including 7-Eleven’s regular cups.
“Coffee continues to be a top favorite product among our Charlotte customers,” said Doug Doyle, market manager for 7-Eleven’s Charlotte region. “CofFREE Day is way for us to give thanks to those loyal customers and welcome new customers into our newly converted stores. 7-Election adds another layer of excitement to CofFREE Day and we hope the ‘coffee cup-voters’ in Charlotte show up and cast their vote, coffee on us.”
In past years, millions of everyday Americans have participated in the 7-Election vote as they go about their daily routines. Billed as unabashedly unofficial and unscientific, 7-Election invites customers to vote by selecting specially marked coffee cups. Patriotic coffee-drinkers can vote at participating 7-Eleven stores as early and as often as they want in the remaining weeks leading up to the national election – but only for free this Friday from 6 to 10 a.m. Since 2000, 7-Eleven “coffee cup-voters” have successfully predicted the winner in each presidential election, giving 7-Election a better track record than some well-known statistically valid polls.
While coffee is a nonpartisan beverage enjoyed by Democrats and Republicans alike, it does have deep political roots in American history. In 1607, Captain John Smith in Virginia introduced coffee in America, and the First Continental Congress named it the national beverage after the Boston Tea Party.
7-Eleven was the first U.S. retailer to offer fresh-brewed coffee in to-go cups back in the mid-1960s. It proved an instant success. Customers liked fixing their coffee the way they wanted it – choosing cup size, regular or decaffeinated, and adding sweeteners and creamers to suit their tastes. Today, 7-Eleven sells more fresh-brewed coffee than anything else – 1 million cups per day. In each of the past 7-Election polls, more than 6 million candidate cups were cast.
About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses approximately 9,400 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, there are some 47,600 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2011, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales close to $76.6 billion. 7-Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently. Accolades include: #2 on Forbes magazine’s 2011 list of Top Franchises for the Money; #3 spot on Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 list for 2012, #3 in Forbes magazine’s Top 20 Franchises to Start, and #2 in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise Companies. Hispanic Magazine named 7-Eleven among its Hispanic Corporate Top 100 Companies that provide the most opportunities to Hispanics. 7-Eleven received the 2010 Retailer of the Year honor from PL Buyer because of the company's private-label brand initiative. 7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S. and expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.
