Set to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," here are just a few of the more than 2,000 items shoppers can find at most 7-Eleven [image-nocss] stores on Christmas Day and throughout the holiday season.
On the first day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...a Gingerbread coffee in a refillable mug. When it's cold, coffee sales are hot. And busy shoppers, decorators, carolers need their favorite brew to keep pace with the busy holiday season. December is the top-selling coffee month, typically 40% higher than the summer months.
On the second day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...two Dove chocolates. More than one-third of all boxed chocolates sales at 7-Eleven occurs in November and December, making Christmas the third highest-selling candy holiday for the convenience store chain behind Halloween and Easter. 7-Eleven stocks many favorite Christmas candies, like Dove dark-chocolate peppermint bark and traditional candy canes. It sells enough candy canes for everyone in the state of Virginia to have one in their stocking, it said.
On the third day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...three French wines. December is the top-selling wine month of the year, and 20% of all champagne is sold in December. Last year, 7-Eleven sold enough champagne during December to provide a New Year's Eve glass of cheer to every adult in St. Louis, Mo. (or Tampa).
On the fourth day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...four calling cards. 7-Eleven sells lots of prepaid wireless phone cards, second only to those mega-mass retailers. And customers buy more phone cards in December than any other month. This year, 7-Eleven has a new $19.99 Verizon Smooth u350 model phone for just $19.99 that features a camera, blue-tooth capabilities and access to reliable service from Verizon, the country's largest wireless carrier. In December 2008, 7-Eleven sold enough phone cards for a teenager to talk on the phone 24 hours a day for 12 years, it said.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...five golden wings. The holiday season is party season. And 1,500 7-Eleven stores offers a selection of hot foods: Buffalo wings, all-white-meat chicken wings and whole pizzas are cooked hot while you wait, in 90 seconds or less.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...six sizzling Big Bites. Surprisingly, Christmas Day is one of the busiest days for Big Bite hot dog sales at 7-Eleven. One of the only places open Christmas Day where you can grab a quick meal, 7-Eleven even offers not only its popular Big Bite dogs, but also spicy Go-Go Taquitos, fresh-made sandwiches and nachos.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...seven films for playing. 7-Eleven has holiday and new-release DVDs for family viewing and gift giving. 7-Eleven also sells eight sizes of batteries. Battery sales at 7-Eleven stores triple Christmas week, it said. The most popular batteries sold are AA, most commonly used in videogame controllers, cameras, electronic handheld games and small toys and personal music players.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...eight milks a'chilling. Whipping cream, sour cream and butter sales almost double the week before Christmas. The retailer said that Christmas week is the biggest week of the year for dairy sales, 25% higher than the year's biggest food holiday, Thanksgiving.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...nine ladies dancing. Not really, said the retailer, but they might be dancing if they have nine winning lottery tickets. Company officials estimate that 7-Eleven sells more lottery tickets than any other retailer, and more lottery tickets sold can mean more lottery winners. December is one of the busiest months for lottery ticket sales, with people buying them for stocking stuffers, gifts and for themselves.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...10 chips for dipping. Snack foods like chips, dips, canned nuts, cookies and crackers fly off the shelves during the holiday party and football season. Tortilla chips increase 20% during December and January. Likewise, nuts and crackers show sales increases between 25 and 30%. 7-Eleven has added a variety of private-label snacks, including kettle-style potato chips, popcorn and nuts, which have shown significant month-to-month sales increases since being introduced a year ago.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...11 rolls a'rising. Sales of dinner rolls rise four times the week before Christmas and 14 times on Christmas day, it said. Sliced bread sales also increasemore than double on Christmas Day.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my 7-Eleven sold to me...12 tunes for humming. Sales of iTunes gift cards are cranked up approximately 400% in December. Participating 7-Eleven stores are also carrying a limited selection of holiday CDs in both contemporary and traditional styles.
Dallas-based 7 Eleven Inc. operates, franchises or licenses approximately 7,900 7-Eleven stores in North America. Globally, it operates, franchises or licenses more than 36,900 stores in 15 countries. During 2008, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $53.7 billion.
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