Archive for Author 'John Santiago', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.
‘Smoke and mirrors’ is a metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description. The source of the name is based on magicians’ illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a distracting burst of smoke. The expression may have a connotation of virtuosity or cleverness in […]
I’ve been in the 7-Eleven system for a very long time and I’ve seen my share of ups and downs. As the Vice President of the FOAC and Vice Chairman of the National Coalition of Associations of 7-Eleven Franchisees (NCASEF), I am very aware of the activities of other 7-Eleven FOAs throughout the country […]
Over the last several years, franchisees have been embroiled in a great number of conflicts with SEI over policies, processes and program changes we believe have caused more harm than good to storeowners. The Financial Impact Worksheet (FIW) was one of those processes that caused our relationship with 7-Eleven to get contentious and reach […]
Over the last few months there has been talk about the new franchise agreement coming out within the next few years. The majority of franchisees are due for an agreement renewal in 2019, so the discussion always turns to what the agreement was like when we first franchised into the system versus the agreement […]
7-Eleven franchisees over the last several months have been experiencing momentous change in approach from SEI management that seems unprecedented in the recent history of the National Coalition. Although the two organizations don’t always see eye-to-eye, franchisees have seen SEI reaching out on both national and local levels to work more closely with franchisees, […]
One of my most important roles as General Counsel of your National Coalition is to monitor legal developments that could have an impact on your franchised businesses. One of the most important and widely reported such developments are proceedings brought by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against McDonald’s and several of its franchisees. […]
Australian songwriter and performer Peter Allen—along with his writing partner, Carole Bayer—created a popular all-time favorite song of the ‘70s, the classic “Everything Old Is New Again.” Among the lyrics, which evoke a timeless truth: Don’t throw the past away You might need it some rainy day Dreams can come true again When everything […]
There’s been quite bit of discussion (and controversy) regarding 7-Eleven’s program to assist low volume storeowners. Is this “new and improved” program any better than what franchisees had been offered in the past? Is the assistance being offered by 7-Eleven truly helping the low volume storeowner stay alive? No one really knew for sure, […]
After years of practically zero communications with SEI—during which time the company engaged in heavy-handed tactics, trampled on our independent contractor status, forgot all about servant leadership, almost wiped out Retailer Initiative with BT and other restrictive initiatives, introduced FIWs, Asset Protection, the new DVR security system and the gradual gross profit split, among […]
One of the main objectives of the National Coalition as we ended 2014 and headed into the New Year was to develop more open dialogue with SEI’s upper management so we could address our issues and concerns, and discuss ways we could work together to maximize profitability. After all, communication is a two-way street, […]
