Archive for Items Categorized 'Avanti Magazine', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.
SEI has touted servant leadership as the organizational mantra for the past nine years. In the 1970s, Robert Greenleaf coined the term in his published essay “The Servant As Leader.” Since Greenleaf’s work was published, the topic of servant leadership has grown in popularity as a method for teaching management in the workplace. The […]
Since becoming chairman of the National Coalition, one of the issues that has been brought to my attention consistently has been the reclassification of 7-Eleven franchisee operating expenses. This was brought to SEI’s attention in February, and at our Portland Board meeting in May it became a bigger issue of concern with franchisees. During […]
On August 22, the National Coalition filed a revised complaint to SEI’s new Security System and Monitoring Amendment, which allows the company to remotely monitor our stores via the new DVR security surveillance system. The circumstances leading up to this moment began in 2012, when SEI first started rolling out the new security system. […]
In my high school and college years, I proudly worked in retail. Each of my employers reminded me to always respect the customer, because without them, they would correctly say, I would not have a job. In my later years as a shopper, I have rarely encountered someone who did not treat me with […]
Where do we go from here? This is the big question percolating among members of the franchise community, SEI, and even within the vendor community. In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. isolated himself from the demands of the civil rights movement he helped found. He rented a small house in Jamaica with no […]
In a recent article by former National Coalition legal counsel Arnold “Arnie” Hauptman, he spelled out everything I need to accomplish as the new chairman within six months before I could relax and enjoy the rest of the year. The list included encroachment, the tiered 7-Eleven charge or “Split,” franchise fees, the DVR security […]
Franchisees understand the importance of a clean operation. We understand we are competing for customers, and that we need to keep our stores clean to attract repeat business. We understand that if one store isn’t clean or keeping up with established standards, that store impacts all the other 7-Elevens around it because the experience […]
As many of you may be aware, an increasing number of franchisees are reporting issues regarding chargebacks to Operating Expenses. It appears that SEI has been changing its policies and procedures regarding allowable Operating Expenses in ways that are contrary to the specific terms of the Franchise Agreement. SEI has also been applying a […]
What has caused the deterioration of the once sound relationship between 7-Eleven Inc. and franchisees? I doubt that anyone can pinpoint a day or event when things changed. I believe we all agree we can never return to the days when 7-Eleven was the only real player in the convenience store business. The reality […]
Most franchisees are probably are aware of the movement to raise the minimum wage in cities and states across the country. There are several variations of what the minimum wage should be, and some cities and states have already raised their minimum wage rates. For instance, Connecticut and Maryland just raised theirs to $10.10 […]
