Archive for Items Categorized 'Avanti Magazine', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.
As small businessmen, 7-Eleven franchisees are constantly at risk of new legislation and government rule-making that affects our businesses. For the National Coalition, the big value of getting involved in legislative activities is the opportunity to help our FOAs influence legislation not only at the national level, but more importantly at the local level […]
Once upon a time a 7-Eleven franchisee could make a very decent living from one store. These days, however, certain policy changes—like sharing the credit card fees, the change in the gasoline commission, a 20 percent franchise fee to renew our contract—have chipped away at our income. When SEI became determined to grow, they […]
The one constant in all store agreements since 2004 is that if certain conditions are met, a franchisee may renew the franchise “for one term equal to the number of years of the initial term provided for in our then current Store Franchise Agreement.” As an example, and assuming future versions of the agreement […]
Tenured franchisees remember the good ol’ days, when communication between storeowners and SEI personnel—whether it was the field consultant, the merchandising staff, the audit department, the maintenance department, or clerks from the accounting department—was face-to-face, or at the very least voice-to-voice, via the telephone. This allowed for two-way communications and led to more complete […]
SEI is rolling out the new DVR surveillance system to all 7-Eleven stores, and it appears that the transition is not going smoothly for franchisees who have installed their own security systems over the last several years rather than wait for SEI to upgrade the old VCR-based system. The problem these franchisees are facing […]
As we all know, SEI maintains our bookkeeping as part of their contractual obligation to franchisees. For our part, we have to furnish different kinds of cash and credit purchase invoices, receipts and bills for operating expenses, and payroll information to complete the process. Under the Franchise Agreement, storeowners may perform or obtain any […]
The truth about the technology all around us today is that it is here to stay whether we like it or not. The younger generations—Generation X, Millennials—and even baby boomers do everything on their smart phones, tablets and computers, from communications to television, to reading books, to shopping online, to boarding an airplane. Anyone […]
For years, we have been asking SEI to upgrade the antiquated security surveillance system in our stores. This system is so old it uses VHS tapes—which are hard to find these days—and the parts required to fix it when it breaks down are getting scarce. Now the company has announced that it has embarked […]
Time and time again, I am contacted by frantic franchisees who have just been through an audit that resulted in the disclosure of either a cash or inventory shortage. Small shortages, particularly of inventory, are expected in a convenience store, like a 7-Eleven, that has an inventory of thousands of small items that attract […]
One of two shocks to hit the 7-Eleven franchise system in 2009 was the announcement by 7-Eleven, Inc. (SEI) of the termination of the four-decades-old policy of sharing 25 percent (later 24 percent) of the gross profit from gasoline sales with the franchisee. A few years earlier, SEI had changed the gasoline amendment for […]
