Archive for Items Categorized 'Avanti Magazine', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.
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 […]
A franchisee from my area recently sent me an e-mail regarding a theft procedure adopted by one of her employees that eventually raised a red flag at corporate, resulting in her getting a “bill” for SEI’s share of lost gross profit dollars. The bill was presented in the form of a “Financial Impact” report […]
Franchisees around the country are very concerned about 7-Eleven’s plans to install new DVR security systems in all franchised stores. Don’t get me wrong. I’m fully in favor of replacing the old VHS systems we have that we can’t even buy tapes for anymore. Franchisees should actually welcome the arrival of the DVR, since […]
