You can't add a story to a house that has a broken foundation. But yet the company pretends this is all part of the plan. You chewed off more than you could swallow and now your employees, on both sides, are paying the price.
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7-11 fuel pricing never made sense. I asked the fuel team, "why are you pricing so much higher than anyone else?" The answer is "our location is better. " anyone who has bought gasoline knows that isn't true. If I see fuel is 15 cents cheaper one block away, that's where I'll go!
I also pointed out that fuel sales lead to in store sales, so shouldn't we be competitive to bring in customers. Fuel team (from VP to pricing analysts) all said that in-store customers are a different segment from fuel customers so it's not much a draw. I guess they were wrong.
7-Eleven Fuel Dept. is a joke and know sless than zero on pricing strategy to drive fuel volume and inside store sales. They actually believe that the two are not tied together. Sure... go ask QT, Racetrac et al about that one. Maybe that is why they are happy running 1.2m gallons a year while middle of the road competitors double that much less what the big boys run. It is common to see a 7-Eleven priced $.30 cpg higher than a CK in many markets. You bought Speedway for the fuel volume then lets the Keystone Cops ruin that business. Why did you buy a fuel company if you didn't understand fuel?
Speedway wanted to pay Marathon to go independent but they just ignored them and sold to 7/11, Literally everyone knew this was a sh--e deal...
Restructuring always happens after large merges. That's were the savings come from they always speak about that makes a deal worth it. Synergies.
Would have been fine if they hadn’t changed fuel pricing strategy to match 7E’s (which no one in the industry does). Lost gallons, store transactions and customers, all for a few more cents per gallon. Then they ask why Speedway same store sales are so bad but don’t listen to the Speedway employees who told you it was because we were pricing too high. Sh-t hit the fan when American investors of our Japanese parent company started snooping around. Then suddenly, they require everyone to come into the office with no hybrid work allowed while COVID cases are raging, saying cases are down, in order to have people self select. “Voluntary resignation” for anyone not back in the office by July 1 was just so they could pay less severance. Merchandisers were literally looking at cigarette pricing and wondering why T-counts were down while Speedway merch was answering to deaf ears—it’s the price of gas above competition. It’s driving away customers. 7-Eleven never learns.