A cause for celebration

7-Eleven Hawaii’s creative strategist Megan Taguchi carries an exclusive 7-Eleven Day tote while pouring a small Banana SLURPEE.

As it celebrates its 45th birthday in the islands, 7-Eleven Hawaii is rolling out an exciting day filled with giveaways and special offers to express appreciation for customers and the community on Tuesday, July 11, aka 7-Eleven Day.

Starting at 11 a.m., customers can visit the register at any of the 66 locations statewide to receive a free small SLURPEE with no purchase necessary. This year, customers can also receive a free reusable tote bag made by local artist Camille Wong with any purchase (excluding gas). The promotions end when supplies run out, so customers are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy the special birthday offers.

On 7-Eleven Day, stop by any 7-Eleven Hawaii store to receive a free exclusive tote and small SLURPEE, while supplies last.

The team at 7-Eleven Hawaii has carved out a niche in the local community as its stores go beyond a traditional category; they operate in a unique space that blends elements of a gas station, grocery store and restaurant all in one.

“7-Eleven Day is all about celebrating SLURPEE, an iconic legacy offering synonymous with the 7-Eleven brand,” says 7-Eleven Hawaii marketing manager Annika Streng. “In Hawaii, we often think of SLURPEE and Spam Musubi when we hear ‘7-Eleven,’ but when you take a closer look, you can see that even our SLURPEE lineup has a local flair.”

Banana SLURPEE (free on July 11)

Customers continue to flock to 7-Eleven Hawaii for their favorite SLURPEE flavor fix (prices vary by size and location), especially during the hot summer days. In 2018, 7-Eleven Hawaii began its partnership with Harders Hawaii and its local flavor assortment took off; prior to 2018, the business relied on the national core flavors including Coca-Cola, Strawberry and Piña Colada.

“We worked with Harders Hawaii and quickly launched unique flavors like lychee, li hing mui and lilikoi,” says 7-Eleven Hawaii merchandising manager Debbie Poynter.

“The exclusive giveaway bag that we are offering free with any purchase this year pays homage to this history and highlights 45 years of Hawaii’s favorite flavors. Customers can see some of our favorite and most successful SLURPEE flavors including ube, haupia and butter mochi.

“Speaking of butter mochi, this has been one of our top flavors since its launch last July. Recent additions to our local flavor assortment include lemon drop and White Bunny, which was inspired by the creamy milk candy of a similar name — White Rabbit. When creating and formulating new SLURPEE, we look for nostalgic, uniquely Hawaii flavors that people will want to try and share with others.

“My favorite part about SLURPEE is that our customers can make it their way with any flavor combination,” Poynter continues. “It’s a refreshing summer drink made for you, by you, and 7-Eleven Day is the perfect opportunity to try our newest offerings.”

Customers are encouraged to get creative with different sweet treats from 7-Eleven Hawaii, including assorted ice creams, that are perfect complements to the refreshing SLURPEE lineup.

In addition to making a SLURPEE float using ice cream, what about adding li hing powder to a Coke SLURPEE? The 7-Eleven Hawaii team enjoys watching guests craft fun creations to share with friends and family.

“Even though it’s our birthday, we enjoy sharing this celebration with everyone,” Streng says.

“I enjoy how inclusive this celebration is, with so many locations statewide, people of all ages can partake. We are proud to be a locally operated company in Hawaii and take part in this ongoing tradition and engage in conversations with our customers as we gather around the SLURPEE machine.”