7-11 Execs Meet with ANC Commissioners & Residents on Hill East Location

ANC Commissioners Krepp (at right) and Jayaraman (2nd from right) and Hill East residents meet with Hill East 7-11 reps on community issues.  7-11 rep Greg Manzer is in maroon jacket.  

7-11 Execs Meet with ANC Commissioners & Residents on Hill East Location

by Larry Janezich

Last Thursday, 7-11 executives, including Greg Manzer, regional Market Manager and Nancy Wade, Franchise Sales Representative, met with Hill East residents to discuss the transition of the currently corporate-run store to a franchise operation and to hear concerns about about the stores’s operation.  The meeting was organized by ANC Commissioner Denise Krepp.  ANC6B Chair Chander Jayaraman also attended the meeting at 15th and Independence Avenue,SE.

Manzer, who oversees 104 7-11’s in the region, said that the store would go under a new franchise operator in third week of July.  7-11 will sponsor a customer appreciation day in connection with the transition to new management.

Krepp asked the store reps about the on-going reports of theft at the store.  Manzer said that theft is a part of the business that goes on every day, accounting for losses amounting to $15 – $20 per day.

He noted that thefts extended beyond food items, singling out health and beauty aids as being among products most frequently taken.  Theft is a particular issue in the afternoons, after school lets out, but Manzer says that hiring security at $30 an hour is a “challenge of economics.”

Issues raised by neighbors included trash from carryout food discarded throughout the neighborhood, delivery times, and trucks idling for long periods.  Manzer told attendees that “I’m committed to helping this community anyway I can.”  To that end, he seemed amenable to sponsoring a once a month community clean up with free coffee and pastries.

Manzer said there was little he could do regarding adjustment of delivery times which are driven by factors beyond his control.  He did pledge to have managers make greater efforts for delivery trucks to abide by idling restrictions.

The store, open only 11 months, has seen five managers rotate through the store.  A franchise operator, Manzer says, will provide more stability.

Afterward, Jayaraman said, “I appreciate that 7-Eleven corporate came out in the rain to hear about community concerns, their willingness to follow up on issues, and commitment to take a more active role to be part of the solution.  I am hopeful that this is a harbinger of a new corporate approach to addressing the concerns of residents in neighborhoods where they operate.”