ICEE U LATER: Slurpees Arrive at Oklahoma City 7-Elevens

Way back in January – when life was a more normal crazy  – we scooped the entire OKC business media collective when we reported that Central Oklahoma 7-Eleven Stores were being sold to Corporate Overlords out of Dallas. It was a hard-hitting report that included me going deep undercover as a real-life 7-Eleven customer. You can read the whole thing here.

At the end of the report, I closed with a plea for more information about the deal, including the fate of one specific product:

It will be interesting to see what, if any, effect this will have on things. You don’t have to drive by more than five or six OnCues on NW Expressway to know that 7-Eleven has fallen behind in the local gas station scene...

Feel free to contact us if you have any tips or details about the deal, including if Oklahoma will finally have rights to the Slurpee.

Well, I guess we finally know the answer. Over the holiday weekend, our Free Queso podcast host Judie Matthews – an intelligent and experienced person – reported that the venerable 7-Eleven on 23rd & Penn, the unofficial convenience store of OKC's underworld, has made the Slurpee switch:

Unlike Judy, I don't have super strong feelings about this from a product quality standpoint. I haven't had an ICEE or ICY or Slurpee or Slushy or whatever they're called since the 20th century. I drank them as a kid every now and then, but mostly due to peer pressure from other kids. I guess this would be like me getting mad if Boston Baked Beans or Lemonheads changed their formula. Say no to drugs!

That being said, from a personal grudge standpoint, I'm all for this slushy takeover by our Slurpee overlords. Thanks to the Brown family – owners of Central Oklahoma 7-Elevens – OKC never had Slurpees. We had (honk honk) ICY drinks, which weren't ICEEs, although we once had ICEEs before getting ICYs. The Oklahoman tried to explain why here. Either way, I spent most of my life confused by the whole Slurpee vs ICEE vs ICY thing. For giving me that brain freeze, I'm happy the ICY brand is skating on thin... well... you know.

Anyway, I guess if you have any more info about 7-Eleven changes that went down, let us know. I haven't heard a lot since the sale occurred, but I do know the Brown family took care of some of their longterm employees, rewarding them with well-deserved bonus check for being such an instrumental part of the company's growth, and wasting all those hours waiting for the time lock safe to get change for a $5.

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