By George Anderson
A number of 7-Eleven stores have been turned into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience store that is a fixture on "The Simpsons" television show.
The 7-Eleven stores that participated in the makeover have done so as part of the chain's tie-in with "The Simpsons Movie," out on July 27. The chain is picking up the roughly $1 million dollars it will take to transform 7-Elevens into Kwik-E-Marts. Stores that have been remodeled are located in Burbank, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Lake Buena Vista/Orlando, Las Vegas/Henderson, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco/Mountain View, Seattle and Washington, DC/Bladensburg, MD.
"We thought if you really want to do something different, the idea of actually changing stores into Kwik-E-Marts was over the top but a natural," Bobbi Merkel, an executive for 7-Eleven's advertising agency, FreshWorks, told The Associated Press. "It shows they get the joke."
There was some concern that not everyone would appreciate the "joke." The proprietor of the fictional Kwik-E-Mart is a cartoon character named Apu Nahasapeemapetilon who has a very heavy Indian accent. The character in "The Simpsons" is played up to accentuate ethnic stereotypes that not everyone is able to find humor in.
Despite this, Rita Bargerhuff, a 7-Eleven marketing executive, said franchisees (many of whom are Indian) are "overwhelmingly positive" about the store transformations. Ms. Bargerhuff did not say the positive attitudes were universal.
"I know it's a stereotype, but it doesn't bother me. Everybody knows it's a joke," said Kumar Assandas, a 7-Eleven franchisee in Las Vegas whose store was among those remodeled to become a Kwik-E-Mart. "I'm a big Simpsons fan myself, and maybe subconsciously it even inspired me to become a 7-Eleven owner."
Interestingly the Apu character is portrayed as a clerk on the television show who works around the clock with apparently little to no time off. "The Simpsons" website does clarify that Apu does, in fact, get time off for work. "Please don't be thinking it's only work that Apu is having on his mind, my goodness, no! Like clockwork, he parties hearty with his brother Sanjay, family, and friends each and every year for a most enjoyable five minutes."
In addition to the stores being converted to Kwik-E-Marts, 7-Eleven is tying into the movie with a group of new products that until now could only be bought in the fictional world of Homer, Bart and the rest of the denizens of Springfield. These include Buzz Cola, KrustyO's cereals, Pink Donuts, Squishees (think Slurpees with a different name), and a Radioactive Man comic book.
7-Eleven will hold an ongoing contest as a tie-in with the movie that will award 711 hourly prizes on specially marked packages of Squishees, sandwiches and other items. One grand prize winner will find themselves animated to make their very own guest appearance on an upcoming episode of "The Simpsons."
Discussion Questions: What do you think about 7-Eleven's tie-in with "The Simpsons Movie?" Should there be a concern that some workers within the industry and others will be offended by the stereotyping of an Indian character in pursuit of laughs?