COVID Forces 7-Eleven to Cancel Free Slurpee Giveaway

No free Slurpee day in El Paso this year?! You’ve gone too far now, coronavirus. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, 7 Eleven will not be giving away free Slurpees in stores on July 11 (7/11).

Sad face.

The company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer decided to cancel its annual birthday celebration out of an abundance of caution. “Gathering nine million of our closest friends in stores on one day just didn’t feel right," Marissa Jarratt said in a press release.

Oh, well. I wouldn't stand in a line for a half hour just to save $1 ... said no one in El Paso ever!

So, no party at the Slurpee machine this year, but if you’re a loyalty app member you’ll receive a coupon in your account for a free medium Slurpee on July 1, which you can redeem during the month of July.

3 Truths and a Lie: The Slurpee Edition

• 7 Eleven introduced the Slurpee in 1966
• The free Slurpee birthday tradition started in 2002
• Slurpee is Yiddish for "cup of diabetes"
• The company’s advertising director coined the word “Slurpee” to describe the sound the drink made traveling through the straw

If you guessed #3 is the lie, you are one of the few mental giants in this town. A Slurpee is not a cup of diabetes. A Slurpee, my friend, is a cup of brainfreeze inducing goodness.

Also, they trademarked the word “brainfreeze.” No lie. Google it, I’ll wait.

See, I told you.