7-Eleven Strikes Again! Kills Mom and Pop in Chelsea

We heard the rumors that 7-Eleven put Kyung’s Gourmet Deli out of business but today we get verification.

Via Vanishing New York we learn the Mom & Shop closed which isn’t surprising.  Back in January the owner of Kyung’s Gourmet Deli told Market Place Business that his sales dropped 25% since a 7-Eleven opened right next door!

“I don’t know. I don’t know why they do that to me?” [owner Kyung Chan Yu] says as he stands in the corner deli in Chelsea he’s owned for years.

After 7-Eleven opened next door recently, his sales are down 25 percent.

“Time by time, little by little, they’re taking my customers,” he laments.

Earlier this month we told you about Gramercy Corner,  another Mom & Pop who were pushed out by a 7-Eleven, again, opening right next door!

Margaret Chabris, 7-Eleven’s spokesperson, loves to tell the press how 7-Eleven is gracing “underserved” neighborhood with their presence.

This is why No 7-Eleven! 

By threatening the free market through sheer volume, 7-Eleven is the corporate equivalent of a top-level predator which, having no natural enemies, invades and overwhelms local ecosystems and destroys native species.

Junk Food Extravaganza at 7-Eleven 171 Madison Ave

7-Eleven spokesperson Margaret Chabris sure has some explaining to do!

For months Chabris has been talking about New York City’s “underserved”  neighborhoods and how she and her Texas-based 7-Eleven chains are going to bring healthier food options to NYC –  as if Manhattan is some third-world country in need of fresh food and drinking water. Walking past this 7-Eleven at 171 Madison Avenue today, we couldn’t help but notice the cornucopia of junk food being advertised in the window. Mini Tacos! Pizza! More Mini Tacos! More pizza! It’s almost as healthy looking as the 7-Eleven website and their nifty new junk food app!

To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with pizza or tacos. But as 7-Eleven plans an additional 100 locations for Manhattan, the reason for the invasion, they claim, is New York City is “underserved” and they are bringing healthy eating options to us. Is there any neighborhood in Manhattan currently facing a pizza shortage? Is pizza considered healthy? So far the only thing 7-Eleven has done is push out local business and create a crime-friendly corner of urban blight. The corporate talk and the reality of what’s taking place doesn’t add up.

7-Eleven Displaces Local Business in Gramercy

Word from Jeremiah at Vanishing New York is a 7-Eleven located at 247 3rd Avenue forced out Gramercy Corner. The owners of the local business reported a 25%-30% drop in business after 7-Eleven opened right next door. From Vanishing New York:

“Last summer, an invading 7-Eleven pushed out a local convenience store from the corner of 20th St. and 3rd Ave. The owner of Gramercy Corner reported at the time that 7-Eleven had taken away 25-30% of his business. Luckily, he found a new spot nearby, albeit a much smaller one.”

What is moving into the location? Orange Leaf fro-yo, another chain! This one based in Oklahoma. Again to Vanishing:

“Orange Leaf, like 7-Eleven and so many other chains, is spreading rapidly and aggressively, a fact they celebrate. Their website announces “235 stores and 138 coming” and “new stores open every week!” It features a map with the slogan, “We came, we conquered.” In New York City, they’ve got 5 stores “coming spoon!” [sic], including this one.”

Similarly, last September the owner of Kyung’s Deli and Fruit Stand in Chelsea also reported a 25% drop in business since 7-Eleven opened right next door to him.

“I don’t know. I don’t know why they do that to me?” he says as he stands in the corner deli in Chelsea he’s owned for years.  After 7-Eleven opened next door recently, his sales are down 25 percent. “Time by time, little by little, they’re taking my customers,” he laments.

So much for these areas being “underserved.”

Related

Orange Leaf [Vanishing New York]
7-11 Strikes Again [Vanishing New York]
7-Eleven Tries to Retake Manhattan [Marketplace]