Not that they would! But the next time you step into a, say, 7-Twelve in China or a 7-Minutes in Russia, remember that you’re not actually in a 7-Eleven. Got it?
Picture: livein_china/Twitter
Of course you do. Recently, Twitter user Livein_China uploaded the above pic of a faux convenience store. But China is hardly alone in being home to fake 7-Elevens (the vast majority of 7-Elevens there are totally real). You can find them the world over. Obviously, most are local small mum and pop operations, trying to make a quick buck.
Via Matome Naver, here are some more standout phonies from around the world:
7 Days. Makes sense.
7-Eleven? Nope, Seventy-Seven.
7-Bright. OK.
9-One.
Seven…minutes.
7-Apple? 7-Mac? iEleven? I give up.
[via junjun2310
7-Eleven restaurant and bar. Looks legit.
7-Mercy. Yep. This convenience store was located in Japan and has since been shuttered. Fittingly, a real 7-Eleven opened nearby.
I’m assuming 7-Mercy was closed down after 7-Eleven became a Japanese-owned company.
Comments
9 responses to “Fake 7-Elevens That Fool No One”
What’s so special about 7-11 anyway?
In many countries (especially in Asia), 7-11 isn’t just a convenience store, it substitutes for a supermarket (which are rather uncommon). In Thailand, you can get hot meals in there, the selection is way larger than Australia’s 7-11, and everything’s affordable (even for locals). They get everything except produce from 7-11 and similar convenience stores, so it’s a known quantity. These fake stores are co-opting a brand that people trust.
Oh okay thanks for clearing that up!
There’s an ‘8-11’ in Toronto around Spadina…
I’m amazed it’s showed up. The very first one ‘Mini Mart’ is a family friend’s business in a certain tourist spot in Vietnam, not my friend though. It’s essentially your 24hr convenience store, very handy. The first time I saw it, I thought it was quite a smart move. Draws in the tourists who know it’s not actually a 7-11 chain, but go there because it’s immediately recognisable, at least for those from states that have them (SA here). Also much alcohol in stock. The local Vietnamese government have no idea of it and I don’t think it impedes on any trademark specifically, other than the actual number 7. Something must have happened though because it’s all been removed as of 2013, just has blandness out the front. Never ever thought it’d be infamous enough to get on the internet. It had been there for over 6-7 years I estimate though.
I was shot to death one time in a 1-8-7… That’s not true.
Its worth noting that those “fake” 7-11 stores in China are ONLY found in towns/cities where there are no real ones. If you do to Shanghai or Guangzhou or Beijing thinking you will see these, you will be mistaken
7-Twelve – it’s one better!
Funny thing in Indonesia… even though we all know 7-Eleven as a minimarts/convenience store, there’s a saturation of minimarts in Jakarta that the government didn’t approve 7-Eleven’s permit as a minimarket. Instead, they applied as a one-stop-dining-store, so all 7-Elevens here are basically restaurants which happen to sell convenient groceries.