7-Eleven Kicks Chavez to the Curb

[Yonivore]

Chump - you make my head hurt! Trying to reason with you is like trying to reason with a two-year old!

Eh, I just get tired of wasting my time with him after awhile.

Maybe I should take him up on his offer to change to a screen name that would allow me to put him on ignore.

I'll have to revisit the proposal.

I wonder if he's offering to relinquish mod authority in the political forum and if he will cease posting as ChumpDumper while in here. That might be worth considering.

[ChumpDumper]

Chump - you make my head hurt! Trying to reason with you is like trying to reason with a two-year old!

You're the fool who thought Chavez' speech had anything to do with this.

[ChumpDumper]

I'll have to revisit the proposal.

I said you had your chance.

You had the chance twice, but as usual you whithered under direct questioning.

Tough .

[ChumpDumper]

I'm just trying to understand how CITGO wouldn't benefit from having their brand on every 7-11 pump in the country.

Sure the name recognition was important, but not as important now as it was when Citgo was entering the market and didn't have a retail network of its own. The only way something could hurt Chavez is if it somehow put less money in his coffers. The end of this deal does nothing in that regard.

[Yonivore]

I said you had your chance.

You had the chance twice, but as usual you whithered under direct questioning.

Okay, if that's what you call it.

Tough .

Don't worry, I'll survive. Had it been a serious offer, however, I doubt you'd of made it so transient and flimsy.

[ChumpDumper]

Had it been a serious offer

It was.

Both times.

Had you not been such a pussy you could be ignoring me right now.

[Crookshanks]

You're the fool who thought Chavez' speech had anything to do with this.

7-Eleven to End Relationship with Venezuela-Backed Citgo

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

DALLAS — Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier at more than 2,100 locations and switching to its own brand of fuel.

The retailer said Wednesday it will purchase fuel from several distributors, including Tower Energy Group of Torrance, Calif., Sinclair Oil of Salt Lake City, and Houston-based Frontier Oil Corp.

A spokeswoman for Dallas-based 7-Eleven said its 20-year contract with Citgo Petroleum Corp. ends next week. About 2,100 of 7-Eleven's 5,300 U.S. stores sell gasoline.

Citgo is a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, and the foreign parent became a public-relations issue for 7-Eleven because of comments by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez has called President George W. Bush the devil and an alcoholic. The U.S. government has warned that Chavez is a destabilizing force in Latin America.

7-Eleven spokesman Margaret Chabris said that, "Regardless of politics, we sympathize with many Americans' concern over derogatory comments about our country and its leadership recently made by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez."

Chabris said a boycott of Citgo gasoline would hurt the 4,000 employees of the U.S. subsidiary, who have no connection to Venezuela.

7-Eleven had been considering creating its own brand of fuel since at least early last year. Company officials said at the time they had spoken with independent fuel distributors.

I was actually replying to a post by boutons that said this article was stupid and would have no effect on Chavez.

[Yonivore]

I'm still not getting why Venezuelan owned CITGO would have their name plastered on every 7-11 gas pump and not financially benefit in some way.

Was it free advertising?

[ChumpDumper]

I was actually replying to a post by boutons that said this article was stupid and would have no effect on Chavez.

But 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris said the change was unrelated to Chavez's comments and had been in the works for almost a year.

"A lot of people took it out of context, thinking we are taking political position, which we are not. It's not political, it's a business decision."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...z/4220309.html

[ChumpDumper]

I'm still not getting why Venezuelan owned CITGO would have their name plastered on every 7-11 gas pump and not financially benefit in some way.

Was it free advertising?

Pretty much, while it got its own retail business going.

I just fail to see how this hurts Chavez' bottom line.

[Yonivore]

Pretty much, while it got its own retail business going.

I just fail to see how this hurts Chavez' bottom line.

Well, if CITGO wasn't financially benefitting from CITGO gas stations, I guess it doesn't hurt Hugo's bottom line.

Although, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another company that lends it name, in such a large fashion, for free.

[Yonivore]

But 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris said the change was unrelated to Chavez's comments and had been in the works for almost a year.

"A lot of people took it out of context, thinking we are taking political position, which we are not. It's not political, it's a business decision."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...z/4220309.html

Crooks didn't write the story. , I saw the same report and initially concluded that Hugo's remarks were, at least, tangentially involved.

The initial stories implied it was involved. Some of us commented prior to 7-11's clarification. Some of us may not have even seen the clarification.

Do you have to beat every frickin' dead horse in this forum?

[ChumpDumper]

When you guys keep getting it wrong, yes. Why can't you stand the truth when it's given to you?

Some of us may not have even seen the clarification.

No , dumbass. That's why I posted it.

You're welcome.

[Yonivore]

When you guys keep getting it wrong, yes. Why can't you stand the truth when it's given to you?No , dumbass. That's why I posted it.

You're welcome.

Okay, O' wise one, why exactly did CITGO leave it's signs up at 7-11 when they were gaining no financial benefit?

[ChumpDumper]

Okay, O' wise one, why exactly did CITGO leave it's signs up at 7-11 when they were gaining no financial benefit?

Why wouldn't they? We agreed that the name recognition was a benefit in itself, especialy when Citgo expended its own retail operations.

Tell me again how this hurts Chavez.

[Yonivore]

Why wouldn't they?

You do know that's not really an anwer, right?

Tell me again how this hurts Chavez.

Okay, better question, why would 7-11 keep the signs up if CITGO wasn't benefitting from the relationship?

[ChumpDumper]

Okay, better question, why would 7-11 keep the signs up if CITGO wasn't benefitting from the relationship?

It was obviously part of the agreement. You could probably put a dollar amount on it, but Chavez didn't make that deal, and no other oil company's name is replacing it, so there's even less of a point.

[Yonivore]

It was obviously part of the agreement. You could probably put a dollar amount on it, but Chavez didn't make that deal, and no other oil company's name is replacing it, so there's even less of a point.

So, the CITGO Signs will stay?

[ChumpDumper]

So, Chavez' bottom line is hurt?

[scott]

So, the CITGO Signs will stay?

What are these CITGO signs you speak of? 7-11s are 7-11s, CITGO stations are CITGO stations, regardless of how 7-11 (a C-Store chain) supplies its stores.

Edit: now I see that 7-11 owned (insert number) CITGO branded stores. So, Citgo will lose anywhere from 0 to 2 cents per gallon on that volume, assuming they don't ink another branded deal somewhere else.

So rest easy Yoni, Chavez will indeed lose an miniscule amount of the money he previously got from CITGO.

In the end - this is still a non-event for everyone but rapid Republicans and Democrats who have nothing better to do than overreact to everything. Here's an idea: get jobs!

[Yonivore]

What are these CITGO signs you speak of? 7-11s are 7-11s, CITGO stations are CITGO stations, regardless of how 7-11 (a C-Store chain) supplies its stores.

Edit: now I see that 7-11 owned (insert number) CITGO branded stores. So, Citgo will lose anywhere from 0 to 2 cents per gallon on that volume, assuming they don't ink another branded deal somewhere else.

So rest easy Yoni, Chavez will indeed lose an miniscule amount of the money he previously got from CITGO.

Hey, no sweat. I think I was more trying to get ChumpDumper to admit he was wrong than worrying about whether or not Hugo Chavez loses.

In the end - this is still a non-event for everyone but rapid Republicans and Democrats who have nothing better to do than overreact to everything. Here's an idea: get jobs!

Got one...and looking for another. Offering?

[ChumpDumper]

How could Chavez ever recover?

Oh yeah, sell his gas somewhere else.

Like, oh I don't know -- Citgo stores.

[ChumpDumper]

In order to meet service contracts at 13,100 Citgo-branded stations across the U.S., Citgo had to purchase 130,000 barrels a day from third parties - a less profitable business model than selling gasoline directly from its refineries.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4218649.html

Hmm. I wonder if there is any way they could free up some of their own gas to sell in their own stores.

[Phenomanul]

In order to meet service contracts at 13,100 Citgo-branded stations across the U.S., Citgo had to purchase 130,000 barrels a day from third parties - a less profitable business model than selling gasoline directly from its refineries.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4218649.html

Hmm. I wonder if there is any way they could free up some of their own gas to sell in their own stores.

Hmmmm sounds alot like what I was saying earlier....


But what do I know....

I guess working for 'that' company doesn't en le me to have a credible say so...

[ChumpDumper]

Nah, it just means you hate America.