7-Eleven Hypes Simpsons Movie

While thousands sat on edge waiting for the arrival of the iPhone, others, including me, were just as enthusiastic about the long-awaited (18 years, to be exact) “The Simpsons Movie,” which will debut on July 27.

What makes this event even more special is 7-Eleven’s month-long marketing endeavor promoting the movie. The company has turned 12 locations nationwide into Kwik-E-Marts, which is the name of the beloved c-store in the Simpsons’ fabled town of Springfield that sells anything and everything fried, beloved pink-frosted donuts, aged hot dogs and, of course, the Squishee, a knockoff of 7-Eleven’s popular Slurpee beverage.

Being a longtime fan of “The Simpsons,” I had to go see for myself.

I speed-walked from the Chain Store Age offices on 56th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan to the convenience chain’s Times Square location on 10th Avenue and 42nd Street, in hopes of experiencing what Homer Simpson, a loyal Kwik-E-Mart shopper, experiences on a daily basis.

I was already giddy when I saw that the familiar green-and-orange 7-Eleven exterior sign had been replaced with one that read, “Kwik-E-Mart.” Inside, the store was packed with mostly twenty-somethings and teens who were posing next to the Simpsons character cutouts scattered throughout the store and loading up on Blue Woo Hoo! Vanilla Squishees. Products regularly seen in the animated series, such as Buzz Cola, KrustyO’s cereal, and pink-frosted donuts adorned the shelves in real life. Extra goodies such as Simpsons T-shirts, collectable cups and straws were also available for sale.

I got caught up in the excitement and spent $29 on Homer bobbleheads for friends, a collectable crazy straw, three Homer and Marge cookies, and a Squishee (doh!).

At the checkout line it occurred to me that not only is “The Simpsons Movie” getting great promotion (7-Eleven is footing the bill), the marketing stunt is a great way to boost sales and create new customers for the c-store, which is currently celebrating its 80th year of service.

I hadn’t been inside the chain for at least five years before last week, but I plan to go back again this month to pick up a copy of Radioactive Man, which was sold out when I visited—just keep me away from the bobbleheads!

— Jennifer Mosscrop, assistant desk editor.

Barely a Teen—But Online Savvy

My son is 13 and, despite the fact that he’s nearly six-feet-tall and wears a size 13 shoe, he’s still my baby. (I’m writing this with fingers crossed that he doesn’t read this blog!)

My baby or not, he’s one smart shopper, with research skills far beyond his years. He employs a two-pronged purchase approach—researching an item online, then heading to a bricks-and-mortar location to make his buy.

Recently I read a study, generated by security service ScanAlert, reporting that the average time it takes a shopper to make an e-commerce purchase decision has jumped from about 19 hours in 2005 to 34 hours and 19 minutes this year. The report suggested that the increase is due to more extensive comparison-shopping.

Intrigued by the newly released statistics, I asked my son yesterday how much time he spends researching an item before he feels prepared to make a purchase. “It depends on how much I already know about it,” he told me. For instance, he explained, if there’s a video game he’s interested in purchasing, his online investigation is fairly straightforward: he finds out the rating and, if it’s “Mature,” he investigates the reasons why, knowing it may take him the remaining 34 hours of average decision-making time to convince me to let him buy it!

If, though, his targeted purchase is more complex—for instance, a new drum trap-set—he will spend hours online researching brands and components, and, of course, shopping for the best price.

My son said he doubts that he spends 34 hours on purchase decision-making, but he did make it clear that he will spend whatever time it takes to feel confident that he has made the right purchase choice with his hard-earned money.

— Katherine Field

Nine West Scores With Customer Service

There is nothing I like better than a great find during a shopping trip. This week I learned that this feeling can easily be trumped by good customer service.

Prior to a trade show, I made my way to the Nine West store at Roosevelt Field mall here on Long Island (N.Y.). Keeping my eye on fashion and functionality, I opted for a very cute pair of black ballerina flats trimmed in patent leather. They also featured a very stylish gathered back above the shoe’s heel. They were full price, but I didn’t care. I knew they would look great with my Capri pants and that my feet would be more comfortable in flats than if I strolled around in heels.

However, the elastic that gathered the back of the shoe hugged the back of my ankle way too tightly. After 15 minutes, my cute shoes quickly became a painful nuisance. More importantly, my adorable purchase became a $70 loss in just one wearing.

I researched the return policy, but like many stores, refunds are only honored on unworn merchandise. Accepting defeat, I repacked the shoes in their box and set them in a corner.

That is, until my Mom lifted my spirits. “Bring them back,” she said. “Explain that they hurt your feet and you hoped you could get a refund or at least a store credit. You wore them once. The worst thing they can say is no.”

Figuring she had a point, I grabbed my receipt and made my way back to the store—30 days to the day of making the original purchase. I walked up to the checkout, made my case, and within minutes, I got a full refund.

“We really don’t accept returns on worn merchandise, but if they hurt your feet that is not good. We will definitely make the exception,” the associate said.

I was stunned, and pleasantly surprised. The experience also reminded me of why I rely on Nine West for my shoe purchases. Like I said, I like fashion and functionality. And any company that is willing to accommodate my comfort even at the cost of a sale wins my loyalty.

— Deena M. Amato-McCoy

iPhone: The Musical

Apple’s iPhone, whose initial sales exceeded projections, is winning nearly universal praise. Despite some quibbles (how long will that battery really last and what happened to the keypad?), it promises to be the hottest tech toy since … well, the iPod.

New York Times reporter David Pogue is singing his iPhone praises aloud—in the form of a musical. Check out this hilarious and quirky “iPhone: The Musical” clip, sung to the tune of “My Way.” Believe me, it’s definitely worth all 3:17 minutes of your time:

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=f390265dcbb9e1f1da97a69637e921d39b6c99aa

— Samantha Murphy