7-Eleven to close nearly 450 locations

FILE — 7-Eleven will be shutting down 444 locations due to a variety of issues. (Mike Mozart/CC BY 2.0 via MGN)

A convenience store chain plans to close several hundred underperforming stores.

7-Eleven will be shutting down 444 locations due to a variety of issues.

CNN reports that the company announced the closures in a recent earnings report, citing slowing sales, declining traffic, inflationary pressures, and a decrease in cigarette purchases as the reasons.

7-Eleven has more than 13,000 U.S. locations and the closures would affect about 3% of its stores.

Seven & I Holdings, the chain’s Japan-based parent company, shared that the stores' sales have declined over the past several months, including a more than 7% drop in August.

A specific list of closing locations wasn’t immediately released.

Taylor Swift donates $5 million to Hurricane Helene and Milton recovery efforts

FILE — Taylor Swift helps with Hurricane Helene and Milton relief efforts with a $5 million donation. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP | AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Taylor Swift is donating millions of dollars to help those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot released a statement on Wednesday, confirming Swift’s donation.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous $5 million donation to Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts,” the statement read. “This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms.”

Babineaux-Fontenot continued to thank Swift for standing with them “to end hunger and for helping communities in need.”

The superstar’s donation comes just weeks after Helene made landfall in Florida as a deadly Category 4 hurricane.

Helene left miles of destruction across six states, causing catastrophic flooding and leaving hundreds dead.

Now this week, Milton is also making landfall in Florida and CNN reports many meteorologists are predicting the storm to be one of the most destructive on record in the area.

Variety reports that Swift has made similar contributions in the past, including a $1 million donation towards natural disaster relief after storms impacted Tennessee in December 2023.

Eminem is going to be a grandfather; reveals daughter expecting first baby in music video

FILE -- Eminem performs during "Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central" on Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Looks like Eminem is going to be a grandfather for the first time.

This week, the 51-year-old rapper released a personal music video for his song “Temporary,” which features old home videos of his daughter Hailie Jade Scott and him over the years.

Toward the end of the video, a clip shows Scott, now 28, sharing the pregnancy news with Eminem while unveiling a blue football jersey that read “Grandpa” and the No. 1.

Eminem shares Hailie Jade Scott with ex-wife Kimberly Anne Scott. He is also the father to adopted daughters Alaina, 31, and Stevie, 22.

Additionally, the music video featured footage from Hailie Jade Scott’s wedding to Evan McClintock from earlier this year.

Us Weekly reports that Hailie Jade Scott has been open about her close relationship with her father and shared that she gets emotional when hearing the songs that have been written about her through the years.

The 28-year-old shared pictures from her wedding with McClintock in May.

People reports the two got engaged on Feb. 4, 2023, after they dated for six years and met at Michigan State University in 2016.

Customers say Wawa is best convenience store, study finds

FILE -- Wawa announced plans earlier this year to open multiple new stores in south Georgia. (Wawa | WXIX)

Customers have spoken when it comes to the top-rated convenience stores in the country.

Philadelphia-based Wawa took home the top spot with an industry-leading score of 82 out of the 100 points available in a recent customer satisfaction study, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

QuikTrip finished second with a score of 81, followed by Buc-ee’s and Murphy USA with scores of 80 apiece.

Those who conducted the study said they found that food quality was a determining factor when it came to customer satisfaction scores.

“Convenience stores are no longer just a quick stop for gas and snacks — they are becoming serious competitors in the food service industry,” Forrest Morgeson, director of research at ACSI, said.

Hoagies are a big draw for Wawa customers and Buc-ee’s has a reputation for offering its customers a wide variety of on-the-go food options.

QuikTrip stores are reportedly also installing QT Kitchens to offer guests more food options.

The study found that nearly all reported chains exceeded the industry average score of 76.

Customers also gave the top-rated stores high marks for operating hours, locations, mobile ordering and loyalty programs.

“By focusing on the in-store dining experience, while maintaining the speedy service that customers have grown accustomed to, convenience stores may have found the perfect recipe for success,” Morgeson said.

Kids in flash mob robberies at 7-Eleven turned in to police by their own parents, reports say

Los Angeles police say extra patrol efforts have been implemented at 7-Eleven stores to deter future incidents. (Los Angeles Police Department)

Los Angeles

Parents in the Los Angeles area are being praised for helping turn in their children who were reportedly involved in a series of 7-Eleven robberies.

The parents reportedly made the difficult decision after discovering their child’s involvement in several disruptive flash mob robberies at the convenience stores.

KTTV reports that Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Blake Chow confirmed that several parents surrendered their teens to police stations last week in connection with the robberies.

Chow also shared that many of the juveniles involved were not from the neighborhoods where the crimes took place.

“They did the right thing because if you don’t stop them young, they could go pretty far with it,” resident Tiffany Brown said.

Last month, Los Angeles police shared a video of one of the 7-Eleven robberies saying the department received multiple crime reports in connection with the flash mob robberies at 7-Eleven stores that involved 20 to 40 people on bicycles.

Authorities said the bicycle crew began targeting convenience stores in July.

The LAPD said it has stepped up patrols to deter future incidents as it continues to ask for public assistance in identifying the others involved.