7-Eleven Sustains 'Undercover Boss' Bump

The CBS series gave the convenience store chain a boost, which has continued.

April 26, 2010

DALLAS - CBS?? "Undercover Boss" has given the featured retail chains buzz, but for most merchants, that goodwill has not lasted, Brandweek reports.

YouGov??s BrandIndex took a closer look at three companies?"7-Eleven, White Castle and Hooters?"profiled on the show to see if the program changed consumer perception. 7-Eleven experienced an upward swing and then settled higher than it??s rating before the program aired, while White Castle??s profile leaped substantially but now has fallen near pre-program levels. Hooters had a small rise, only to decline to its previous level.

Before its Feb. 21 broadcast, 7-Eleven had received the bottom reputation score in the Grocery Store sector. President and CEO Joseph DePinto went incognito as a trainee on the night shift at a Long Island, N.Y., location before working with a food delivery person. The show ended with DePinto giving the delivery man his own 7-Eleven and helping another employee to see the job possibilities within the company.

The happy ending advanced the meter just a bit for the convenience store chain, but in the weeks since DePinto was on the show, the chain has been tracking consistently higher than before the program.

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