By Eric Wolf Schoen
The company has been in business since the 1964. They started out selling hot coffee broadening their selection to the 10 or so varieties they offer every day today. No matter what time of day you are guaranteed a fresh cup of coffee or the coffee is free. I like the hazelnut coffee, three sweet and low, a touch of hazelnut creamer and fat free 1/2 and 1/2. 2% milk will work if they don’t have fat free half and half.
This month’s special is buy any size coffee and you get a free muffin. And oh boy, are the muffins good. Fresh baked daily, your selection includes corn, blueberry and French toast added last week. My diet precludes me from eating the high calorie muffin, so I will take it and give it to a friend, neighbor or someone who crosses my path. Once in a while if there is a person begging for money outside the store, I will give it to him or her. Better that they eat the muffin than I give them money which they could spend on drugs, liquor or beer available right in the store.
They have an OK selection of prepared foods with a hot roller machine featuring everything from hot dogs to cheeseburger big bites. The latter is a cheeseburger in the shape of a hot dog with cheese swirls coming out of it. Chicken is very much featured whether it be strips fried to golden goodness and various types of wings bone in and boneless. Breakfast egg sandwiches are warmed in the microwave. This is no WAWA with their made to order sandwiches and ‘Hoagie Fest’ where each 12 inch hoagie is a mere #5.
They do have cold sandwiches which are quite tasty including tuna, egg, turkey, cold cuts and cheese as well as pre made hoagies, wedges, hero sandwiches whatever you want to call them. That’s a tough question when you live in Yonkers. The American Hoagie features all American cold cuts. The Italian sandwich has red peppers and is dressed in a vinaigrette. It’s all what they call grab and go, and you are welcome to put chili or cheese on your frankfurter as preferred.
Most communities have several of these stores. Yonkers had 2 but is now down to 1. Yes, Yonkers has many bodegas, small grocery stores like my father use to own, but if you want a slurpee you need a WAWA Or this particular store (slurpees are $1 for a large one right now).
Lately a lot of the work done by employees in these stores involves packing orders people have sent in electronically. These order are picked up ‘by the next person on the list’ and delivered to the consumers home. Employees also make whole pizzas and slices.
These stores are run by hard working immigrants who put in 12 hour days at least 4 days a week supplemented by neighborhood people, adults and kids. These folks run the register, pack out merchandise and foods in refrigerated cases, keep the store clean and help you find what you want. Once they get their foot in the door they will bring people in from their respective countries to work 12 hour days.
My particular store has a husband and wife who had a baby maybe 18 months ago. The wife works days, 7 am to 7 pm 4 days a week. Her husband works overnights 4 days a week, 7pm to 7 am. They are very nice to their customers when the customers are nice to them. The staff for the most part is friendly and helpful. 12 hour days are not easy. Their English is not too good but they have learned a lot since they came to America.
Unfortunately, not everyone is like us, and many kids come in and help themselves to food or drink consuming it in store and not visiting the register. The chicken wings come 6 for $5, and I
have seen people take wings from one box adding extra to the box they are buying. I’ve also seen people consume their hot foods online waiting to get rung up and not paying for what they ate. Drinking their slurpee in a corner of the store so they can’t be viewed. I am convinced people are pigs.
Despite being called 7 Eleven, the store is open 24 hour a day 7 days a week. Someone probably threw away the key. I usually go to pick up milk, bread, a power drink and bottled water during the day. Sometimes when I get the urge for a snack, I’ll show up at 2 am or 3 am to fulfill my needs. It’s a good thing I wasn’t there at 3:09 last Sunday morning.
At that time, 2 male suspects entered the store, smashed the cash register on the ground and took an undetermined amount of cash. They exited the store, and if you know the area you will realize how easy it is to get on either the Saw Mill Parkway or New York State Thruway.
The robbers didn’t display guns, but caused enough drama in a normally sleepy neighborhood. Word gets around fast and the website for this paper had the story posted early in the the day Sunday.
So here you have people working 12 hour days having to deal with this drama at 3 in the morning. That’s the time when the fresh donuts, pastries and sandwiches come in so filling the showcase probably didn’t happen as police did their investigation.
Most chain stores tell their employees not to fight back in situations like this or particularly when the crooks have weapons. These episodes are why we pay more for food at the grocery store.
Thank god everything turned out OK and no one was injured. But as a 3-5 day a week shopper at the store this robbery was a little bit too close for comfort!
Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
