Last month we reported on a national movie chain seemingly shortchanging customers on beer purchases because the cups could not hold the advertised number of ounces. Now, some people have complained that 7-Eleven coffee cups are shrinking too.
According to their website, the chain of convenience stores sells regular coffee in four sizes: 12-oz. (small), 16-oz. (medium), 20-oz. (large), and 24-oz. (extra large).
*MOUSE PRINT:
But one consumer noticed a very large indent in the bottom of the extra-large cup and wondered if he was really getting 24-ounces of coffee.
CBS 8 San Diego reporter Anna Laurel decided to put all the sizes of 7-Eleven coffee cups to the test.
The test revealed that to get the stated amount of coffee, the cups had to be filled right to the brim. And in the case of the extra large 24-ounce cup, it appeared not to be able to hold a full 24 ounces.
We wrote to 7-Eleven’s PR folks to ask their reaction to the video test, and whether they had changed their cup sizes. The company did not respond to either the TV station or to us.
It is not clear to MrConsumer when a company advertises sizes of coffee such as 16 ounces, whether the customer should be getting 16 ounces of black coffee to which they can add milk or cream if desired, or whether it is customary to fill these cups with less than 16 ounces to allow room for that addition. Either way, it seems that having to fill the 7-Eleven cups right to the brim with hot coffee is something most people don’t do and thus they are probably getting less than they paid for. Your thoughts are welcome in the comments.
Try the 24 ounce cup again but not with beer.
As a barista trainer for the past 5 years, I train my baristas to fill the cup unless the customer wants room for cream/other additions. Typically a black plastic lid sits high stop the cup, and if you’re in a self-service environment, you can add cream and top your cup off afterward. If the customers wants cream they acknowledge they won’t have 100 percent coffee in their cup, but the lid also doesn’t fit flat on the cup, so there is room for it it to be filled completely. Add to that the fact that all coffre shops offer cream and sugar and many other condiments for free and I don’t think anyone is being ripped off.
So how do we know the products she poured into the cup were accurate? All she had to do was get a measured beaker and a jug of water for accuracy.
David… I suggested that she get a large measuring cup, but the easier way during the time they had was finding commercially-measured other products.
The bottom of the cup has too much of a gap right??
It’s standard everywhere that drink sizes are sold based on cup sizes. Even this article has a picture titled, “7-ELEVEN COFFEE CUP SIZES.” It’s not just 7-Eleven coffee. It’s their sodas, too. It’s the same at McDonald’s, Burger King, Royal Farm, Wawa, Starbucks, Panera, supermarket coffee and soda machines, . . . everywhere. It’s true that it’s not feasible to fill to the brim, so you aren’t getting the full XX ounces of liquid. To do so, they’d have to make bigger cups, and they would charge more.
Relating to the 7/11 coffee cups and the soft drink cups, the plastic lids never fit correctly. Even after attempting (over and over), the lids don’t pop on to seal the drinks. It’s to the point where the hot coffee becomes dangerous when taking it to my car. Many times, I feel I got the lids to seal and they will pop back off again. It’s the same with the cups for the soft drinks as well.
Thanks! I reported this a few months back to your site. Their “extra large” cup is exactly the same size as the 24 ounce cup from Royal farms, and I actually did a measurement using both cups and measuring cup. With the 7-11 cup, I was only able to get 20 ounces of coffee into the cup, whereas the Royal Farm cup (labeled 24 ounces) actually did hold 24 ounces).
Dan… There certainly was NOT a 4-ounce overflow when the reporter filled the 24-ounce cup. So something is certainly not the same here.
Had to chuckle a bit at the title, since, when I worked at 7-Eleven, the cup sizes were 8, 12, 16, & 20oz (but I understand the point, nonetheless, and am sure it’s just another grift tool used by our oligarchic overlords.)
Edgar, so nice to see you get some recognition for your work!
A chain around here called Pilot did something similarly shady. One day I walked in and their cups were completely redesigned. New color and everything, this was a couple of years after their merger with FlyingJ. I questioned the new cups because they didn’t have sizes listed on them, only L, XL, XXL. I knew the old largest size to be 44oz and after some coaxing I got the employee at the store to show me the order list which, as I predicted, listed them as ordering “XXL Fountain Drink cups (42oz)”.
Of course Pilot sold out to Berkshire Hathaway who then sold all their non-truck stops to Casey’s, so I suppose that little tidbit is completely irrelevant now haha.
I usually take a swig or 3 when I make my coffee at 7-11: you know, just to make sure I have the correct amount of cream, sweetener, etc… ????
I do not understand why anybody would buy their horrible coffee? Even freshly made it’s just BAD!
I’ve noticed a similar indent on the bottom of Dunkin cups as well.