7-Eleven & The Simpsons a Collectible Value

After 7-Eleven, Simpsons Move to eBay

By LIA MILLERPublished: August 20, 2007

As Apu, the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart store in “The Simpsons,” would say, “Thank you, come again.” Joyce Dopkeen/The New York Times

A Homer Simpson prop at a 7-Eleven in Manhattan. Items from a Kwik-E-Mart promotion at the stores have popped up for sale on eBay. Fans of the TV series have been doing just that, bidding up Kwik-E-Mart mementos for sale on eBay that are left over from a promotion for “The Simpsons Movie.”

In July, a dozen 7-Eleven stores were transformed into Kwik-E-Marts, with employees wearing the green-and-blue uniform shirt that Apu wears. On the shelves were products that are familiar to “Simpsons” viewers: Squishees (replacing Slurpees), Buzz Cola, Krusty-O’s cereal, and Bart Simpson’s favorite comic book, Radioactive Man.

During the stunt, fans came in droves, snapping pictures and waiting in long lines; some stores hired extra security staff. But now that it is over, some people are selling their loot.

A search on eBay for “Kwik-E-Mart” yields more than 180 items, from a $1.99 Squishee cup to a $200 Kwik-E-Mart shirt. The asking price for a box of Krusty-O’s is $10, the same as for a six-pack of Buzz Cola.

A spokesman for Fox Broadcasting, Gregg Brilliant, said the promotion had surpassed expectations: “Anytime you make something that appeals directly to a fan base, in a limited quantity, for a limited amount of time, naturally you are going to have a collectible value.”

Rita Bargerhuff, a marketing director for 7-Eleven, said that all of the Kwik-E-Mart items had sold out, and sales from the promotion were “off the charts.”

Dilip Chaudhari, the assistant store manager for a 7-Eleven in Manhattan that was transformed — and where a Kwik-E-Mart shirt is for sale — said the store had double the number of customers during the promotion. It was a “crazy month,” he said.