7-Eleven’s announcement of a cash giveaway has left a bad taste in the mouths of customers in the wake of the convenience store chain’s ongoing dispute about underpaying workers.
The company kicked off celebrations for its annual ‘7-Eleven Day’ – which is held on November 7 – over the weekend, launching a ‘countdown’ on its Australian Facebook page.
The post asks customers to post creative photos taken with products bought from the store, along with the hashtag ‘#7ElevenDay’. The person who comes up with the best picture will snap up $711 in prize money, according to the post.
It also shared last year’s winning image, of a young man wearing a suit sitting at a mock fine-dining restaurant table stocked with 7-Eleven products on a fake date. The picture was topped off with the caption: ‘when pay day hasn’t come but you still want to spoil bae…’
Another post highlighted some of the best entrees from last year, which included a shirtless man with the company logo painted on his chest, and a woman holding a ‘Honk for 7-Eleven Day’ sign next to a busy road.
Unfortunately for the company, the attempt at a lighthearted promo post did not go over well on social media.
‘The irony of 7-Eleven putting up a meme with “Is it pay day yet”?’, one person commented.
‘How about paying your worker properly,? another wrote.
‘I guess when you don’t pay your staff you can afford to give out free stuff,’ another said.
One upset user commented that the potential winnings of $711 was ‘almost a month’s wage for a 7-Eleven employee’, which drew a response from the company.
‘Any claims made by staff regarding pay are currently being investigated by an independent panel. Several cases have been resolved to date. We are working to make this right as quickly and efficiently as possible,’ it replied.
The online controversy comes after it was revealed in August some workers at the retail giant were being forced to work for about half the minimum wage, according to ABC’s Four Corners.
The report cited a leaked memo from the company, which found 69 per cent of the 225 stores internally reviewed had ‘ongoing payroll issues’.
The Fair Work Ombudsman claimed earlier this year some stores were paying workers $10 an hour, and started legal proceedings.
Extracted in full from the Daily Mail.
