7-Eleven Joe DePinto

February 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under: 7-Eleven 
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Background:

Business: 7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, primarily operating as a franchise. The US subsidiary of this Japanese firm has its headquarters in Downtown Dallas, Texas.

CEO: Before being appointed Chief Executive of 7-Eleven in 2005, DePinto was President of GameStop Corporation. He has also held executive positions at PepsiCo, Inc., and was the Chief Operating Officer of Thornton Oil Corporation. A native of Chicago, Ill., DePinto earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He and his wife Ingrid and their four sons reside in Southlake, Texas.

Kellogg MBA

Situations:

Day 1: A day in a 7-Eleven store in New York state. This specific store sells the most coffee of any 7-Eleven in the United States. DePinto attributes the success to Dolores, a 7-Eleven worker, who knows most of the customers by name and gives them a family feeling.

Day 2: A work day at a bakery that manufactures donuts and fritters sold at 7-Eleven stores. DePinto is paired with Phil, who is responsible for training, and who assigns him to place dough on a conveyor belt. DePinto struggles to keep up with the pace of the conveyor belt.

Day 3: A night shift in a 7-Eleven store in New York state. DePinto learns that the company’s policy on donating old food to charity is ignored. He also learns that Waqas, an immigrant from Pakistan, who works the graveyard shift so that he can attend college during the daytime perceives his job to be a dead end job.

Day 4: In a work day at a 7-Eleven store, DePinto makes a maintenance call to the store support center in Dallas. His request is placed as a lowest priority job, although DePinto thinks this should be a high priority, due to safety concerns and customers’ perception.

Day 5: DePinto is assigned to work with a delivery driver, Igor, to deliver product. DePinto is impressed with Igor’s loyalty to his job and his new country.

Lessons Learned:

  • 7-Eleven HQ needs to reconnect with the field by better understanding the special needs of the franchisees and the people who work for them and for 7-Eleven.
  • 7-Eleven needs to change the mind set of store employees from a “dead-end job” to a career opportunity, such as with Brian Dunn, the CEO of Best Buy, who started as a sales associate and was able to climb himself to the top.

Lessons Missed:

  • While DePinto acknowledges Dolores contribution to the success of the local 7-Eleven, he does not look for a way to replicate her loyalty and her ability to create sense of  family within other employees of 7-Eleven, or to find a way to keep hiring people like Dolores. “Hiring the right people” is a constant challenge for businesses, especially  as big as 7-Eleven who usually hire low-pay workers. It is interesting to compare DePinto challenges with Nick Sarillo ones, from Nick’s Pizza & Pub, who is trying to grow his business while maintaining a low turnaround and high satisfaction among his young employees. Can a chain as big as 7-Eleven hire only what Sarillo calls “A+ Players”?
  • DePinto wants to upgrade the priority of some of the maintenance calls, however no consideration has been made for the additional costs of such a change. There was also no mentioning of an appeal process to change the priority level of a maintenance call.
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Comments

  • kanditippit

    I would think the layer of management between the franchise owners and DePinto would have some accountability in this. Why are they not on top of their areas. Can they really do this in seven days. My favorite one so far is Waste Management. I agree DePinto didn't really address the issue of getting more employees like Delores.

  • nicksarillo

    …you have a great question above about the challenges in our business and that of DePinto's at 7-eleven. My answer is a resounding YES, even a company as large as 7-eleven can hire A+ performers if they choose. They just need to make the choice and then define what A+ looks like. The misses from DePinto as you mention above are big misses. Bo Burlingham does a real nice job defining these differances on the blog for Small Giants, and his book Small Giants.

  • http://undercoverbossmba.com/ Undercover Boss MBA

    Nick, thanks for voicing your opinion. Glad to hear that you think that business can grow and still hire A+ people, I guess it is a matter of working hard at finding them, something that big businesses forget or save on. Good luck with growing your own business, I'll keep following your work.

  • http://www.zip-online.net/news/joe-depinto-blogs.html Joe Depinto Blogs | Tech News

    [...] 7-Eleven Joe DePinto | Undercover Boss MBABackground: Business: 7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, primarily operating as a franchise. The US subsidiary of this Japanese. Read more [...]

  • http://www.custommade-suit.com/7-eleven-ceo-attends-opening-of-franchise-owned-by-a-man-he-met-on-undercover-boss.html 7-Eleven CEO attends opening of franchise owned by a man he met on ‘Undercover Boss’ | Custom made suit

    [...] 7-Eleven Joe DePinto | Undercover Boss MBA [...]

  • Fsu24

    Joe I seen the show you seem to be a very caring and understanding boss to work for. But not everything gets told to you I believe. You do have managers that are uncaring of their employees. You do what is asked of you from the manager in charge only to get treated badly in the end. I have a problem with a store that you did not get to visit. There is a worker their cares about the customers. She even has costumers that come in to see her. Yes, she has some health issues but she can still do her job. Instead of being treated with kindness and understanding she gets treated as if she is nothing. I do not think that if someone gets sick they she be treated this way. Before all this came down her manager liked her told her that best up-seller in the store. I don't feel that this matter is right. The reason that I'm posting this to you hear is because I do not know how to contact and talk you. I was wondering if this is something that you can look at. I think this manager needs not to lie so much and treat is employees all different. He talks behind their back and treats some with the best treatment possible while other get the bad end of the deal. If you would like to e-mail me back about this I will tell you anything that you would like to know about this store. I think it could be a great store for your company it just needs somethings changed. I think everyone needs to follow the rules in place. The store is ran like back in school. You have you teachers pet and the other employees are nothing. My e-mail is fsu24@yahoo.com Thank you for you time I hope to hear from you.Barbara

  • http://twitter.com/toneyahuja toneyahuja

    Learn how to maximize profitability using simple financial tools and reports. Learn how to focus your resources to get the most return investment. Log on to http://www.twodaymba.com

  • http://www.lampcommunity.org Nicholasc

    I just saw the episode on Under Covered Boss and I work for a non profit homeless shelter in the sidrow of Los Angeles, Ca. I wanted to find any information on your food donation program for perishable items we would be interested.

  • Shelia

    Saw your episode on undercover boss and was glad to hear about your donations to nonprofit. I am coordinator for Kid's Cafe that feeds and tutors inner city kids and would like to know how we can receive any donations. We are in Phenix City, Alabama and most of the 7 eleven stores are gone, but if you have suggestions on how we can access your donations, please let us know. Kids Cafe – 1310 15tth Street, Phenix City, AL, 36868-(334)2983060, Phillips Temple CME Church. Shelia McCaden coordinator .

  • Stockwell Angela

    I was touched by the CEO kindness and fairness. But please ensure your HQ staff sing from the same song sheet. Profits and results often can take priority over personal issues.
    I really think you are doing a wonderful job, and was so delighted as were my children to see the staff promoted at the end of the program- it was fantastic to watch. Stockwell Family, Essex, London

  • Debora DeRyke

    Mr. Joe depinto this is a matter of employee who gave her life in a 711 store, while I was in the military over seas , I came back to learn she was murdered in the store. can you please help me look into my friend's death in minnestoa the store closed shortly their after in moundsview the details are as follow her name was Toni Monette she is on search engine for unsolved murder in minnestoa , when it happend was march 25th 1981 please email me I watch you under cover Boss show it is wonderful you are caring and you please care as I do about tracking this very old cold case down , she left behind 2 children very young when this happend . any help and comment to me would help thanks you can reach me @ liveinvestigator@aol.com thank you .

  • Sherry

    Employers like this is why we have UNIONS!

  • DEBORA DERYKE

    ONCE AGAIN JOE DEPINTO…11/20/2011.

    A CLERK THAT WORKED FOR 711 WAS KILLED DOING HER JOB TONI MONETTE MARCH 25TH 1981 .
    DON’T YOU WANT TO HELP THE FAMILY AND INVESTIGATOR’S TO BRING HER KILLER AND OR ACCOMPLICE TO JUSTICE TODAY . I WROTE TO YOU OVER 10 MONTH’S WITH NO ANSWER.

    DON’T YOU THINK 711 OWE’S THE FAMILY SOME JUSTICE TO HELP…???

    WHY WOULDN’T 711 OFFER A REWARD OF 25,000 TO HELP GET PEOPLE TO TALK WE HAVE A VERY GOOD IDEA WHO AND WHERE  ON  THIS CASE ..

    WE NEED YOUR HELP JOE DEPINTO !!!!

    SHE GAVE HER LIFE AND LEFT TO SMALL CHILDREN BEHIND WITH OUT A MOTHER IT IS TIME TO BRING THE KILLER TO JUSTICE AND LET HIM QUIT LIVING HIS GOOD LIFE WITH GRAND CHILDREN AND MORE WOMEN THAT HE HAS ABUSED ALONG THE WAY  .

    PLEASE HELP JOE DEPINTO  !!!

    WE ARE SO CLOSE TO GETTING THIS CASE SOLVED OVER 30 YRS COLD CASE ,PLEASE HELP .. LET HER CHILDREN AND HIS KNOW WHO REALLY KILLED HER AT THE 711 AT NIGHT DOING HER JOB …

    SHE WAS STABBED OVER 10 TIME’S ..MOUNDSVIEW MINNESOTA  IS THE DESTINATION OF THE CASE…

    IF 711 CAN’T OR DOESNT HELP WHAT IS THAT SAYING TO THE EMPLOYEES THAT WORK THEIR…

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