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Did gas prices hit $ 7.11 in 7-Eleven?

A photo shows the actual gas price of $ 7.11 at the 7-Eleven store in mid-June 2022.

Context

Although the photo is genuine, it was taken in March 2021, not June 2022. More importantly, the prices on the plate do not reflect real gas prices. Rather, the sign showed a “test price” of $ 7.11 to encourage the opening of a new store.

Verification of the facts

In June 2022, as gas prices continued to rise around the world, a photo went viral that allegedly showed that gas prices at the 7-Eleven store had reached $ 7.11. This photo was often shared with the caption: “The prophecy was fulfilled.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared an unlabeled version of the photo, which led some to believe it reflected real gas prices at the 7-Eleven store. But although the picture is real, the prices are not. These are “test” prices used to mark the opening of a new store.

This photo was originally published online in March 2021 by a Reddit user u / mbeemsterboer. The original publication was entitled “This New Test Gas Prices for 7-Eleven”. In the comments section, the Reddit user shared additional information about the photo:

“Haha, these are not real prices. It was before the gas station opened, they just used 7.11 as the price of gas on the plate to work before opening.

It is not uncommon for the 7-Eleven store to show gas prices of $ 7.11 on the days leading up to the opening of a new store, the company told us.

“This photo is more than a year old. In the past, it was common for developers to test fuel price signs in newly built but still unopened locations on 7-Eleven to $ 7.11 in honor of the store’s name, a company spokesman said. “Since then, we have asked developers to stop this practice, and we hope that this recently released photo has not caused confusion for 7-Eleven customers.”

We found a few additional photos showing these test prices in different locations. Here’s a picture of the soon-to-be-opened 7-Eleven, showing a $ 7.11 petrol price tag with another sign announcing a new store soon.