"The Global Marketplace" June 30, 2023

[John77]

I would not be surprised if regular customers of Royal Farms or WaWa had trouble with this one.

And I was unaware that 7-Eleven was Japanese-owned until I checked Wikipedia.

[Craven_Mug_Craver]

I am haunted by the possibility that my 7-11 submission was not accepted because it was not 7-Eleven.

I feel about as dumb as the guy that called 7-Eleven to find out when it closed!

Incidentally, I still don't know how the solution popped into my head. I saw the many XI''s pretty fast but then went down many many rabbit holes, the least successful of which was international airport codes. But somehow I got it. Now...what time does 7-Eleven OPEN?

[Fogway]

Congrats to all who solved. Being in Boston to enjoy what this fine city has to offer, there simply wasn't enough time for MG's offering. I'm also doubtful for next week's puzzle when the New England countryside will be in play.

Please give my regards to Issac and tell him to reserve a spot at the bar for me on Bastille Day.

[iggystan]

I am haunted by the possibility that my 7-11 submission was not accepted because it was not 7-Eleven.

I feel about as dumb as the guy that called 7-Eleven to find out when it closed!

Incidentally, I still don't know how the solution popped into my head. I saw the many XI''s pretty fast but then went down many many rabbit holes, the least successful of which was international airport codes. But somehow I got it. Now...what time does 7-Eleven OPEN?

That’s how I submitted too, then realized it’s 7-Eleven; guessing/hoping it won’t matter.

[katnahat]

Oh so clever.

[kurtalert]

Matt has done the seven eleven thing before. He posted one with seven 11 letter words. Remembering helped in my case

I KNEW I remembered this sort of idea from some past puzzle... that's the one I was thinking of! Thanks for jogging my memory.

[kurtalert]

I am haunted by the possibility that my 7-11 submission was not accepted because it was not 7-Eleven.

I feel about as dumb as the guy that called 7-Eleven to find out when it closed!

Incidentally, I still don't know how the solution popped into my head. I saw the many XI''s pretty fast but then went down many many rabbit holes, the least successful of which was international airport codes. But somehow I got it. Now...what time does 7-Eleven OPEN?

That’s how I submitted too, then realized it’s 7-Eleven; guessing/hoping it won’t matter.

I imagine they'll give some leeway with the exact wording/spelling/numbering. I googled to figure out what the "correct" way to write it was, just to be sure, but by getting to 7-11, 7-Eleven, 7 Eleven, whatever- I mean, you've clearly solved the puzzle at that point.

[BarbaraK]

I am haunted by the possibility that my 7-11 submission was not accepted because it was not 7-Eleven.

I feel about as dumb as the guy that called 7-Eleven to find out when it closed!

Incidentally, I still don't know how the solution popped into my head. I saw the many XI''s pretty fast but then went down many many rabbit holes, the least successful of which was international airport codes. But somehow I got it. Now...what time does 7-Eleven OPEN?

Their process is that a computer picks a random submission, but then an actual human looks at it to see if it’s correct or if they need to pick another. So it should be no problem to recognize spelling variations as acceptable.

[sharkicicles]

I will say my initial thought when I started noticing all the Xs in the grid was TJ Maxx.

Same here!

[Momo]

I first thought target - x marks the spot, but I knew it wasn’t right.

[PHOFER]

Having checked Wikipedia to see what the “global” aspect of 7-Eleven might be (it is still unclear), I learned that the “n” in the name/logo “7-ELEVEn” is lower-case! I had never noticed that before despite being as familiar with that logo as any Slurpee-loving American. Who knew?

[RichA2]

Can’t believe I didn’t get this one. Saw the XIs, thought of Seven 11, but couldn’t find the Seven in the grid and so didn’t submit. This is probably the easiest one I didn’t solve.

On to next week’s, and good luck to everyone.

[flyingMoose]

... what the “global” aspect of 7-Eleven might be (it is still unclear) ...

From the corporate web site, over 83,000 stores in 19 countries. But I wondered too.

[Kas]

I'm happy to note that I got this one right (though I find it very curious that I have not yet received an email from the WSJ to advise of my incoming mug)...

One weird Rabbit Hole to note: I gleaned the unusual instances of the letter "X" in the grid, then the 71A clue led me to the realization that the repetition wasn't just "X," but "XI," or "eleven." My first inclination was to go right to the "11" in the grid, i.e., 11D, or "Apex"--which I looked up, and indeed "Apex" is apparently a global/international retail distributor.

But I wasn't comfortable with submitting "Apex," as it would be pretty unusual for Matt to actually have the entire/complete Meta answer in the grid, and I was pretty sure that "Apex" didn't meet the "well known chain" parameter. (Though I've been wrong before, i.e. "Margaret Cho" [cough, cough]...) Anyway, I put the puzzle down, and when "7-Eleven" later occurred to me, I went back to check...and indeed, there were seven "XI's" in the grid, so--voila.

[vandono]

Had Rodin created a sculpture called "The Overthinker", I would paste an image of it here. Oh, the many places I tried counting to 11 from 7 starting points! SMH.

[woozy]

But why "global"?

And does one usually consider a 7-11 "retail"?

(My opinions: No idea and it confuses me; and not really but it's not technically incorrect. What are your opinions?)

[Bob cruise director]

But why "global"?

And does one usually consider a 7-11 "retail"?

(My opinions: No idea and it confuses me; and not really but it's not technically incorrect. What are your opinions?)

@woozy

7-Eleven Inc is an international company owned by a Japanese conglomerate Seven & I Holdings. 7-Eleven operates or franchises 78,029 stores in 19 countries. In the US, in addition to operating under the meta answer brand, it operates Speedway and Stripes Convenience Stores.

And a retail store is any store which sells directly to the public.

[mbryant]

Grew up in Durham NC in the 70’s and 7-Eleven was my go to convenience store. Then moved to KY, then raised my family in Atlanta and never saw another one until I started traveling to Hong Kong for business. So I had no trouble with the “global” title.

[MatthewB]

This has to be the most embarrassing fail I've ever had. I had the 11s, I knew there were seven, I even multiplied them.... Don't ask. At least the boat wasn't crowded

[The XWord Rabbit]

Your Rabbit has gone on record, saying he has given up trying to predict the number of sorry tales worthy of mention on a given week. There is no better example than recent results.

Last week: Consternation reigned supreme because so many of you Muggles had trouble getting a toehold on the puzzle. And yet, no nominees because your stories were too similar.

This week: A romp in the park for most of you, and yet … well …

Mr. Gaffney’s “Global Marketplace” puzzle contained the letters XI in seven entries. The clue at 71A hinted at Roman numerals, and the meta appeared soon enough: 7-Eleven.

But not for everyone, as Colin so methodically described in his circuitous route:

Saw the seven XIs immediately, and from there, it was all ‘downhole’…
- substituted the XIs with all sorts of variations, including the A in square 11 - nothing
- removed the XIs - nothing
- searched for other countries with ‘Roman numeral’ leaders (because the clue for 71A included “is ALSO a Roman numeral”
- checked the leaders of Thailand (SIAM), Mexico (MEXICAN) and Iraq (IRAQI) to see if their names, initials, etc spelt a retail chain
- added in Asia, Iowa, Norway and China and checked first letters, last letters … nothing
- figured that 7 x 11 = 77 but no 77th clue, so started counting 11 squares from the start 7 times to spell… I can’t remember, but it was gobbledygook
- repeated including blanks in the count… same result
- then finally wondered what the heck I was doing, since other muggles were posting about slapped foreheads and using “doh”-type phrases, so I asked myself “What have we got here?” and I answered “Seven elevens.” In the time it took between a literal flash of lightning outside and the subsequent loud clap of thunder, it FINALLY dawned on me and I submitted with a slim margin… not much more than 77 seconds! And all that for a 1 in 5,000 shot at a mug! These admissions are somewhat embarrassing, but I hope it helps illustrate one of my mantras: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again with ever-decreasing stupidity.

No need to be embarrassed, Colin. And you have a better chance at a mug than you think. Except it will have the Rabbit on it.

Before enjoying his picnic dinner, your Rabbit will leave you with an appropriate tune for this time of year.



So Happy 4th and...Hey, let's be careful out there.