Context
Although the photo is genuine, it was taken in March 2021, not June 2022. Most importantly, the prices on the plate do not reflect the actual gas prices. Instead, the sign showed a “test price” of $ 7.11 to promote the opening of a new store.
Fact checking
In June 2022, as gas prices continued to rise around the world, a photo went viral suggesting that gas prices at a 7-Eleven store had reached $ 7.11. This image was frequently shared with the caption: “The prophecy has been fulfilled.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared a photo of the captioned photo, leading some to believe it reflected real gas prices at a 7-Eleven store. But while the picture is real, the prices are not. These are “trial” values used to signal the opening of a new store. This photo was originally posted online in March 2021 by Reddit user u / mbeemsterboer. The original post was titled “New 7-Eleven Gas Test Values”. In the comments section, the Reddit user shared some additional information about the photo: “Lol, these are not real prices. It was before the gas station opened, they just used 7.11 as petrol prices on the plate to work before the opening “. It is not uncommon for a 7-Eleven store to show $ 7.11 petrol prices on days leading up to a new store, the company told us. “This photo is over a year old. “In the past, it was common for construction contractors to try fuel pricing signs on newly built, but not yet open, 7-Eleven locations at $ 7.11 in honor of the store name,” a company spokesman said. “Since then we have asked construction contractors to stop this practice and we hope that this recently re-released photo did not confuse 7-Eleven customers.” We found many additional photos showing these trial prices at various locations. Following is a photo of a 7-Eleven that will open soon and show the gas price of $ 7.11 with another sign announcing that a new store will be coming soon.
