BULKY DOCUMENTS
`
`w/ Exhibits
`(exceeds 300 pages)
`
`Proceeding/ Serial No: 9 1 1 54687
`
`Filed: 08- 14-2006
`
`Title: Opposer’s Motion For Summary
`Judgment
`
`Part 3 of 13
`
`Document contains CD-Rom of exhibit no.1O and
`
`videotape of exhibit no. 8.
`
`

`
`CHILDHOOD
`
`M
`
`OLD;In a Tight Spot;Homeless kids strugg
`
`o maintain nor
`
`Page 337
`
`For many Best Eastern residents without cars, the 7—Eleven next door is their superstore. The owner gives the
`families leftover bagels sometimes. Some of the families buy bean burritos or frozen cheeseburgers to heat up.
`
`The motel children go there after school, scraping together loose change to buy Slurpees or lollipops attached to
`plastic rings. On Mother's Day, Christina gave the clerk a dollar and brought back a small teddy bear and plastic
`flower for her mother.
`
`Inside their rooms, other occupants use microwave ovens or illegal hot plates or hot pots. Or they eat out, which
`can be expensive.
`
`"It's hard because I like to make my kids nice meals. The money you spend eating out each day, you can get food
`for a week," said a woman who shares a room with five children, who asked not to be identified because she said she
`is hiding from an abusive husband. "I order Chinese food every day. I bought lunch for them and it cost me $18."
`
`Sometimes, they receive outside help. The motel's owner, Steve Tallides, who also owns a restaurant, brings
`residents food occasionally on Sundays.
`
`On a recent Sunday night, thanks to the generosity of a local architect who stops by from time to time to help the
`family, Soto made pork chops. "I try to give them a good meal at least once a week, try to cook something nice," she
`said.
`
`Living in a Small Space
`
`While families strive for normalcy, day-to—day hardships become magnified by their situation.
`
`In late April, a 5-year old boy who lives in the motel suffered first and second—degree burns on his wrist and his
`leg. His mother said he pulled a cup of hot water on himself from the room's microwave, which sits on a dresser near
`his bed. Child Protective Services is investigating the incident.
`
`He was airlifted to the bum unit at University Hospital and Medical Center at Stony Brook, treated and returned
`home after midnight to sleep with his four brothers and sisters in two double beds.
`
`The next day, with a burn the size of a golf ball on his wrist and a bandaged leg, he was in his room with the
`shades drawn. His mother, who works full time as a hotel maid, could not pick up his painkiller prescription for two
`days because she doesn't have a car. He was trying to rest, but "The Simpsons" was on television and the room was
`rumbling with activity by his four siblings. The boy's two brothers assembled a puzzle on the floor, but the pieces kept
`getting lost under the bed.
`
`"I feel like I'm living in a closet," his 9-year-old sister complained.
`
`Living in such small quarters also makes it hard to deal with the demands of school. In addition to the trouble of
`getting there, where to do homework is a constant challenge.
`
`There is no desk or quiet place to study most of the time, and the pressures of keeping up in school are often
`daunting.
`
`On a Sunday night, Soto's son, Angel, put the finishing touches on a project on deciduous forests. He melded two
`pieces of construction paper, wondering if it will be good enough to hand in. Maria, 9, wrote in an orange composition
`book. The floor is their study hall.
`‘
`
`Soto said the district wants to hold Christina back next year because she isn't keeping up with her classmates. And
`Jessica is failing three classes, her latest report card punctuated with comments like "excessive absences." She said she
`missed two weeks of school after the fire, and another week and a half after moving into the motel and waiting for bus
`transportation to get set up.
`
`Even the task of getting Soto's children prepared for school requires military precision on the part of their mother
`on the night before.
`
`One by one, Soto marched them into a small blue bathroom to take a shower or a bath. Then it was time for their
`snack: a glass of milk and a chocolate—covered doughnut.
`
`Squeaky clean in pale pink pajamas, Christina was ready for bed. She questioned where she will sleep tonight—with
`her sister Maria, or in a sleeping bag.
`
`LexisNexis“
`
`LexisNexis*"
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`
`
`

`
`CHILDHOOD
`
`Q!
`
`OLD;In a Tight Spot;Homeless kids strugg
`
`o maintain nor
`
`Q
`
`Page 338
`
`The boys settled in on the living—room floor, forming a jigsaw puzzle of pillows and blankets. The long school bus
`ride back to Brentwood was only nine hours away.
`
`Tough on Teens
`
`As hard as homelessness can be on young children, it's particularly hard for teenagers who have no privacy and
`are isolated from longtime friends.
`
`There is no place to be alone in a motel, no place to talk on the phone with a friend. The motel telephones only
`accept incoming calls.
`-
`
`"I used to have my own bedroom, my own bathroom, my own hang—out room," Jessica said.
`
`"In a way, I wonder why God did this to me. We always lived in a house," she said, braiding Christina's hair.
`get a bad attitude sometimes, because there's no place to be alone. "
`
`''I
`
`Jessica refused her mother's request for her to take a shower the night before school. She didn't want her long,
`wavy brown hair to be flat. Instead, she preferred to get ready for school in the morning, showering at 4:30 a.m. while
`her brothers and sisters were just getting up.
`
`The night before, Jessica laid out the products she would need on a table by her bed: Suave hair mousse, lotion,
`White Rain hair spray and Lady Speed Stick. Pulling clothes from boxes and from a small closet, she tried on three
`pairs of pants and three shirts until deciding on a pair of capri pants and a denim shirt.
`
`She flashed back to her first day of classes this year after becoming homeless. She asked the bus driver to drop her
`a few feet from the front door of the school. "At first, I was embarrassed. I didn't want anyone to see me get off the
`minibus," she said. Everyone knows that the homeless kids ride on the minibus.
`
`She dreams sometimes that her father will come back and take her away from here: "When you're living someplace
`you don't want to live, you don't care where you go."
`
`Mostly, she misses her friends in Brentwood, seeing them only in school because she lives too far away now for
`them to come visit. "We used to do homework together, but now I do it by myself," she said.
`
`She often thinks about dropping out of school, but doesn't because she knows how much it would hurt her mother.
`
`''If it wasn't for her, I would. But she wants me to keep going in school so I can be somebody," said Jessica.
`
`She paused for a moment, casting a serious look at her surroundings: "She doesn't want me to end up like this
`someday." Newsday Photos/Alejandra Villa 1) Christina Reyes, one of 6 children sharing a room with their mother
`at a motel in East Quoque, waits for a school bus (A01 NS). 2) The Reyes children, from left, Angel, Michael and
`Christina, get ready to go to sleep on couches or on the floor at the Best Eastern Motel in East Quogue. 3) Christina
`Reyes munches on a hotdog. Her mother, Mariana Soto, sometimes can't cook nutritional meals for her children.
`They occasionally eat from the local 7—Eleven. 4) Mariana Soto spends time joking with her kids before getting
`them ready for bed. The kids need the rest since they wake up as early as 5:30 a.m. to prepare for the long ride to
`school. 5) Mariana Soto is consoled by a friend in a moment of frustration over her situation. Although she feels
`deeply depressed, Mariana tries to stay strong for her children. 6) After realizing that they're not being moved after
`all, Christina Reyes, 7, sits in her mother's van upset because she missed a school trip while she and her family waited
`at the motel for someone from the Department of Social Services to come and pick them up. 7) Mariana Soto helps
`her son, Michael Reyes, with his shoes while Angel Reyes tries to get all the sleep he can before the two—hour bus
`ride to school in Brentwood. 8) The motel's homeless children have converted the parking lot and surrounding areas
`into a playground. Michael Reyes hides in furniture that was removed while the motel rooms were being painted. 9)
`Christina Reyes, 7, gets her hair combed by her eldest sister, Jessica, 14, who sometimes feels she has to be a second
`mom to her younger siblings. 10) The children's clothes have been carefully placed by their mom as Michael, on the
`couch, Angel and Jose Reyes get a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning.
`
`GRAPHIC: Newsday Photos/Alejandra Villa — (see end of text)
`
`LOAD-DATE: June 18, 2001
`
`LexisNexis"‘
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`LexisNexis'“
`
`

`
`“
`
`.
`
`Page 339
`
`145 of 1525 DOCUMENTS
`
`Copyright 2001 North Jersey Media Group Inc., All Rights Reserved
`The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
`
`June 17, 2001, SUNDAY; ALL EDITIONS
`
`SECTION: NEWS; Pg. Al
`
`LENGTH: 1620 words
`
`HEADLINE: A SINGULAR FATHER ;
`RAISING SON ALONE, HE DOESDOUBLE DUTY
`
`BYLINE: RUTH PADAWER, Staff Writer
`
`BODY:
`
`In a world seemingly filled with single parents, Brian Smith stands
`alone.
`
`Raising his 9-year-old son in a little white house in Waldwick,
`Smith long ago sculpted his work life to accommodate his precious boy,
`making time between business calls for fourth-grade math homework,
`after—school basketball games, and impromptu fishing trips to the pond
`down the hill.
`
`’
`
`In many ways, Smith is like most single parents he knows, with one
`exception: He is a man, the only one he knows raising a child alone.
`
`"Sometimes I wish I knew someone in my same situation, another
`dad," I says Smith, who won sole custody of his son, Brendan, when he was
`1 1/2 years old."There have been times I've asked single mothers for
`advice, stuff about managing time, or cooking, or setting up play dates
`but sometimes you'd like to bounce ideas off a person in your shoes.
`
`There's something comforting about hearing from someone just like you.
`
`Despite census reports that the number of single fathers leapt 62
`percent in the last 10 years, men like Smith are still something of an
`anomaly. They account for just 6 percent of families with kids under 18,
`and in his home county of Bergen, the proportion of single fathers is
`even smaller: 3 percent. Single moms nationwide account for 22 percent
`of families with school—age kids; in Bergen County, it is 12 percent.
`
`Indeed, single custodial fathers are still rare enough that the
`incidental people in Brian and Brendan Smith's lives often assume their
`family is bigger than it appears.
`
`Only last week, the barber snipping Brendan's hair turned to his
`dad and said,"Oh, you're watching Brendan for mommy today?" A month earlier, a Stride Rite saleswoman had
`cooed,"How nice of
`
`your father to help out your mom by buying your school shoes!" Each time, Brendan says,"I just laugh and take a
`lollipop. "
`
`These days, Smith picks up Brendan when the 2:55 p.m. bell rings at
`the St. Thomas More parochial school in Midland Park. Brendan's Boston
`terrier puppy, Rocky, is in the car too, eager to jump all over Brendan,
`
`LexisNexis“
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`LexisNexis"
`
`
`
`

`
`A SINGULAR FATHEQAISING SON ALONE, HE DOESDOUBIQUTY The Record (Be
`
`Page 340
`
`
`
`cover him with slobbery licks of devotion, and finally doze in his lap.
`
`On lucky days, after a stop at UPS or Federal Express for Sn1ith's
`work as a trade-finance consultant, the three head to 7 Eleven, where,
`between chats about the school day, Brendan picks up a
`fluorescent—colored triple Slurpee, a concoction surely meant only for
`children.
`
`Usually when they arrive home, Smith heads upstairs to his office,
`so Brendan has to occupy himself. There are play dates with pals, games
`of fetch with Rocky, and layups in the driveway. At times, Brendan goes
`to Grandma's house a mile away to play catch with her, or basketball, or
`to go bowling. On days when nothing else will do, there's always dad,
`right there in the cramped attic office, surrounded by piles of work and
`photos of the boy he adores.
`
`In a l third—grade essay, which he titled"My Dad is the Greatest",
`Brendan wrote,"Sometimes when he can see that I don't have anything to
`do, he goes over to me and says, ‘Want to play ball? "
`Still, Smith worries that between running his business and running
`the household, he's not as available as he would like to be. There's
`
`shopping to do, and laundry and housecleaning, and no one to split
`those duties with. Anywhere Smith goes, whether little grocery runs or
`longer shopping trips, Brendan has to go along.
`
`"Sometimes I'm jealous of non-custodial parents, because the time
`they spend together is pure fun,"Smith says."The day—to~day
`discipline, or trying to get him to do his homework or get to bed on
`time or vacuum his room or bringing him along for all those grocery
`trips, all that falls to me. Granted, I also get more time with him, but
`sometimes I wish it were more fun."
`
`When Smith was still married, he worked 60 hours a week managing
`the international division of a regional bank. Although he considered
`himself an involved parent, his wife was the primary caregiver. She
`tended to most of Brendan's needs, from making his pediatrician
`appointments to comforting him most ably.
`
`That changed when the marriage ended. A judge granted him custody,
`noting among other things that Brendan's mother's intention to become an
`opera singer would keep her from home for long stretches.
`
`Ovemight, Smith shaved 20 hours from his workweek. He dropped
`Brendan off at day care in the morning and picked him up around 5.. In between, he found himself fielding calls from
`day care when
`Brendan was sick, or arranging play dates when he wasn't. Once, when
`Smith couldn't dodge an evening meeting and the baby-sitting arrangement
`fell through, he brought a toddling Brendan to the office, plied him
`with paper and highlighters, and sweated through the meeting.
`
`Smith's colleagues, all men, commented on the change. Some,
`especially older ones, resented his 40-hour workweek, grumbling about
`his limited availability and rolling their eyes whenever Smith left at 5
`to pick up his boy.
`
`"The whole thing was very eye—opening," Smith says."Taking care of
`a child is a lot harder than most men realize. It's more stressful and
`
`takes more constant attention 1 than you ever know if you have a wife at
`
`6"" LexisNexis‘"
`
`LexisNexis*"
`
`LexisNexis"
`
`

`
`A SINGULAR FATHEIQAISING SON ALONE, HE DOESDOUBLQUTY The Record (Be
`
`Page 341
`
`home doing the work."
`
`Eventually, Smith left the bank, opening his own consulting company
`so he could control his hours and, in time, work from home. In exchange,
`he moved from a large house to one half its size. He stopped his annual
`vacations to Europe. And he got more time with his son.
`
`During the school year, Brendan spends Tuesday afternoons and
`alternate weekends with his mom, now a school music teacher who lives 20
`
`minutes away. In summer, the schedule reverses. His parents
`relationship is amicable.
`
`Photos of Brendan and his mom, hugging, are propped atop his
`dresser. Taped to his mirror, next to the photo of his best friend, Ed,
`and another of Brendan and his dad under a sign for "America's Most
`Wanted", is a note he got at last year's Christmas concert:"To
`Brendan, Love Mommy. You were the star tonight."
`
`Brendan's mom, who asked not to be identified for privacy, comes
`to every parent—teacher conference, school play, and sports dinner. Still and all, there are some rites of passage that
`Smith alone
`
`witnesses. Walking to class on the first day of first grade, Smith
`reached for his son's hand, as he had every day of kindergarten.
`
`Brendan whispered reproachfully: "Dad! Don't hold my hand in front of my
`friends!" On weekends, father and son often head for White's Pond in the town
`
`park down the road, where a lazy stream feeds a muck-filled pond, flush
`with sunnies, bass, and trout. Dragonflies hover, mother ducks (or are
`they fathers?) herd fuzzy ducklings across the water, and geese descend
`onto the glistening surface in awesome splendor with a swoosh.
`
`Sometimes, while skipping rocks or waiting for fish to bite,
`Brendan and his dad talk about the big stuff, like about mom or
`friendships or bullies. Sometimes they just chat about good fishing
`spots or tricks for keeping night crawlers from wiggling off the hook.
`
`One week before Father's Day, they settled near the mouth of the
`pond, where the stream meanders in. Smith reminded Brendan to weave the
`hook in and out of the fat worms, then watched him cast the line. It was
`
`late in the morning, too late for an easy catch. Brendan kept at it.
`
`After a few throws, the line became tangled, and the more Brendan tried
`to fix it, the more tangled it got.
`
`"I need some major help, Dad,"Brendan said.
`
`And dad, doing what good dads do, helped.
`
`(SIDEBAR, PAGE a13)
`
`Single fathers struggle to be seen and heard
`
`.
`By RUTH PADAWER
`Staff Writer. Some 2.2 million fathers raise their children without a spouse
`present, the newest census reports, at a time when fatherhood in America
`is being more closely scrutinized than ever before.
`
`But most of the public discussion centers on absent fathers; three
`in 10 American children live with no dad at all.
`
`LexisNe><is"*
`
`LexisNexis*"
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`

`
`A SINGULAR FATHEIQAISING SON ALONE, HE DOESDOUBLQUTY The Record (Be
`
`Page 342
`
`"We don't register on anybody's radar screen/‘said John Sims,
`executive director of the national Single and Custodial Fathers
`Network."It's like we're totally non—existent. I just came from a
`conference in D.C. on fatherhood, a big deal, with President Bush there
`where they mentioned absolutely every kind of father there 1 is except
`single dads."
`
`Ten years ago, Sims started his group and its Web site after
`becoming a single father and finding no one else in his situation, and
`no organization to help. Four hours after he created the site, he met
`his first fellow single dad, a guy from Alabama who understood Sims like
`no one else had.
`
`Today, 3,000 men from across the country are members of the
`non—profit group, using its"virtual "forums on time management,
`balancing work and home, parenting, favorite quick recipes, and handling
`dating.
`
`Others discuss society's relentless assumption that fathers can't
`be nurturing parents, or the way schools and other parents often don't
`accept that the father is the primary parent.
`
`"I used to have a shirt that said, ‘I'm not a baby sitter. I'm a
`dad, "
`said Sims, from Pittsburgh."I wore it out."
`
`Of course, for many American kids, the idea of a father front and
`center is hard to imagine. One recent study by the National Fatherhood
`Initiative concluded that by the time typical American children reach 6
`years old, they will have spent more time watching TV than they will
`spend talking to their fathers over their entire lifetime.
`
`Sims Web site can be reached at www.scfn.org.
`
`GRAPHIC: 1 — COLOR PHOTO — CARMINE GALASSO / STAFF PHOFOGRAPHER — Brian Smith with his son,
`
`Brendan, 9, on a fishing outing at White's Pond in Waldwick. He won sole custody of Brendan when he was 1 1/2.
`2 - PHOTO — CARMINE GALASSO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER — Brian and Brendan Smith with Rocky. Brian
`Smith works from home to be near his son.
`
`LOAD-DATE: June 18, 2001
`
`6” LexisNe><is“
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`LexisNexis"
`
`
`
`

`
`0
`
`.
`
`Page 343
`
`146 of 1525 DOCUMENTS
`
`Copyright 2001 Stem Publishing, Inc.
`Seattle Weekly
`
`lung 7, 2001, Thursday
`
`SECTION: Columns; Pg. 135
`
`LENGTH: 728 words
`
`HEADLINE: DATEGIRL
`
`BYLINE: JUDY MCGUIRE
`
`BODY:
`
`i'm a yutz
`
`BY JUDY MCGUIRE
`
`Just last week I declared my current pararnour history, and then what happens? He redeems himself in such an
`amazing manner that it threw me into a fear—of—commitment-induced hyperventilation tizzy so scary we both thought
`I'd have to be hospitalized! Oy. Then this big—time Mr. Showbiz Agent Guy calls and wants to meet for drinks, and
`what do I do but decide to grab lunch at the local hipster coffee shop. It's never a good idea to take food from someone
`who has more tattoos than you—those places should be avoided for anything more solid than cappuccino foam. While it
`tasted just delightful going down, by the time cocktail hour rolled around, my seemingly innocent little tuna sandwich
`had morphed into a roiling ball of scuzz, hell—bent on shooting its way back out my mouth. Just try to be charming
`and witty when all you can concentrate on is not projectile-vomiting bad fish onto a nice man's blue suit. And as if I
`hadn't been wrong enough lately, a couple weeks ago I bemoaned the fact that all the relationship—oriented self-help
`books are marketed toward women—then what do I get in the mail but Esquire's Things a Man Should Know About
`Sex. I stand corrected.
`
`This tiny little tome is jam—packed with helpful hints for men who fuck women. Unfortunately, it may also be one
`of the most idiotic guides I've ever read. Example: "Sodomy of the oral variety shall hereafter be known as a Slurg."
`What? Read on: "Appropriate euphemism for womanly bits: Snoopy." Is this a guide for sexually precocious
`kindergartners or repressed half—wits who don't know the difference between _'/'_-1_1 and 69? Note to men everywhere: I
`don't know any dame who wants her twat to be termed something out of a Peanuts cartoon. Other euphemisms include
`"golden winnebagos" (breasts—at least I think they're talking tits) and "you—know-what's" (orgasrns—something I'm
`guessing is in short supply amongst the girlfriends of the men who penned this dreck).
`
`2'
`
`As I looked through the pages, I realized that although this book is ostensibly marketed toward guys, the content
`gives it away—admonishing men to cuddle, listen, and not watch television while going at it. This is actually a
`handbook for broads to bestow upon their wayward laddies. After all, what kind of pantywaist is going to belly up to
`the Barnes & Noble counter and hand 10 clams over to a smirking cashier for a how-to—fuck book?
`
`Now that I've convinced you that your time is better (and more cheaply) spent asking me questions about your sex
`life, I'll get down to the business of solving problems:
`
`Dear Dategirl,
`
`I have been with my present lady since last June and we are getting married on the 30th of June, 2001, and I have
`some wedding jitters. My fiancee has told me she doesn't have any jitters. My step mom has told me it is nomial. I
`love my present lady and wonder what will me being married a second time feel like? She has lived with me for the
`past three months. Will I feel any different? Could you answer this for me and publish it, but only sign my initials,
`dsl? I think it would help a lot of people who read your column each week.
`
`LexisNexis’"
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`LexisNexis"
`
`

`
`Q
`
`DA. <GIRL Seattle Weekly June 7, 2001, Thursday
`
`0
`
`Page 344
`
`Uh, OK, "dsl." Only because you sent your fairly dull letter twice and seem rather desperate for an answer, I'm
`gonna tell you what I think: I have not a clue as to whether you'll feel any different once you walk down the aisle-
`maybe you will, maybe you won't. But as I've never taken the marital plunge, I asked my boss, a man who's blissfully
`married to his second wife, to read your query and provide input. After staring quizzically at the page, he scoffed, "I
`think he's also going to be worrying about marriages three and four." Not too terribly helpful, that boss 0' mine.
`
`I recently attended my friend Travis‘ second wedding, so I called him for his always-sensitive take on things.
`"Most women are psychotic before their wedding and then filled with triumph after they actually nail the guy. Most
`men are calm beforehand and then filled with terror." Uh, OK, Travis, but this time it's the guy who's nervous. What
`should he do, I implored. "It's like jumping off a cliff—close your eyes and do it." Just don't forget to Slurpee her
`Snoopy once in a while!
`
` Got jitters? Write Dategirl at dategirl@seattleweekly.com or Dategirl, c/o Seattle Weekly, 1008 Western, Ste. 300,
`
`Seattle, WA 98104.
`
`LOAD—DATE: June 11, 2001
`
`I @'"LexisNexis" ¢'"LexisNexis'"
`
`é'"LexisNexis'"
`
`

`
`O
`
`u
`
`Page 345
`
`147 of 1525 DOCUMENTS
`
`Copyright 2001 Brunico Communications, Inc.
`Strategy
`
`@135 4, 2001
`
`SECTION: News; Youth marketingPg. 12
`
`LENGTH: 1013 words
`
`HEADLINE: 7—Eleven courts kids
`
`BYLINE: Lisa D'Innocenzo
`
`BODY:
`
`Retailer aims to lure teens inside with hot—off—the—mark trendy products and new private-label brands
`
`
`
`In plaza—happy suburbia, teens habitually hang out in 7—Eleven parking lots.
`
`Now the giant chain, which sells everything from its well-known Big Gulps, Slurpees and the usual convenience-
`store fare, to makeup, sunglasses and pantyhose, hopes to entice more teens to cross its threshold with new private-
`label brands, as well as trendy products exclusive to the retailer.
`
`"It's important to keep on the leading edge and provide what customers want," says Trish Lee, communications
`manager at 7—Eleven Canada in Vancouver, adding that the company leverages its global buying power to help get
`early deliveries. "You need to have the right products at the right time." Lee says 7—Eleven attempts to get the next
`all-the—rage items 60 to 90 days before the competition does.
`
`The teen market is thriving; last year south of the border, 12—to—19—year—olds collectively spent $155 billion US,
`according to Teen Research Unlimited, a marketing—research firm based in Northbrook, Ill. As a result, 7—Eleven
`likely sees an opportunity to court kids, says Max Valiquette, president of Toronto—based marketing consultancy
`Youthography. He adds that it likely faces competition not only from other convenience stores, but also from specialty
`and grocery shops. "Young people will hang out at a 7—Eleven if it's close to home or school, but no one in the
`convenience store category has figured out a way to properly service this market and give it what it wants."
`
`For her part, Lee says 7—Eleven aims to be a destination by keeping its finger on the pulse of pop culture, figuring
`out what's up—and—coming and building awareness among youth, so if teens see a product on TV, they know they can
`find it at the neighbourhood 7—Eleven.
`
`For instance, this month the chain, which has 495 stores across Canada and an even larger presence in the U.S.,
`aims to be the first to introduce the latest launch from BellyWashers, a vitamin C drink that caters to youth by splashing
`colourful images of kid-friendly characters on its reusable plastic bottles. This time, a trio of cute—but—tough—as—nails
`superhero cartoon characters, The Powerpuff Girls, have its stage.
`
`Kathy Ver Eecke, VP of marketing for BellyWashers in Atlanta, Ga. , says the brand gives 7-Eleven's Hawaii stores
`a 30-to 45—day lead on product and will likely expand this strategy with the chain. "lt's certainly something we're
`perfectly happy to do, and we will do more in the future," she says, adding that BellyWashers will advertise 7—Eleven
`exclusives on its Web site.
`
`Although the Powerpuff Girls isn't an "exclusive" arrangement per se, meaning the retailer likely won't have the
`product 30 days before its rivals, Lee believes that when kids see the item advertised, they will know what to do: hop
`on their scooters and head over to the nearest "Sev. "
`
`What will inspire them to do that? According to Lee, the chain works hard to develop a reputation among early
`adopters by flagging hot new exclusives in radio ad campaigns created by AOR Bryant, Fulton & Shee Advertising
`
`LexisNexis*"
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`LexisNexis'"
`
`, {.4
`
`

`
`‘-Eleven courts kids Strategy June 4, 2001
`
`.
`
`Page 346
`
`
`
`in Vancouver. This is reinforced through point—of—purchase in the store, where the latest cool products are tagged as
`"new items" with signs that slide into shelf rails. "We direct customers, so they know that when they see these tags, a
`new product is on the shelf," says Lee.
`
`Also on the agenda to lure youth into stores this summer: Britney Spears—branded fountain cups through a
`partnership with Pepsi — the cleavage-exposing pop diva is a spokesperson for the cola manufacturer — and Mountain
`Dew Code Red Slurpees, featuring the soft-—drink company's new cherry flavour launched last month.
`
`Proprietary labels, which include the retailer's popular Big Gulp and Slurrgg, account for a high percentage of the
`chain's sales. A press release from 7-Eleven's headquarters in Dallas reports that the retailer sells ll-million fig
`monthly. Private—label products also tend to be advertised on radio commercials, where they are tagged as "only at k
`Eleven." According to Lee, these spots drive store traffic.
`
`igear sunglasses and Heaven Sent pantyhose,
`Recently, 7-Eleven introduced two new private label collections:
`which it hopes will appeal to its 18-to 34-year-old customer, as well as a younger set. "It's part of popular culture for
`teens to go to 7-Eleven and get a quick bite, a Slurg and meet their friends," says Lee. "Now they can pick up their
`sunglasses or pantyhose."
`
`Lee says the pantyhose, which are crammed into a small, plastic package, were developed with convenience in
`mind. "As you build brands speaking to the convenience of customers, you're also building the brand of 7-Eleven."
`
`But Valiquette warns that the success of a private label depends on its relevance to the youth demographic. He
`doesn't see a problem with sunglasses, but says young women may not feel comfortable buying pantyhose in front of
`their peers. "That just seems like an invitation to get mocked," he says. "lt would be tough for 7-Eleven to create a
`really cool youth brand, but they will be able to create a serviceable one. As long as it's done properly." The reason
`7-Eleven isn't likely to strike gold with a youth proprietary line is because it is a brand warehouse, as opposed to a
`brand creator, he explains. "You don't go there to buy private label, you go there to buy the brands they carry."
`
`Valiquette also believes it will be a challenge for the chain to make deep inroads with teens through product
`exclusives.
`''If all they have is 60 days, I wonder if they could create enough buzz around it to have an impact on
`sales," he says. "It depends on to what extent they publicize it."
`
`Despite its efforts so far, the retailer hasn't become a destination for kids yet, he adds. "There hasn't been a lengthy
`strategy that has had a grand effect on how youth feel about 7-Eleven. It's convenience. It doesn't have a brand
`personality to develop from and that just [makes it] difficult."
`
`LOAD-DATE: June 4, 2001
`
`@’“LexisNexis*" A LexisNexis'" LexisNexis"‘
`
`

`
`.
`
`.
`
`Page 347
`
`148 of 1525 DOCUMENTS
`
`Copyright 2001 CanWest Interactive, a division of
`CanWest Global Communications Corp.
`All Rights Reserved
`Calgary Herald (Alberta, Canada)
`
`June 3, 2001 Sunday FINAL EDITION
`
`SECTION: ARTS & STYLE, Pg. C6
`
`LENGTH: 622 words
`
`HEADLINE: For the love of dance: Hard work is just one of the steps kids must learn on their way to a career in
`ballet
`
`BYLINE: Maureen DePatie
`
`SOURCE: Calgary Herald
`
`BODY:
`
`[/
`
`'4I
`
`.
`
`You see Calgary's kids inall theusual places, doing theusual things—buying Slug atthe 7—Eleven, strolling
`
`the mall, going to movies. But concealed behind the similar activities and copy—cat fashions lie the unique abilities of
`Calgary's most talented young people.
`One may be a computer whiz or a master mechanic. There's bound to be a promising hockey goalie in the crowd
`and a future scientist.
`
`Still others are future Karen Kains or Rex Harringtons — regular kids whose goal is to be the ballet stars of the
`future.
`
`For them, when the end—of—day school bell sounds, a transformation begins. Instead of heading home to hang out
`or watch TV, ballet students are on their way to dance class. There — sometimes as often as six days a week — they
`become magically elegant and athletic individuals leaping and spinning across studio floors.
`
`And on occasion — especially during the spring recital season — they are clad in masses of tulle and tiaras or
`costumed as everything from romantic heroes and heroines to fighting mice.
`
`"It's nice to get to be in front of an audience now because you work so hard without anyone really seeing what
`you're doing all year long," says 12-year-old Rene Rapier, who has been a student at the Alberta Ballet School of
`Dance for 10 years. "It gives you a chance to finally show what you've learned to your family and friends. The
`costumes and makeup are fun, too, because they make you feel special, more like a professional dancer."
`
`But for all the glamour and drama of performing, it is also a study in discipline and dedication.
`
`"They choose to be there because they love it," says Rene's mother, Teri Jordan. "When people hear that she takes
`11 classes a week plus has tons of regular homework .
`.
`. they often assume that it's a parent behind the scenes living
`a dream through their child.
`
`"The kids are there,