SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1997--7-Eleven customers no longer have to carry a laptop and find a viable data port to stay connected.Instead, they can dial-in at their local 7-Eleven store. The convenience store chain that introduced Slurpee, Big Gulp and to-go coffee is opening Internet stations in eight Seattle- area stores in conjunction with U S WEST Communications.

The Internet stations allow customers to access e-mail, the World Wide Web and on-line services.The terminals are menu- driven, user-friendly and connected to the Internet via an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line that runs up to 10 times faster than conventional modems used for Internet access.

Mary Kush, 7-Eleven market manager, said 7-Eleven is known for its ability to predict consumer trends, so it's not unusual for the company to be the first convenience-store chain to feature the relatively new technology.

"Internet access at 7-Eleven adds a new dimension of convenience not previously available to the public," said Kush. "Now Web access and e-mail are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just around the corner."

Customers can activate the terminals with the swipe of a credit card.The cost is 35 cents per minute.They can also purchase blocks of Internet time for $2.95 for the first 10 minutes (30 cents per minute) and $1.95 for each additional 10 minutes (20 cents per minute).

Steve Dennis, manager for U S WEST's public paid access applications, said it made sense to work with 7-Eleven, the nation's largest retail site provider for payphones, on this trial program.

"We've been partners with 7-Eleven for a long time in the payphone-service area, so this is a natural extension of our partnership," said Dennis.

Kush said 7-Eleven has had great success providing its customers with phone cards, automated teller machines (ATMs) and money orders, so Internet service is a logical next step for the company.

7-Eleven chose Seattle as the site for the test because of U S WEST's experience in providing public Internet access to this area. The eight stores were selected on the basis of varying customer demographics.

Market studies of Internet use worldwide indicate:

-- The current user base is estimated at 20 - 40 million worldwide, with approximately half of all users residing in the U.S.

-- Annual growth rates are projected in excess of 100 percent, reaching a user base of 250 million by the year 2000.

-- At a market rate of $25/month/user for access, the current usage market is approximately $6-12 billion worldwide.

-- Domestic commercial spending on direct marketing and promotions through the Internet is forecast to grow exponentially to at least $5 billion by next year.

-- E-mail is the largest single end-user application in the current market.

U S WEST Communications Group (NYSE:USW) provides telecommunications services to more than 25 million customers in 14 western and midwestern states.The company is one of two major groups that make up U S WEST, a company in the connections business, helping customers share information, entertainment and communications services in local markets world-wide.U S WEST Public Services serves the paid-access marketplace, which includes payphones, smart cards, pre-paid cards, public Internet kiosks and all third-party transaction products.

With approximately 16,600 convenience stores worldwide, operations of The Southland Corporation (Nasdaq:SLCM), operator and franchisor of 7-Eleven stores, include more than 5,400 7-Eleven and other convenience stores in the United States and Canada.7-Eleven is the nation's largest retailer of money orders, pre-paid phone cards and has the largest retail network of ATMs in the U.S.7- Eleven's home page is located at www.7-11.com .