7-Eleven’s Pumpkin Spice Slurpee Is the Summer Drink No One Asked For | Eater

"Beginning August 1, a national convenience-store chain is introducing a pumpkin spice Slurpee in select “top Slurpee drink markets” (including stores in Texas, California, New York, and Ohio). The drink is described as pumpkin and cinnamon spice swirled into an ice-cold, carbonated Slurpee and appears a sickly yellow color; the reviewer questions whether there is any real pumpkin and finds the idea of a chilled, caffeine-free pumpkin-and-cinnamon beverage cloying and out of place. The chain will also bring back its pumpkin spice latte on the same date, prompting critics to wonder why that latte wasn’t adapted into a frozen Slurpee version instead. With pumpkin-spice interest waning beyond the enduring Starbucks PSL and the rollout limited to only a few thousand locations, the limited launch suggests the company may not be fully confident in broad demand — though diehard seasonal fans might still seek it out, even as the timing feels ironic (launching on a day forecast at 101°F in Irving, Texas, where the company is based)." - Amy McCarthy