The Link to the story here

Y2K Computer Glitch Hits 7-Eleven

By David Koenig AP Business Writer Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2001; 4:36 p.m. EST

DALLAS –– A Y2K-type computer bug hit cash registers in 7-Eleven stores this week, causing them to read the new year as 1901 instead of 2001 and inconveniencing customers who wanted to make credit-card purchases.

A spokeswoman said the problem was fixed late Tuesday night and most stores were operating normally Wednesday.

Officials at the Dallas-based chain of about 5,200 U.S. convenience stores and thousands more around the world thought they had nipped calendar-related computer glitches a year ago when, like many other big corporations, they geared up for an onslaught of Y2K bugs that never came.

7-Eleven said it spent $8.8 million preparing its in-store computer systems for the rollover from 1999 to 2000.

"This was all specifically devised for 7-Eleven and was all Y2K-compliant," said Margaret Chabris. "We did some 10,000 tests on it, and it was working fine until Monday."

Chabris said about 15 percent of 7-Eleven's sales involve credit cards – not including credit-card ports on the outside gas pumps, which she said were not disrupted. 7-Eleven had 1999 sales of $8.25 billion.

Chabris said it wasn't clear whether the company lost any sales because of the outage. For one thing, customers could still pay by cash or check. For another, she said, most of the stores still have devices for manually taking an imprint of a customer's credit card.

The chain has a proprietary system that tracks inventory, weather forecasts – to change the product mix during hot or cold spells – and all cash-register sales. The system is critical in helping 7-Eleven manage inventory in stores that have limited shelf space.

The 7-Eleven spokeswoman said major hardware and software vendors on the overall system, installed in 1999, included Electronic Data Systems Corp., NCR Corp., and Affiliated Computer Systems of Dallas. An EDS spokesman said the company did not work on the point-of-sale system, where the bug occurred, which 7-Eleven confirmed.

Businesses and government agencies braced for service disruptions a year ago because older computers and software were programmed to use only two digits to represent the year. The shortcut saved computer memory by ignoring the 21st century.

© Copyright 2001 The Associated Press

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

Answers

LEFT OUT BY AP ABOVE:

"No one would have noticed?"

St. Leon Kappelman dismisses 7-11 glitch?? NEW SALES PITCH???

".........Such incidents were to be expected, said Dr. Leon Kappelman, a Y2K expert who is director of the Information Systems Research Center at the University of North Texas in Denton. "This kind of stuff happens all the time with computer systems," he said. "No one would have noticed if we didn't have a higher state of alertness for Y2K issues.".........

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http://www.dallasnews.com/business/253087_7Eleven_04bus..html

Y2K computer bug hits 7-Eleven cash registers

01/04/2001

By Alan Goldstein / The Dallas Morning News

The Y2K computer bug appeared belatedly in the cash registers at 7- Eleven Inc. stores this week, but by Wednesday, the Dallas-based company said it believed the problem was licked.

The glitch was discovered Monday morning. Reports began to flood 7- Eleven's help desk because point-of-sale registers in thousands of convenience stores nationwide were unable to accept credit cards. The company's proprietary retail information system was mistakenly reading years as 1901 instead of 2001.

The business impact was minimal, the company said. Stores continued to accept cash, and automated teller machines in the outlets operated normally. Also, many stores had either dial-up equipment or manual card imprinters as backups. Card readers at gasoline pumps, where most credit-card transactions are completed, were unaffected by the disruption.

7-Eleven officials were unsure how the problem occurred. They noted that the faulty computer system was relatively new and that the company had believed it was Y2K-compatible. The problem may have been caused by a programming error created in one of a series of updates to the software since the end of 1999, said Margaret Chabris, a 7-Eleven spokeswoman.

The company's technical staff developed a software patch, which it began testing Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, virtually all of the affected 5,300 stores in the United States that are operated and franchised by the company had received the update.

"It should all be back to normal by now," Ms. Chabris said Wednesday.

A separate Y2K-related problem affected Norway's national railroad company Sunday.

Such incidents were to be expected, said Dr. Leon Kappelman, a Y2K expert who is director of the Information Systems Research Center at the University of North Texas in Denton. "This kind of stuff happens all the time with computer systems," he said. "No one would have noticed if we didn't have a higher state of alertness for Y2K issues."

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

Of course, there are about 1000 jokes here involving Paul Milne, and toast, and such.

But of course we'll leave the punch lines to that dear, sweet, giving, altruistic soul -- Mr. Milne himself.

(recently nominated for 'Creature of the Year' by Troglodyte Magazine)

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2001