C-Store Growth

Clean Bathrooms – Do They Really Impact C-Store Performance? I get asked this question a lot these days. I was interviewed recently. The reporter asked the question whether having a cleaning bathroom really made a difference to store sales or overall customer satisfaction. She admitted that it mattered to her and she believes that most …

Meeting plans are valuable. Store manager meetings are expensive. In order to have the desired impact it is useful to plan c-store manager meetings for high performance. Setting the meeting goals and creating an impactful meeting makes sense. Store manager meetings are a critical part of operations. It is hard to have a perfect meeting, …

C-store managers are constantly faced with urgent items that come up and interrupt what they’re doing, often right in the middle of a busy shift. If ignored, a small but real problem may fester and get worse. Without good information, the manager is more likely to misdiagnose the problem and come up with the wrong …

When managing C-Store High Performance – How Important is Appreciation? Firstly, High performance teams display their success on a regular basis. When you are part of such a team you become part of its environment. That is, you are recognized and engaged. As a result, you feel the sense of teamwork. Secondly, you are noticed …

Operators often ask if C-Store Analytics can really make any difference. They ask if knowledge drives c-store sales.  Assuming that solving problems can positively improve sales and profits, the question can be refined as follows: How Does  Knowledge Impact Decisions? Surprisingly, the answer seems to vary widely.  Talking to different operators yields lots of answers. …

The Inertia of C-Store Performance calls for a time for change. When putting new processes and technologies into place to save time or increase profits, there are lots of things that can impact success. Even if you are making changes specifically to address waste that harms the team, the beneficiaries of the change will still …

Occasionally when we speak with C-Store management teams about C-Store Analytics and their first response is “We already have a back office system.” Back back office systems are so important to c-store operations. However, they are focused on the pricing, inventory and profits. Of course, back office systems are important. Most C-Store operators should should …

Managing change for c-store growth is part of management for successful companies. Fortunately, C-Stores employees are quite used to change. Prices, legislation, and products change often and sometimes every day. Anyone who has worked in a C-Store company, for any amount of time, is never shocked with change. However there are some changes that are …

Why grades matter for c-store performance. Just like school grades, assessment provides understanding and drives learning. Many innovative tools use simple grades to turn complex data into understanding, motivation and action. Many argue as to the validity of a single score showing anything meaningful. Others, however, believe it is one of the most effective ways …

Many will ask “Do numbers really matter when managing store performance?” Why does the existence of performance numbers impact the very performance they measure. It is often stated ‘If you want to improve something measure it.’ The statement is rarely disputed but not always supported. There are just as many reasons not to analyze your …

Problem identification is the first step to solve any problem.  C-store managers use reports, experience, business intelligence (BI) and consultants.  Nonetheless, there are 3 Steps to solve c-store performance problems that are often overlooked. Once a problem is defined, the question then becomes, how do we resolve it.  This will vary on the type of …

I got my report card at work today. A daily scorecard is not the same as a report card, but there are many important ways it has the same impact. When thinking back to our school years, there was never a day quite as important than the day when report cards were distributed.  A good …