C-Store Operations Best Practices

C-Store operations best practices evolve with experience, technology and creativity. Retail competition is high. Therefore, smart owners and managers seek new ways to serve customers. Naturally, they want to provide new items that are desired. Obviously, they desire higher margins for higher convenience and value.

New products, faster service, cleaner shopping, home delivery, choices, and sometimes just simpler options are all included. Successful C-Store operations best practices make use of hot products as well as long term service excellence. Monitoring results, listening to customers and measuring ROI are all part of choosing the items of value.

In addition to great merchandise and service, operations have a direct impact on results. Operators that achieve high growth, stable margins and increasing loyalty operate well. Technology, management and training drive operations success. Best practices apply to technology selection. Of course, management is critical. Top performers have the same items as the bottom performers. Different cashiers in the same store have different outcomes. Stores are the same. Management and execution make a difference.

C-stores that thrive study best practices. They measure their results with POS scan data analytics and compare themselves internally and externally. The use of data is an objective way to find areas of strength. Of course, objective data will show weakness as well. The key is to know the actual status and focus energy on the priority work that drives sales and provides control.

Good Data Cuts Through Bad Behavior

C-Store Control | C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability | Shrink & Loss Prevention

June 27, 2021 —

Good data cuts through bad behavior. When we have good data and use it to coach and train, we see bad behaviors corrected. It is often said to inspect what you expect, but some also like to use data analytics to help keep an eye on the behaviors they want to see and to look …

Four Levels of C-Store Performance Growth

C-Store Analytics & Scorecards | C-Store Control | C-Store Growth | C-Store Operations Best Practices | C-Store Promotions Analysis

October 30, 2018 —

There are four levels in c-store performance growth. All together, they define the C-Store Performance Maturity Model. Combined, the levels produce a guide to successful, sustainable growth. The levels are sequential: Firstly, Founding addresses financial issues. Secondly Organizing addresses management, Thirdly, Growing addresses sales and Finally, Thriving. As progress occurs, higher sales and better teamwork …

C-Store Performance – The Proven System for Growth

The Proven System for C-Store Growth

September 25, 2018 —

Big chains keep getting bigger. There is a reason. Many use a proven system for c-store growth. Top growth derives from operational maturity, defined as mastery of five c-store performance management areas. I. Back Office Managing finance, inventory and pricing II. Staffing Hiring, on-boarding and retaining III. Operations Delivering convenience consistently and profitably IV. …

Growing Your Business Through Successful Dealers – Southern New England Energy Conference Monday, Sept 24 10:00 AM

C-Store Growth | C-Store News & Work Shops | C-Store Operations Best Practices

September 17, 2018 —

Growing Your Business Through Successful Dealers – Southern New England Energy Conference Monday, Sept 24 10:00 AM Breakout Session C-Store Performance for Jobbers – Growing Your Business Through Successful Dealers “C-Store Performance – The proven way to increase sales, simplify work and make time to grow.” Presented by BandyWorks CEO, Tom Bandy If the dealers to …

8 Steps Consultants Use to Increase C-Store Sales

Consultants Use 8 Steps to Increase C-Store Sales

August 8, 2018 —

Sometimes familiarity and routine can block easy changes that can increase your c-store sales. That is why operators say that consultants increase c-store sales. Getting a fresh set of eyes to work with your team can be a quick way to find a few break-through changes that can increase sales. Habits and history can sometimes …

C-Store Employee Retention – Two Birds with One Stone

C-Store Growth | C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability

July 18, 2018 —

C-Store employee retention is a must-measure goal for any successful operation. A nice benefit of working to retain employees is that often the very work that helps keep them also makes them a better asset to the company. C-Store training programs are like the stone that gets two birds. It makes the employee work more …

C-Store Shift Planning – Getting Labor Hours Right

C-Store Growth | C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability

July 5, 2018 —

C-store shift planning – getting labor hours right – is one of the most challenging jobs. Having the correct hours allocated by shift ensures you can maintain the customer experience while keeping costs in line with store sales. Getting the labor hours right is a key to ensure you have good operations with the labor …

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing Is Key to Grow C-Stores

C-Store Growth | C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability

May 4, 2018 —

Steven Covey stated ‘the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.’ Kevin Kruse argued in his Forbes article that this practice has the power to change one’s life. For many C-Store managers the main thing is to grow. They are expected to keep the store running and growing. But there is …

Things Preventing Me From Getting Stuff Done

Getting Stuff Done for C-Store Performance Services

C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability

April 10, 2018 —

Getting Stuff Done for C-Store Performance Services is our mission. BandyWorks provides C-Store Performance Systems to help companies get better results with less effort. Our culture calls for us to work the same way our clients to work. Some call this approach dog-fooding. We review our own work to mirror the work we suggest to …

Five Minute C-Store Expectations Plan

C-Store Growth | C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability

April 3, 2018 —

There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations. Given the impact your store manager has on your store performance, many think helping them to choose daily work items wisely, is a …

Grandma’s Secret Sauce for C-Store Accountability

C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability

March 19, 2018 —

The C-Store accountability secret is not a secret to any grandparent. Kids, parents, employees – really just all people – want to know what is expected. They want to succeed. They want to be treated fairly and most of all they want to be appreciated. Well, if we know what we expect and can tell …

C-Store Performance Accountability – Trust or Bust

C-Store Operations Best Practices | Managing C-Store Change & Accountability

February 22, 2018 —

To achieve top C-Store performance accountability trust must be strong. In order to operate remote stores well, there must be a level of trust. This trust must be bi-directional. Employees must believe they will have the resources they need for success and HQ staff need remote operations to perform as required. That is why many …