C-Store Tips

C-Store owners challenge data geeks to do something useful for their sales results. For example, using tools to make your c-store data sell more snickers. They often argue that data cannot sell anything or help with the real work of providing convenience. Obviously, they are right in many ways. It is the c-store staff that …

All employees of a c-store have responsibilities. Everyone is busy.  Whether work tasks or raising a family, people spend their time seeking objectives, solving problems and handling what comes to them each day.  This stress is normal life. Normal or not, the work load can sometimes become too much. At times, all staff experience burn …

If you were to ask someone on the street “What would your rather own, a small company or a big c-store company?”, the typical answer would probably be “A big company”.  Advantages of owning a small c-store company are many. Smaller  companies have a lot of advantages that are often overlooked. First, they try different …

Like many, as I get older, I have to work harder to keep fit. Sadly, I found myself 5 pounds heavier after spending 6 months on a diet.  I was going backwards. Embarrassed, I decided something needed to change. As an analyst, I decided to make a plan. Surprisingly, my personal diet plan reminded me …

The six benefits of removing c-store performance unknowns make a difference to your results. A c-store manager knows all to well the concern for a potential result or consequence of the unknown.   They make decisions daily and often without having all of the information they need.  Missing, incomplete or incorrect information creates confusion. For example, …

Motivation is not an easy thing to create. However, there 3 free Ways to motivate employees. If your pockets are not endless, you are staffing at minimal levels or your business cannot sustain downtime, it is hard to find things you can do to motivate employees.  More money, time off or company events aren’t possible.  …

Taking time to sharpen your tools is necessary. C-stores tools include reports to drive business.  Managers look at them to measure performance, make key decisions and set the path for the company going forward. When the tool that is used to guide this process is a report, it makes sense to spend a little time …

Operations Services for C-Stores Track daily and real-time operational performance, and visualize your enterprise data to discover actionable insights and make well-informed decisions. Operations dashboards include: Revenue vs Forecast Cash over/under Product Category Sales Breakdown Hourly Revenue Per Employee Average Basket Size Sales Alerts

Nap time and stand up meetings are part of remote work. Preschool in Bangalore, babysitting by Dad in Ireland and baseball coach in Virginia. Three continents, 9.5 hours of time zone difference and kids ranging from 3 to 11. Deadlines for C-Store dashboards, QA work pending and a big query that must run in .5 …

As part of our tracking and accountability work, we study best practices. We want to see how companies are using KPI’s in their drive for higher sales and better operational results. The May Poll is complete and the results are in.  Please check our Survey page for a more detailed survey regarding how companies are publishing …

Experienced Big Data users understand the paradox – Big data starts small. Rather than rush to implement new techniques and technology a small win can help to drive big results. Patience is often hard when there are big problems to solve, but creating a solid foundation for success can make things go faster when you …

I had the good fortune to attend a Sheetz vendor meeting at which Joe Sheetz, the next CEO shared a bit of the history regarding the company’s valuable brand. He discussed how the brand was built ‘accidently’ rather than by a marketing plan. That is, it was created without specific intent. As I listened, I …