Rebuilding a community – Perryton Tornado hit On June 2023. The community came together as family and worked together to restore their lives. Michelle Bewley who manages a c-store for Garrions Food Marts in the town was in the heart of the recovery process. Devastating Losses Due to the Tornado A massive tornado killed several …

Vanessa was charged with the duel job of keeping the store clean and team engaged. She put together a special ‘spring cleaning project she called: “A Spring in the Life of Store Operations”. Vanessa, the store manager, was challenged by the retail operations leader to return the forecourt to its original polish and function. Engagement …

While working to help c-store manager, we found  a funny thing happened on the way to c-store growth. In order to work on growth, store managers needed to focus on a lot of different parts of their operations: Growth, Profits, Value, Satisfaction, Simplicity, Improvement, Self-Motivation, Efficiency, Helpfulness, Caring, Development, Usefulness, Happiness – who doesn’t want all …

The changes and competition in the convenience retail world demands strong operations. Building a brand, having loyal customers and establishing a strong community presence cannot be attained and sustained without reliable operations. The convenience business is about people: your customers and your staff. Your operations determine how well you deliver convenience through your staff to …

Top C-Store Managers start with a daily plan. “What would you rather me do? Take 5 minutes to know my store or just start to work?” This was the answer given by a successful c-store manager to the question – “Do you have time to plan your day?” C-Store Management Made Simple Using time well …

Given the challenges with c-store staffing, c-store operators benefit by addressing the impact of c-store onboarding debt. All business are impacted by their ability to hire, train, manage and develop their staff. The recent challenges, such as Covid, created many changes to the working environment and significantly changed the labor costs and work expectations. Just …

There are three main aspects of c-store operations ROI. C-Store operations have a virtually unlimited capacity to grow and attain on-going improvement. These results are evident with successful chains such as Casey’s, Kwik Trip, Wawa, Sheetz, and others. They show the power of great businesses that have both a strong operational system and the ability …

C-Store managers unspoken fears impact their decision making. Of course, fears are personal concerns. They can come from one’s history, experience level, work environment, or personal characteristics. Identifying fears (or perhaps weaknesses) addresses store manager uncertainty and thus changes their responses. Having both awareness and a desire to change will typically provide all that is …

With all the money spent on cameras and back office tracking, it is no wonder c-store operators frustratingly ask ‘How do age stings beat technology’? Surprisingly, technology to capture images and highlight risks does not ensure that age stings are addressed. The stings are not based on store activity but rather investigations of under-age activity …

Managers forget the numbers to fix problems. A store manager cannot make a customer buy anything. They can only address how the store operates. The key is store manager problem solving. They must manage staffing, stocking, inventory, finances, cleanliness, preparation and how the store operates. Their work directly influences the customer experience. Before they fix …

The presenters at a recent food-service-focused-c-store conference provided a unique perspective on their successes. C-Store operations have already or may soon become primarily focused on food service. The presenters included a single store operator, several top 10 chains, investment bankers, leading vendors and leading consultants in the convenience space. Here are the ten things I …

Surveys of c-store managers identify five keys to grow food sales.  Food service is critical to the future success of most c-stores. A strong store manager can typically thrive in a store with great food offers as many of the jobs are the same as non-food stores. However, there are key differences. Preparing and supporting …