Today’s Idea of the Day: Focus on the basics of foodservice. Before adding to your foodservice program, ensure you have mastered the basics. The basics include superior customer service, well-presented and appealing food, and a spotlessly clean convenience store. These basics will factor into consumer perception of quality and price. No matter how upscale your…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Highlight Healthy Snacks
Today’s Idea of the Day: Use signage to identify healthy snacks. Consumers are increasingly looking for healthier snack options, and many customers don’t think of c-stores as having healthy options. A little signage can help change these perceptions and help health conscious customers navigate the snack aisle. Do you offer healthy snack bars? Healthy chips?…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Upsell Contests for Employees
Today’s idea of the day: Move tobacco accessories by incentivizing employees to upsell an accessory with every purchase. Consider running a contest with your associates to see who can upsell the most lighters, rolling papers or e-liquids/cartridges to ensure they’re letting customers know these accessories are available every time they buy a tobacco product. Set…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Impulse Purchases
Today’s idea of the day: Drive impulse purchases at checkout with higher-priced items. Take a look at the items you place by the front checkout to drive impulse sales and consider how you can revamp this section to make the most profit possible. Are most of the items low-priced items? If so, consider adding some…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Gamify
Today’s idea of the day: Gamify employee rewards. Help motivate employees using gamification. Offer badges, rewards and levels for various jobs well done such as completing a training, helping a customer, properly greeting people who enter the store and so on. Consider tracking results online where everyone can see the results. Making success at work…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Energy Efficiency
Today’s Idea of the Day: Contact your utility before making energy efficient upgrades. If you’re considering upgrading to LEDs or adding other energy efficient features, check in with your local utility first. Utilities often run different incentives and sometimes they require you to partner with an approved company or require a visit to your property…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Food Truck
Today’s idea of the day: Consider partnering with a local food truck. In today’s increasingly competitive market it is crucial for c-store retailers to move into foodservice. But not all stores have the capacity for a foodservice operation. If you want to bring in foodservice but lack the space at some locations, consider partnering with…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Dessert for Breakfast
Today’s Idea of the Day: Add a dessert option for breakfast. One of the trends ahead for 2017 is dessert for breakfast. Think about ways you can offer a menu item that capitalizes on this trend. Ice cream on top of a waffle offering, pastries and doughnuts, or chocolate croissants are all potential options. If…
CSD/NAG Idea of the Day: Measure Effectiveness
Today’s Idea of the Day: Measure the effectiveness of your limited time offerings. Many c-store retailers offer limited time offerings (LTOs) among their foodservice items, but many don’t record and analyze the results of how those offerings fared with customers. LTOs offer ample opportunity to gain feedback from your customer base on what types of…
NAG/CSD Idea of the Day: Plan for Spoilage
Today’s idea of the Day: Plan for spoilage. If you’re embarking on a foodservice program, know that waste/spoilage is a crucial part of the equation on the road to a profitable program. “Waste is good!” experts will tell you. Make sure you plan for waste in your foodservice budget and make certain employees know to…