Around-the-clock business like the convenience store and petroleum industry drives many conversations about site security, but such efforts today go far beyond locking things down and being preventative. The reality remains that there’s a crucial need for loss prevention activities and systems. According to the 32nd Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes…
How HJB Convenience’s Russell’s C-Stores Stayed Open With Sales Down 80%
HJB Convenience Corp. President Raymond Huff, in partnership with StrasGlobal’s new resource for independent convenience store operators, Resources for Retailers, shared an independent retailer’s story of persistence and the course of action he took to stay in business with the Payroll Protection Programs (PPP1, PPP2) and Employee Retention Credit (ERC) funding. Colorado-based HJB Convenience Corp.,…
POS & Back Office Evolve
When it comes to point-of-sale (POS) and back-office technology, a number of emerging trends are expected to pick up steam in 2021. Hybrid POS systems and hardware-agnostic POS software are two areas for convenience stores to watch in the year ahead, noted Patrick Raycroft, the Convenience and Energy vertical lead at W. Capra Consulting Group.…
How an Independent C-Store Can Stage a Killer Grand Opening (or Anniversary)
Creating an exciting retail grand opening or anniversary event requires work upfront, but in the long run will make your store drive sales. Still, this can often be a challenge for small, independent convenience store chains who often lack the promotional power of huge chains. But with some careful planning and strategic attention to detail,…
Build Relationships Through Loyalty Marketing
Did you know it costs five times more to acquire new customers than it does to retain current customers? And did you know existing customers are 50% more likely to try a new product of yours as well as spend 31% more than new customers? Whether or not you currently have a loyalty program that…
Casey’s Adds Made-From-Scratch Breadsticks to the Menu
Casey’s General Stores has added new, made-from-scratch cheesy breadsticks to its lineup of foods made in store kitchens across its 16-state footprint. The breadsticks are baked with dough prepared fresh each day and topped with real whole milk mozzarella cheese. Casey’s teamed up with comedian and self-proclaimed cheesy dad Joel McHale to see if he’s…
Labor Management in the Age of COVID-19
CStore Decisions and Humetrics, for the 13th consecutive year, have collaborated on the annual Human Resources (HR) Benchmarking Survey, which polled c-store retailers between Jan. 4 and March 1, 2021, about HR practices, labor challenges and headwinds. Given the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the past 12 months have brought unprecedented operational…
Pilot Co. Provides COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive to Frontline Employees
Pilot Co. announced that it will offer a one-time, $75 incentive to team members who choose to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The incentive will be available to all hourly team members, professional drivers and general managers in the U.S. and Canada. “Our team members and drivers have been on the front lines keeping our travel…
CEFCO Launches New Rewards Program
CEFCO has launched its new CEFCO Rewards program. CEFCO Rewards is live across all CEFCO retail sites and is being powered by Stuzo’s Open Commerce Activate product (for intelligent loyalty management) and Open Commerce Experience product (for SMS-based sign-in and the progressive web-based digital customer experience). CEFCO also engaged Stuzo for its Program Management Services,…
Sheetz Hiring Spree Continues
Altoona-based Sheetz Inc., which operates 620 stores throughout the mid-Atlantic, announced plans to hire up to 2,800 employees companywide as part of its March 31 hiring day event. This announcement comes on the heels of last month’s initiative to invest $28.5 million in employee wage increases, for the majority of its nearly 20,000 employees chain-wide.…