Behind the Scenes at your Local Convenience Store
Convenience stores mark major intersections and play a role in daily commutes. They host some of the world’s best coffee along with diapers and formula for those middle of the night emergencies. They both dot the landscape and define us. But what do you really know about your local convenience store?
They stay in business with a sharp competitive edge. Designed to appeal to the eyes, everything is visible. Like everywhere else, impulse purchases are groups together, and usually near the register. They probably own their own beverage machines to maximize profits and make your shopping more economical. Cold drinks are in the back of the store for a reason: See more, buy more. Tobacco products make up more than 35% of convenience store sales each year. They sell a lot of beer, too. Yes, you pay for convenience, but not as much as you expect. Also realize, the person ringing you up on Saturday night may be the store manager. They cover shifts to keep overhead down, which is why they are competitive. Work ethic takes on a whole new meaning with these intrepid souls!
Today’s convenience stores have taken on a life of their own and many are iconic tourist stops as well. Who can drive through South Dakota and not stop at Wall Drug, at least for a $1 ice cream cone? Wa-Wa is an east coast phenomenon, with free ATM’s and state of the art touch-screen ordering. Buc-ee’s in Texas lives up to the whole bigger is better motto by sporting up to 80 gas pumps at the world’s largest convenience store in New Braunfels. Biscayne Gas in Miami boasts the best Turkish food in town. Yes, convenience stores have come a long way since their humble beginnings.
I remember 7-Eleven starting up in Independence when I was in high school, but didn’t realize the concept actually started long before then. According to Bloomberg, the first started—of course—in Dallas, Texas: Uncle Johnny’s “Ice Dock,” selling ice sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. Then Uncle Johnny had a brainstorm: Why not sell milk and bread, too? The rest is history.
Today there are more than 150,000 convenience stores across the nation, and most operate 24 hours a day. They are much more than corner stores selling “cokes and smokes.” Many are led by entrepreneurs and bright innovators. A father and son duo, Chester and Chet Cadieux, manage the Quik Trip chain of more than 800 stores throughout the Midwest. A prime reason for its success is their policy of hiring and promoting from within. 7-Eleven has more than 60,000 stores nationwide. Today’s conglomerate is actually a Tokyo-based corporation with headquarters in, where else? Dallas, Texas.
When you visit a local convenience store, you may be greeted by a teenager nervous about his/her first job, or an adult who has made a home in the convenience store industry. I know two such folks who manage local Quik Trips, and each is a credit to his company. Each is fiercely loyal to the company and making it a career…what better recommendation for the industry is there?