There are some things we simply cannot live without. By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC PART TWO The Worst Punishment of All Solitary confinement, isolation from all forms of human contact could be the cruelest punishment of all. While many of us enjoy the solitude of our quiet time alone, no human contact for an…
C-Stores/Social-Media/Branding
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC PART ONE In September of 2010, nearly six years ago, Convenience Store Supply Chain Management was launched. In less than six years we have grown from one member to 15,777 members (as of this writing). If each of our members owned a convenience store, we might be considered…
July 2016 Convenience Store Performance Results Are In
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC Summer is definitely here in the Southeast U.S., and you don’t have to go outside to realize it. Just one look into the inventory movement in our convenience stores tells the story. The skirmish over what products are selling the most is concentrated in the cold liquids department. Remember,…
Public Speaking Is My Passion
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC I remember the first public speech I ever gave. It was in 1978 to a group of business people and professors at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins. It must have been a horrible sight to behold. I worked on my speech for a month, and read it as…
The Awesome Power of Inventory
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC It was in the summer of 1984, 32 years ago, a time that preceded the commercial use of the Internet; when Microsoft Windows, Networking, Powerpoint, the World Wide Web, Web Browsers, E-mail, J-Peg images, Broadband, Google, Wi-Fi and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” were yet to materialize. My newest…
Stop Buying Inventory That Won’t Sell In A Delivery Cycle
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC While this rule may not apply to all types of retailers, in the convenience store environment, it makes a lot of sense. Aside from the fact that convenience stores generally have limited storage space, they are not receiving the margins necessary to offset the cost of maintaining overstock. But…
Mass Markets are Dead, Long Live the Mom and Pops
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC Last week, a friend was complaining about the fact that he had gained thirty-pounds since Christmas, and he didn’t know where it came from. Neither could he recall any unintentional life changes. He didn’t sit down and eat one, 30-pound meal in a single sitting, that’s for sure. If…
C-Store Sales 2016 May-June Comparisons
Summer is most definitely here. By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC The undisputed winner for June was Nestle Pure Life Water, which rose from position 644 in May to position 86 in June–a whopping gain in rank of 558 positions. Second place was not even close. Black and Mild (UPC 070137804727) rose to position 99…
The Reinvention of Retail Calls For Innovation
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC “Innovation is not a big breakthrough invention every time. Innovation is a constant thing. But if you don’t have an innovative company, coming to work every day to find a better way, you don’t have a company. You’re getting ready to die on the vine.” -Jack Welch We’ve all…
The Responsibility that Comes with Leadership – Retail Reinvention
By Bill Scott, President, StoreReport LLC Recently, someone posted an article on ‘Leadership’ in our LinkedIn forum, ‘Convenience Store Supply Chain Management.’ David Marcotte posted an excellent response. Last night, as I was trying to get to sleep, the thought kept running through my head that leadership is a result, more so than it is…