How can a convenience store operator know whether installing a beer cave is worth the cost? The answer varies based on the actual cost to build, the amount of remodeling needed, and a dizzying array of related factors. These can include the overall size of the store, the ongoing cost of maintenance, local energy rates…
Does My C-Store Need a Beer Cave?
If you’re looking to make your c-store a destination for beer purchases, and you have the space available, adding a beer cave can help your store maximize its sales potential. Many customers today expect to find a beer cave when they enter a convenience store, but not all convenience stores offer beer caves and, especially…
How to Boost Hard Seltzer Sales This Summer
Hard seltzer sales skyrocketed at c-stores during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when customers were stocking up to drink at home. Today, hard seltzer remains a popular segment at c-stores, appealing especially to young adult consumers. There is no mysticism involved in boosting sales of hard seltzer in convenience stores (although one hot…
Should My C-Store Add Self-Checkout?
As with so many things in life and convenience retailing, self-checkout offers both pros and cons, and it is up to the operator to decide what makes the most sense for their stores. Self-checkout systems are most commonly found in large grocery and retail stores to generally mixed reviews. However, self-service units are available for…
Expanding Tobacco Accessories
Displays and sales of tobacco accessories at convenience stores are shifting as c-stores incorporate new items to meet customer demands. The evolution mirrors the changing algebra of the tobacco category as a whole. A nationwide drop in cigarette smoking; the growth of smoke shops, dollar stores and cannabis-related products; rising taxes; increasingly restrictive legislation; and…
Cigars Under FDA Scrutiny
Proposed rules from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) targeting flavored cigars have retailers considering what such a ban would mean for their business. On April 28, 2022, the FDA announced proposed product standards “to prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and prohibit all characterizing flavors (other than tobacco) in cigars.” The National…
How to Maximize Gum Sales
While the best-practices behind maximizing gum sales aren’t complicated in theory, they can be challenging for some retailers to execute consistently. To keep gum sales climbing, simply stock the hottest brands and flavors and the most popular package sizes. Keep the gum shelves full, well-organized and neatly merchandised. Remove slow-selling items. Include freestanding displays where…
Should My C-Store Offer Delivery?
As long as convenience stores are selling convenience, delivery will be an important — and for the foreseeable future, growing — part of the equation. The ante was raised during the COVID-19 pandemic when stores added delivery to reach customers despite social distancing measures. In the wake of the pandemic with c-store, supermarket, restaurant and…
Is Touchscreen Ordering Right for My C-Store?
Fast-food and fast-casual restaurants are reaping the benefits of order-taking kiosks — and so can convenience stores. The kiosks reduce labor cost, redirect staffers to other tasks, increase order accuracy, shorten lines, make service faster and, at least for the time being, give customers a novelty they may enjoy tinkering with. By using a kiosk,…
How Can I Grow Wine Sales in 2022?
Convenience store retailers are growing wine sales by tapping into the latest trends and merchandising the category for success. These days alternative packaging is all the rage with customers reaching for cans of wine and boxed wine. Savvy c-stores are updating their wine selections to include both options. In October, Wawa stores in Florida began…