While staffing has long been a challenge for convenience stores, many c-store retailers are seeing improvements in staffing trends in 2025 compared to recent years. This is especially true for companies that are focused on retention and investing in their team members.
“Staffing for all retail businesses has its ebbs and flows, but when looking at 2025, we see a continued strength in the quality and quantity of candidates,” said Nathan Arnold, director of marketing for Englefield Oil, which operates 117 Duchess c-stores in Ohio and West Virginia.
Calloway Oil Co., which operates 24 EZ Stop c-stores in Tennessee, also saw positive staffing trends in 2024 and isn’t expecting staffing to be a challenge for the chain in 2025.
“In fact, I would say at this moment we are overstaffed, which is a wonderful problem to have,” said Melanie Disney, head of human resources (HR) for Calloway Oil and H&L Transport Inc. “We are already staffed and prepared to take on the busy summer season and can focus on training and career growth instead of staffing.”
Ever since she joined EZ Stop in 2024, Disney has prioritized understanding the company culture and building strong relationships with both employees and leadership. She emphasized that investing the time up front to listen and align HR initiatives with employee needs allows her to “offer solutions that feel relevant and supportive rather than imposed.”
This proactive approach, she said, helps prevent misunderstandings or resistance to change and creates a solid foundation for long-term HR success.
Family Express, which operates 81 locations in Indiana, also takes a strategic approach to staffing. Alex Olympidis, president of operations for Family Express, noted that while staffing itself “isn’t problematic at all,” finding high-quality employees remains a challenge across the industry. To address this, Family Express has adopted a highly selective hiring process.
“Only one in 50 applicants are admitted, and they are often selected in advance of anticipated attrition,” Olympidis said. “The selection process can be daunting, but in the end, we believe we have the right person long-term for the position.”
RaceTrac has experienced a surge in applicants for most roles, but it is still seeing a tight labor market for highly skilled workers, particularly in IT and finance, according to Linda Sutton, director of recruitment for RaceTrac, which operates more than 800 stores across 13 states.
“While some companies push for a return to the office, flexible work arrangements remain highly valued by employees. RaceTrac continues to offer hybrid options, which allows us a competitive advantage,” Sutton noted.
She added that today’s employees are looking for a positive work culture with opportunities for growth. “If organizations do not continuously invest in their employees, they will likely see an uptick in turnover,” she warned.
While many companies are feeling some relief from the staffing shortages of the past several years, some remain concerned about labor headwinds.
Steve Seymour, director of personnel for Country Fair, which operates 73 store locations in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, sees a structural problem occurring in the U.S. when it comes to the workforce population.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce pointed out in February that there are 8 million job openings in the U.S., but only 6.8 million unemployed workers.
“As we see the baby boomers retiring at a pace of 11,000 per day, along with fewer people entering the job market, there is certainly cause for concern,” Seymour said. “This does not appear to be a cycle — it is structural. Companies must put considerable focus on having the right ‘offering’ that allows them to retain current employees, along with recruiting new ones.”
Sutton predicted that retention will remain the biggest trend across companies in 2025. “Maintaining employee engagement and satisfaction in a rapidly changing work environment will be crucial,” she said.
Hiring & Recruiting
When it comes to recruitment, Duchess takes a comprehensive approach, using grassroots events, traditional job posting websites, social media and word of mouth, Arnold pointed out.
“Utilizing social media has helped our team members, especially store managers, interact with potential candidates and showcase the culture of Duchess. Everyone wants to have an inside look into what their job culture may be, and we hope to showcase this in all of the forms of recruitment we do,” Arnold said.
At EZ Stop, the company’s biggest recruiting assets are word of mouth about its “excellent culture and working environment” along with employee referrals, Disney said.
“We use all the job boards like everyone else but when someone speaks highly of their job and recommends it, then that goes a lot farther than any advertising that we can do,” she said. “Having a strong brand certainly makes recruiting easy.”
The biggest challenge for EZ Stop has been shifting out of the “fast and furious hire” mindset, because in today’s job market, hiring too quickly or hiring just anyone who applies is no longer necessary, Disney explained. Now, EZ Stop approaches hiring by slowing down the process and selecting the best high-quality candidate who aligns with the company’s culture and team of “nice people.”
Similarly, Country Fair has seen about a 10% increase in applications over the last year. Like EZ Stop, the company is looking to slow down its hiring process to ensure it makes high-quality hires.
“The challenge is maintaining our standard,” Seymour said. “When we vet, interview, reference check and assess properly, we make better hires. Better hires lead to lower turnover, higher retention and ultimately more profitability.”
Seymour noted he hears a lot of talk in the industry about speeding up the application process by making applicant tracking easier, but there can be pitfalls with this approach.
“We will not fall into this trap,” Seymour said. “Our jobs are difficult. They take care for and focus on the customer. If a potential applicant can’t take proper time and care to complete an application to our standard, we don’t believe they will do the job to our standard.”
Additionally, Seymour has some concerns regarding artificial intelligence (AI) having the potential to oversimplify the recruiting process.
“Just because an applicant lists 200 keywords on their resume and an AI bot advances that resume to an interview stage, it doesn’t mean the applicant is qualified for a job,” he cautioned. “When you allow your recruiters to become lazy and depend on things such as ‘keyword matches’ to secure interviews, you are not working in the best interest of your company.”
He stressed that hiring the right people for the correct roles requires hard work and attention. That said, Seymour isn’t saying recruiters need to forgo AI entirely.
“Just be careful not to unintentionally lower your standard by becoming over dependent on AI,” he said.
RaceTrac looks to strike a balance with AI. It has strategically added AI tools while maintaining its “high-touch, personalized recruiting and interview experience,” Sutton said. Streamlining parts of its interview process, such as automating low-value tasks like reminders and scheduling, has helped it manage an uptick in applicant volume by allowing recruiters to focus on more important aspects such as “in-depth candidate evaluation and faster time-to-hire for top talent,” Sutton added.
While some c-store retailers are focused on slowing down, RaceTrac has found that applicants’ tolerance for a long drawn-out interview process is “exceptionally low.”
“In today’s market, speed is paramount for acquiring top talent. Given our commitment to a personalized, high-touch hiring approach, we’re focusing on educating and collaborating with our hiring managers. We’re balancing the need for their confidence in the process with the urgency of securing talent efficiently,” Sutton explained.
Once a candidate accepts a job offer, RaceTrac ensures a smooth transition by offering comprehensive support that begins immediately after acceptance and continues through to the first day of work.
“We maintain open communication to help them plan and complete any pre-employment tasks with ease,” Sutton said. “We also strive to create a warm and welcoming environment through our interactive, live New Hire Orientation, where we share our rich history and future vision. We emphasize how each department contributes to our overall strategy and culture, fostering a sense of connection and purpose.”
Family Express takes a different approach to recruitment.
“We have zero recruiting strategies, only retention strategies,” Olympidis said. “We believe that a vigorous selection process coupled with intensive training and support for our current teams is the best method of recruiting new star associates when we grow our headcount by means of new locations or adding Cravin’s To Order kitchens.”
Family Express has a large growth trajectory planned in terms of new-to-industry stores scheduled to open in 2025 and beyond. “We communicate that anticipated growth to our workforce so they can see the career opportunities ahead,” Olympidis said.
Improving Retention
Overall, retailers reported that turnover is flat to down, largely due to increased efforts on the retention front, proof that strategic investments in employee engagement, training and workplace culture can and do pay off.
At Family Express, turnover “dramatically decreased” in the last year, which Olympidis attributed to “a soup-to-nuts upgrade of all things HR,” including a more structured career development program as well as “a clear and achievable path to high wages based on tenure.”
“We’ve found that many employees leave when they feel there are limited growth opportunities, so providing clearer career paths and staff dedicated to nothing but mentorship programs has been critical,” Olympidis said. “Additionally, we’ve enhanced our employee recognition programs to highlight spectacular effort through an internal social media network based on public recognition.”
Turnover was also lower at Country Fair in 2024.
“It was a year where we put emphasis on the first 90 days of employment,” Seymour said, noting that approximately half of the c-store chain’s turnover comes from employees with less than 90 days of service.
The chain introduced an employee referral program, which rewards the referring employee after the new hire completes 90 days of service. What’s more, the new employees have their first evaluation and raise after 120 days of service. Seymour believes these changes have helped to boost retention. “At 90 days, new employees begin to anticipate that 120 review,” he added.
At Duchess, turnover has remained “relatively flat with periods of reduction,” Arnold said. The chain leverages wage increases, paid time off and other benefits, along with its loyalty program, to support retention.
“Years ago, we were one of the first convenience store chains to implement an employee tier to our loyalty program. This provides extra benefits, discounts, giveaways and more that only current employees can enjoy,” Arnold said. “This is also a selling tool to candidates because they can see additional benefits to working for Duchess.”
Its efforts have paid off: some 50% of Duchess team members have been with the chain for more than a year with a significant percentage having worked there for over five years. Recently, several team members have celebrated 35-, 39-, 42- and 45-year anniversaries with the chain.
“Retention is key to our business,” Arnold said. “We’re focusing on onboarding and retention in 2025 and beyond to continue to cultivate a culture of longevity and quality team members.”
However, Arnold noted that research shows generational trends are shifting, with younger workers less inclined to stay with one company for decades. “But we still strive to provide an atmosphere that all generations feel connected to in hopes to continue the tenure we have seen since being founded in 1961,” he said.
Turnover was also flat for EZ Stop in 2024.
“We still face challenges with what has become known as the job-hopping culture with workers that won’t hesitate to change jobs for any number of reasons,” Disney said.
Like most retailers, EZ stop sees the highest rate of turnover within an employee’s first 30 days. To combat this trend, EZ Stop slowed down the onboarding and training process to give hires more time to familiarize themselves with the business and acclimate to their new role. This includes more time to shadow team members, learn and connect before being placed at the register, Disney explained.
To further aid retention, EZ Stop provides reviews and raises after an employee is on the job for six months and then annually after that, and it also offers flexible scheduling and career growth opportunities.
EZ Stop “recognizes that life outside of work comes with challenges that can impact employees daily,” Disney said. “To provide support, we have introduced the Corporate Chaplains Program, offering our teams 24/7 access to chaplains and resources to help navigate personal struggles.”
The chaplains regularly visit all EZ Stop locations so they can meet with employees one-on-one to provide “guidance, encouragement and a compassionate presence,” Disney said.
The chain is also set to roll out a new retention and recognition program in the second quarter of 2025 called the Pillars of N-I-C-E Recognition Program. “It aligns with our mission of “Nice People, Good Stuff,” Disney said.
Turnover has also decreased at RaceTrac, which has been focused on enhancing employee retention, a move that has strengthened the organization, Sutton said. “This positive trend reflects our holistic approach to creating a workplace where employees feel supported and valued,” she added.
In 2025, the chain plans to build on this foundation “by prioritizing employee engagement initiatives designed to cultivate a collaborative and connected work environment,” Sutton said.
New HR Launches
As convenience store chains prioritize retention efforts, many of them are rolling out new programs that benefit their team members.
Country Fair, for instance, began providing employees with earned wage access about a year and a half ago in partnership with ZayZoon.
“Earned wage access has been a winner for us,” Seymour said. “Our employees absolutely love it. Last data check, turnover rates for employees using the program are approximately 20% less than those who do not.”
To participate in the program, employees just have to sign up. An employee’s rate of pay and average hours per week are used to create weekly estimated wages, Seymour explained. Employees can then access 50% of their weekly pay up to a defined dollar amount.
They can opt to receive their earned wages via a bank account deposit (for a fee), a gift card (no fee) or via a ZayZoon credit card (no fee). The gift card option comes with a bonus.
“For example, Walmart might be advertising a 10% bonus on gift card purchases this month. Therefore, you buy a $100 card and receive $110,” Seymour said.
In a situation where an employee quits and ends up owing ZayZoon money, they handle it directly with the employee, and there is no cost to Country Fair.
EZ Stop launched a partnership with GoHappy, a texting platform that provides direct communication with all front-line employees, and branded the platform “EZ Talk.”
“Through EZ Talk, we send a series of messages, highlighting all the great benefits EZ Stop offers to new employees during their first 30 days,” Disney said. “Additionally, we conduct pulse surveys at 30, 60 and 90 days to check in with new team members and ensure they have the support they need.”
EZ Stop initially envisioned EZ Talk as a way to communicate company news and upcoming events such as benefits open enrollment. But the chain quickly saw that EZ Talk was an ideal way to offer employee recognition.
“We started sending out company announcements of newly promoted employees and providing shoutouts to outstanding performers,” Disney said. “It has become a platform where leaders can recognize their employees companywide and has been well received by our teams.”
Similarly, Duchess has made strides in strengthening its communication strategy with team members over the past year. It found through its surveys that employees wanted more frequent communication.
“Using texting and other communication software, we’re able to send messages to congratulate on anniversaries and accomplishments and send reminders,” Arnold said.
Family Express has also prioritized communication by introducing regular pulse surveys via text message to gauge how its workforce is feeling. “The texts make it easy for a majority of our coworkers to respond,” Olympidis said.
Operations then meets with HR weekly to integrate employee feedback and develop targeted strategies to address any challenges.
While many c-store chains collect employee input, the true differentiator for retention lies in how that feedback is acted upon — a practice in which Family Express excels.
Family Express has also placed an emphasis on supporting its employees’ well-being by introducing Calm Health, a digital mental health platform, not only for employees, but for their family and friends as well, if they choose.
“Calm Health aims to bridge the gap between mental and physical health care, guiding users to the appropriate level of support and helping them stay engaged in their mental health journey by offering personalized, evidence-based mental health programs,” Olympidis said.
Olympidis pointed to a recent study, titled “Mental Health Benefits: Barriers to Access,” that found that 65% of Gen Z and 60% of millennial workers consider it “very important” for employers to provide mental health benefits.
The chain also has a dedicated “Shine Team” that has a special knack for and focus on detail cleaning, allowing store teams to prioritize building relationships with guests.
As some of these initiatives show, a successful retention strategy goes beyond simply holding onto employees; it’s about creating a culture where team members feel valued, engaged and motivated to grow with the company. By investing in employee development, engagement and recognition, retailers can transform retention into a powerful competitive advantage.
