This holiday season the name of the game is convenience. With that inmind, more and more consumers are putting an end to the frenzied shopping thattraditionally accompanies the holiday season. Instead, shoppers are opting forgift cards purchased at the checkout line at local grocery, drug or, yes, conveniencestores. Gift cards accounted for more than $17…

Having a tough time finding work to attract the college-age crowd? You couldalways just have them reimagine your company. Recruiting college-age kids to work in a c-store environment remains a challengefor most of the industry. But Jr. Foods (Jonesboro, AR) has found a unique wayto get students from the University of Arkansas “working” for the…

If the “Monster” Blackout of 2003 taught retailers anything, it’s toprepare for the worst. During that blackout, which affected much of the EastCoast, Ohio and parts of Canada, retailers tried to go on with business as usual—oras well as they could in the dark (see Black Knights, p. 16, Sept. ’03).And as Hurricane Katrina has…

So you’ve tried training videos, Web-based resources and clunky paper manuals. Ever considered using an iPod as a training tool? It seems that just about every kid in America—not to mention a heck of a lot of adult music-junkies—owns an iPod, Apple’s pocket-size listening device that’s doing its best to turn the Walkman into an…

Elvis is in the building! Elvis Presley is as American as apple pieand baseball, and if early results are any indication, a new rubber duckie castin the mold of “The King” could reap a hunk-ahunkof-burnin’ sales for conveniencestores. Elvis represents the biggest new addition to the lineup from the company thatmade rubber duckies cool again,…

Looking to rediscover a long-lost childhood toy and pick up a new roller grill at half the cost? Point your mouse to eBay.com Only five weeks elapsed from the day Raymond Hall decided to open his own restaurant to the day he had all the equipment he needed to operate his Riverside Deli in in…

Irving Oil developed the ’Irving Promise’ as a guide to reinforce the importance of doing whatever it takes to simplify the lives of its customers throughout its network, including its newly reimaged Bluecanoe stores (see Making Over Mainway, p. 18). Irving Oil developed the “Irving Promise” as a guide to reinforce theimportance of doing whatever…

A critic’s mock cooking competition paints convenience stores in a slightly more refined light. (Note the use of the word slightly.) Are the words “convenience store” and “gourmet foods” mutually exclusive? With a little help, according to one non-scientific “study,” virtually any convenience store can supply the goods for a delightful night of fine dining.…

A new addition to 7-Eleven’s coffee bar targets the road warrior: spill-protection wipes. There’s nothing more frustrating for a “road warrior” than to stain a freshly-pressed shirt or suit coat with a splash of hot coffee. And 7-Eleven Inc. knows it. The retailer that began offering hot-to-go coffee in convenience stores almost 40 years ago…

Outfit your employees with stylish, comfortable shoes that can prevent slip-and-falls. One of the leading causes of employee injuries is slip-and-fall accidents. All the safety procedures in the world can’t protect a company from a momentary lapse that results in an employee taking a spill on a slippery floor, but a simple footwear program can…