7-Eleven Inc., the world’s largest convenience store chain, and Kwedit Inc., a provider of alternative payment systems, are making it easier for millions of online gamers to buy virtual goods in a game-changing “Play Now. Pay Later.” plan, announced today. Americans who do not have credit or debit cards or who prefer to pay…
7-Eleven Gets in the Game
By Brett Wilshe, Contributing Editor When Apple released iTunes in 2001, music retailers began to question their futures. The music industry, once an invincible force in the global market, suddenly seemed vulnerable. But a much larger question loomed: Would it stop with music? We live in an age where corporeal media is vanishing. Newspapers are…
Pricing on Demand
KSS Inc. has introduced RackPrice SaaS, a hosted version of the company’s fuel price management software for fuel wholesalers. The new system gives fuel suppliers the option to benefit from a comprehensive, automated fuel price management capability via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, where the application—and accompanying customer database and information–resides and is managed by KSS…
International Carwash Association Appoints New President
The International Carwash Association (ICA), the world’s largest association for car wash professionals, has announced its 2010 Board of Directors and new Association President Jeff Gheysens, who is the owner of Sparkle Kleen Car Wash. The appointments went into effect on Jan. 1. The newly-elected board members represent both the operator and vendor community. “An ideal…
Rutter’s Invites Customers To Stay A While With Free WiFi
Rutter’s is reminding customers that it has free WiFi at select locations, allowing customers who stop in for coffee to sit down with their laptop while they finish a hot dispensed beverage. The WiFi at Rutter’s can instantly be accessed once customers are within a certain distance from select locations. A customer’s digital device, whether…
Fabulous Freddy’s Fuels with Flair
Fabulous Freddy’s is wooing new customers with old tricks. Resurrecting the customer service of decades past, the seven-store chain headquartered in Las Vegas, offers its patrons full-service treatment at the pump, at self-service prices. “Our company’s mission statement is to provide fabulous service to everyone, and one of the ways we do that is to…
Mind Control: The Road to Success and Rewards
Fostering determination, desire and a great attitude in employees is what allows cashiers and middle managers to rise in senior management’s eyes. Saturday is my “honey, I’ll do it today” day. To be candid, though, my wife is much better with home repairs than me. We tackled regrouting an entire bathroom and my task was…
Taking Convenience to a New Level
The milkman is making his rounds in Mountain Top, Penn. Good2Go is enhancing its convenience offering by providing residents the option of having fresh, all-natural and organic products delivered directly to their front doors. When partners Awais Ahmad, V.J. George and Thomas Job opened the store in September 2008, they had no idea how popular…
Handee Marts Garners Ethics Award
Don’t think customer service makes a difference? Handee Marts’ President and CEO Mike Triantafellou would disagree. Handee Marts, which operates 67 7-Eleven convenience stores in Pittsburgh, was honored recently with the Pittsburgh Business Ethics Award (PBEA), presented by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, in conjunction with the David Berg Center…
BP Testing “Smart Wi-Fi” at U.S. Stores
BP North America has teamed with two wireless networking firms to pilot a souped-up version of Wi-Fi at 50 stores nationwide, all in hopes of adding more value to the customer experience. “We’re very interested in what the customer reaction will be,” said BP spokesman Scott Dean. “We have high hopes for this.” BP turned…