We went to check…• Kwik Trip• Casey’s• Thorntons• 7-Eleven• Sheetz• QuikTrip• Sussers/Stripes• Quick Chek• Kum & Go

9 Leading Chains

What we investigated

Scored Categories

Exterior CleanlinessInterior CleanlinessMerchandisingCustomer ServiceEmployee Appearance

We also looked atFoodserviceLoyaltySpeed of service Cleanest bathrooms

What They Said About Us?• “The store smelled horrible from the second I

walked in.”• “The soda display had 2 empty slots .. There was no

flavored coffee… There was not a public bathroom.”

• “All garbage cans by the pump stations were dirty and badly stained at the top.”

• “It took 30 minutes for me to get a hamburger I ordered. .. .The male employee who handled the burger did so with his hands.”

• “One of the toilets in the women’s restroom had overflowed. There was a small trail of urine on the floor by the floor drain and there was urine still left in the toilet. … [at the same store] The soft drink machine was marked out of order.”

How do we feel about the comments?

The Petro Convenience Industry has come a long way…

The Petro Convenience Industry has come a long way…

… but expectations of our customers have kept pace!

… but not complacent

Our stores are clean: All but one chain averaged 90%+

Employees Look Good: Every chain above 90%; Kwik Trip & Sheetz scored 100%

Be Proud…

1 out of 6 comments were about the bathroom and 70% of those were negative!1 out of 15 cited a bad customer experience at the checkout

Fun PictureHere

Focus on CSR’s still required…

Customer Service Remains a Major Challenge: Scores ranged from barely 70 to less than 85

Customers seem to be okay with waiting behind someone else in line, but they expect a friendly cashier and a quick transaction time when it is their turn

Loyalty & Suggestive Selling

• We had comments this year that the results were skewed due to the inclusion of these elements – we checked:

Full Survey Results:

Loyalty & Suggestive Selling

• We had comments this year that the results were skewed due to the inclusion of these elements – we checked:

With 2 QuestionsRemoved:

Reality is

The industry is not currently suggestive selling or pushing loyalty programsWe all want customer loyalty,

regardless of how we try to achieve it46% of the locations visited had some

type of credit card or loyalty advertising

Case study from up North

Case study from up North

What Else They Said…• 7-Eleven: She was cleaning when I got there, and the

store looked fresh and nice.• Kum & Go: Karen did a good job of helping a lady with

medicine questions. Then came up and got the customers cashed out. Very friendly lady.

• Kwik Trip: they were giving free samples of pizza as customers walked in. She was very thorough in explaining prices and up-selling the fresh pizza. They all had pizza costumes/pizza hats.

• Quick Chek: Gene was my fuel attendant and he was very friendly.

• QT: Everyone was busy throughout my visit. There was one cashier, one person stocking and one person wiping up the floor in the self-serve drink area. The pace was quick and quite a few people were helped.

Final Thoughts1. From HQ to Store Front: Focus on hiring,

training, evaluation and incentives for employees will remain key to success

2. New Competitors: Look beyond other c-stores, capture great ideas from casual-dining restaurants, dollar stores, QSRs…

3. Technology is changing the world at an increasing pace. Check out QR Codes, Smartphone loyalty programs, digital communications, Bluetooth couponing, social media