How do you prepare for an emergency? As I write this column in mid-March, the World Health Organization has just declared the novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The number of cases in the United States and around the world continues to multiply, the stock market is in turmoil, oil prices have tanked and people are hunkered down at home. Meanwhile, businesses are scrambling to implement emergency contingency plans to keep their employees safe—and their doors open.
When the world is topsy-turvy, it’s reassuring to know that the local gas station or corner market will do its damnedest to remain open for refueling and refreshment.
Needless to say, business as usual is being disrupted. At NACS, we’ve been discussing what disruption looks like in the convenience and fuel retailing industry for years—it was a top theme at last year’s NACS State of the Industry (SOI) Summit. Declining trips, labor costs and hiring shortages, dollar stores, cashierless stores, frictionless checkout, omnichannel, payments security and tobacco regulations count among them. A pandemic, though, wasn’t in the script.
We’d already drafted our cover story, “Labor and Delivery,” when news of COVID-19 broke. Ahead of the outbreak, consumer demand for last-mile food and merchandise delivery services was growing but is now on steroids. If customers can’t venture out, delivery is one way to bring the c-store to them. “In this age of delivery, the burden is now on the retailer to come to customers,” Joseph Bickham, president of Fuel City, told us. The NACS Research team this year will field a comprehensive study to examine the role delivery will play in store operations, profits and trips.
Two other disruption-related must-reads this month are “A Town Without Tobacco,” which details how retailers can fight total tobacco bans like the one enacted by Beverly Hills, California, and “Under Siege,” which outlines steps retailers can take to prevent, respond to and recover from a cyberattack as cybercriminals target our stores.
In uncertain times it’s important to remember what we do know. Our 24/7 industry is adept at responding to and operating in emergencies. We are a bulwark against the storm for our communities. When the world is topsy-turvy, it’s reassuring to know that the local gas station or corner market will do its damnedest to remain open for refueling and refreshment. NACS has an arsenal of resources to help retailers prepare for and respond to emergencies, including COVID-19. Visit the NACS Coronavirus Resource page at www.convenience.org/coronavirus and www.convenience.org/disaster to learn more.
I wish you nothing but health and happiness, my friends. Be well.
