The minute that Krystal Graham started working at TXB, “I felt like it was home. I knew I was at the right place,” she said.
She didn’t have any convenience store experience before joining the Spicewood, Texas-based retailer as a manager in training, but had been working in restaurants and other retail stores, including Walmart, since she was 16.
She’s now an area manager for TXB, overseeing nine stores and six delis, and has been with the company for four years. Krystal spoke with NACS about:
Why she loves working in convenience
I’ve learned that this job is about way more than what you would assume. It’s so interesting. We get to meet all kinds of people—ones who are traveling, as well as our regulars from the community who we get to know when they come in. They’re not just our guests, they’re as much our family as we are theirs.
It’s also very fast paced and it’s exciting. There are always new challenges every day and it’s a really fun environment to work in. I feel grateful to be part of the TXB family every day—they support my ideas, my goals and they believe in me. It’s been a blessing to me and my family, especially as a single mom of two kids. This is the best job I’ve had.
What she finds most fulfilling about her job
During my time as a store manager, I was blessed to help train some of the newly hired managers in training. I am passionate about training future managers and helping them grow to become the next store leaders of our company. I love being able to teach my team to be successful and grow.
I spend most of my time in the stores serving as a resource for my teams. I not only learn from them but also help them with whatever tasks they have, challenges that they’re facing, or any struggles they have going on. I get to use that opportunity to help coach and develop our leaders. While I’m in those stores, I’m there for them, and when I’m not in the store, I am coming up with resources or helpful tools to make their jobs easier and benefit them, giving them knowledge they need to run their stores successfully.
At the end of the day when I lay my head down, that’s what makes me feel like I know I did the right thing by helping just one of them be successful.
What she would tell someone considering a job in convenience
Convenience stores are an essential business and they have consistent demand. You’ll develop strong customer service skills, which are essential in any industry. For anyone that’s starting out, it’s a great entry into retail or foodservice and gives you experience that can open so many opportunities. There’s lots of growth and advancement in convenience that you would never imagine.