C-Store Jobs Score High Marks

Nearly three in four consumers (72%) say they have a favorable opinion of convenience store jobs, according to a new NACS survey.

Customers who most often shop at convenience stores—and interact with employees—give the highest marks: 85% of frequent customers have a favorable opinion of convenience store jobs, compared to only 54% of infrequent customers.

Customers also support many of the positive community-focused attributes associated with convenience stores:

86% say convenience stores are good first jobs for those looking to enter the workforce.
83% say c-store jobs are good jobs for those re-entering the workforce, such as retirees or veterans.
83% say c-store employees can work their way up to become managers or even run their own stores.
82% say c-store jobs are good jobs for high school or college students.
74% say c-store jobs are good jobs for those who can’t or don’t want to get a traditional education.

The U.S. convenience store industry employs an estimated 2.38 million people. A previous NACS consumer survey found that more than one in seven Americans (15%) said they had worked in a convenience store. Of those current and former workers, 79% said their job experience was valuable, and 66% said they would recommend that type of work to others, particularly as a first job.

“With the challenges associated with the labor shortage, these findings are good news for the industry and could help provide valuable insights in how to message the value of jobs at stores,” said NACS Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Jeff Lenard.

“Beyond the flexibility to enter—or re-enter—the workforce and set and find flexibility around their lives, current and former employees also cite the daily interactions and conversations they have with regular customers. This human connection is particularly important as we continue to re-establish regular routines that had been disrupted by the pandemic,” Lenard said.

Over the years NACS has published extensive research on what people want in c-store jobs to help retailers navigate how they tie into what applicants care about most and what they treasure from previous jobs. These insights, “How to Attract Employees,” are available on the NACS website.
The NACS Consumer Fuels Survey is a national consumer survey conducted September 10-13 by national public opinion research firm Bold Decision. A total of N=1,200 American adults were surveyed online, including n=1,049 who said they are regular gas customers, and the overall margin of error for the findings is +/- 2.83% at the 95% confidence interval.

In The Community

Every year, the convenience and fuel retailing industry dedicates billions of dollars to advancing the futures of individuals and families in our communities. The NACS Foundation unifies and builds on NACS members’ charitable efforts to amplify their work in communities across America and to share these powerful stories.

Learn more at www.conveniencecares.org.

WAWA SUPPORTS HURRICANE IAN RELIEF

1. As of October 4, Wawa customers across the convenience retailer’s operating area had donated more than $130,000 to the American Red Cross by rounding up their purchases at checkout by $1, $3 or $5. The donations support Wawa’s in-store crisis campaign to provide disaster relief assistance to communities most affected by Hurricane Ian.

The Wawa Foundation will be matching the first $250,000 in customer contributions to the campaign, which ended October 16 after running in Wawa’s 970- plus stores throughout Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. All donations made through The Wawa Foundation’s campaign will go to the Red Cross and be designated specifically for Hurricane Ian disaster relief efforts.

“The Wawa Foundation has always had a strong commitment to providing crisis response and assisting those in need, and we’ve been partnering with the American Red Cross in these kinds of efforts for decades,” said Jay Culotta, president of The Wawa Foundation.
“All of us at Wawa are committed to helping our Florida friends and neighbors during this time of need. Wawa has been in Florida for 10 years now and, as a member of this community, we are taking a number of steps to help with storm recovery efforts,” said Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens.
Beyond Wawa and customer support through the Red Cross, Wawa also made a $500,000 donation to the Florida Disaster Fund to help aid in recovery efforts. Those interested in contributing can visit www.FloridaDisasterFund.org or text DISASTER to 2022.

MAVERIK EXPANDS FOOD WASTE PROGRAM

2. Utah-based convenience retailer Maverik has expanded its pilot food waste program in conjunction with Feeding America’s “Hunger Action Month.” Launched in April 2021, the program now donates surplus food from 87 Maverik c-stores, supporting communities in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming through distribution to five network member food banks.

As of August, Maverik had donated 276,878 pounds of surplus food, helping provide access to an additional 230,732 meals. This donation versus dumping product into a landfill equals the removal of the CO2 associated with 79 passenger vehicles being driven for one year.
Maverik is contributing warmer items like burritos, bundles, pizzas, hamburgers and breakfast sandwiches; grab-and-go items such as salads, cold sandwiches and wraps, parfaits, tornados, cookies and muffins; and grocery items including candy, snacks and beef jerky.

“Record-high food prices, continued supply chain challenges, the pandemic, and sustainability concerns are putting the importance of food waste management into clear focus,” said Chuck Maggelet, president and chief adventure guide at Maverik and a member of the NACS Executive Committee. “We’re proud to help Feeding America rescue food to benefit people, the environment and the economy.”

THE WILLS GROUP TEES UP $300,000

3. During its 6th annual Blackie Wills Golf Classic, Maryland-based The Wills Group raised more than $342,000 in support of the Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund. Since 2017, the event has garnered more than $2 million in donations to support local and regional organizations.

“Six years ago, the Wills Group hosted our first Blackie Wills Golf Classic. The event was designed to bring together our community and business partners to learn how we can work collectively to support communities across the mid-Atlantic region,” said Blackie Wills, president and COO of the Wills Group. “We are grateful for this ongoing partnership that supports the Wills Group’s efforts to build upon our community engagement efforts year over year.”

The Blackie Wills Golf Classic featured a meal-packing event to support Weekend Backpacks, an organization whose mission is to provide food to the youth of Baltimore City, Maryland. More than 300 bags of food were packed at the event and donated to Weekend Backpacks.

TA COLLABORATES WITH CLEVELAND CLINIC

4. TravelCenters of America is demonstrating its commitment to professional truck drivers by providing more options to make healthy choices while on the road. In September, TA announced a collaboration with Cleveland Clinic to expand its support of drivers’ health and well-being by enhancing healthy food offerings and educational opportunities.

The partnership will bring healthy meal options to all Country Pride and Iron Skillet full-service restaurants by the end of 2022. TA plans to expand beyond these full-service menu offerings by working with Cleveland Clinic to identify healthy snack and grab-and-go food options in its travel stores. TA also will work with Cleveland Clinic to provide professional drivers with health and wellness information to promote these new healthy menu options and an overall healthy lifestyle.

The new Cleveland Clinic initiatives continue TA’s long-standing focus on driver health and wellness and its commitment to enhancing their overall experience. At many locations nationwide, TA has amenities to promote an active lifestyle, including fitness centers, walking trails, basketball hoops and others.