At first glance, the Aberdeen Pit Stop in Aberdeen, South Dakota, might not seem like a gathering place of the community, but the store has become just that. Dave Wisdom, the majority owner, had a vision that the store could become a welcome addition to the northeastern part of Aberdeen, as manufacturing plants and other businesses pushed the town’s growth in that direction. “The location of the store was key to our purchase of it,” said Joe Hoffert, one of Aberdeen Pit Stop’s six owners. The Aberdeen location is one of a handful of Pit Stops in the area.

The store used to be a service station called Louie’s, and many of the locals still call it that even though 70% to 80% of the store has been remodeled, said Hoffert. 

The community has embraced the store, which was remodeled in 2017. “They love it,” Hoffert said. “The reception has been great by the locals.” To foster that connection, the owners encourage the managers to serve on community boards and committees. “We want the area to know we care about them and what they care about,” he said.

Serving Appreciation

The heart of a convenience store is often its foodservice, and the Aberdeen Pit Stop is no exception. The fresh food is run by the local Hot Stuff Pizza brand and includes pizza, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, sandwiches and appetizers like mozzarella sticks, chicken nuggets, onion rings and wings. “We mix the Hot Stuff menu with some salads, parfaits and fresh fruit we get from another vendor for our grab-and-go case,” Hoffert said. 

To accommodate the demand from customers, the owners added an addition with around 20 to 25 seats as part of the remodel. “We saw a lot of people standing around eating,” Hoffert said. The dining area has proven to be a good investment, as a constant flow of people use the seating area. “We wanted to develop a place for people to come sit and have lunch,” added Debi Stoltman, another owner. 

The store has a small coffee and fountain drink area, plus 11 cooler doors with packaged drinks. “That [section] has seen an explosion of growth, making it a huge challenge to carry all the top-selling items because everyone wants space [in the cooler],” Hoffert said. “It’s taken our category management to a whole new level to make sure we stock the items customers are looking for.”

Hoffert said they rely on their vendor partners to help. “We pay attention to the inventory sales and turn reports,” he said. “I push the turn reports to our managers to show how many of an item we have on hand and when that product will completely turn. We have limited space and we want that space to go to items that are turning over and bringing people inside our store.” 

Cashiers are trained to ask each customer if they found what they were looking for to make sure the inventory is meeting customer needs. “We pride ourselves on being very responsive to customer requests,” Hoffert said. 

The Aberdeen Pit Stop also carries local items. “We’re in the convenience business, and if we can make it more convenient for our customers to pick up custom deli and processed meat products at our store, then we’re going to stock those items,” Hoffert said. 

Employee Growth

Beyond the merchandise, what makes Aberdeen Pit Stop memorable is the staff. “The biggest piece of advice I can give any retailer is to have the right employees—those who are engaged, friendly and go the extra mile for the customers,” Hoffert said. “Your company is only as good as your staff.”

While the store struggles with the same issues as other retail locations in finding and retaining employees, he pointed out that treating every employee with respect helps make good people stick around for longer. “We also try to offer growth opportunities, since we do operate more than one store,” Hoffert said. “We work with them on creating as flexible of a schedule as possible, offer HR classes through a seminar group partner and have competitive wages, as well as try to increase our benefits packages.”

Hoffert and Stoltman both said the focus on the customer is the key to their success. “We have a friendly staff and a clean place,” Hoffert said. “We try 100% of the time for our customers to have a great experience, find the items they’re looking for and enjoy our clean, neat and organized store—what more could we ask for?”