Commonplace elements now in c-stores include hand sanitizers readily available for customers and staff, floor markers to maintain social distancing, masks for all and some kind of protective barrier shielding staff and customers from each other. These could largely be argued as the new norm in standard operating procedures more than a shift in store design, but they are certainly a marked change in the c-store shopping experience. Whether or not they will be permanent components of a c-store remains an unanswered question, but most expect they will stick around at least until a COVID-19 vaccine permeates through the U.S.

What’s happened to date are adaptations, said Steve Montgomery, president of b2b Solutions LLC, a c-store consultant group based in Lake Forest, Illinois. Some of those adaptations may not remain over the long term, but he feels what will stick around is building stores with “what if” in mind. “The pandemic accelerated the process of what was already happening,” he noted, making conversations about how to execute contactless payments and experiences or adding a drive-thru all the more pressing.

Designing Around the Queue

Industry observers agree that the pandemic accelerated a lot of things for the c-store industry. “Instead of plan, test and act, chains are going straight to act,” said Ed Burcher, a consultant with Business Accelerator Team based in Phoenix. He identified the forced queue as one component nearly everyone has put into action with floor markings, although the strategy behind a great customer checkout line goes deeper than that. Even without social distancing mandates, he said, “Forced queuing is a logical and brilliant way to force people through a store.”

Forced queuing is a logical and brilliant way to force people through a store.

While it can take time and new builds to incorporate larger structural changes, such as separating primary entrances and exits into a design, Burcher noted that many chains are already doing just that or were making strides before the pandemic in newer stores. He points to Speedway and Wawa as two examples already embracing new queuing philosophies. “It’s about guiding people through the store the way the operator wants,” he said.

Another store worth looking at for best practices in customer flow is QuikTrip, said Nathan Underhill, president of iSEE Store Innovations, a design and manufacturing company based in St. Louis, Missouri. One of the things that he sees as a strength at QuikTrip is the chain’s precisely marked checkouts. “It’s clear where you are supposed to be,” he said.

“We were already seeing the importance of queuing grow; the current situation is bringing a lot of things that were already in motion and expediting them,” Underhill said. “Customers don’t want to think about anything or touch anything. Retailers are adapting to that and showing wayfinding and subtle cues.”

Queue management is a mix of art and science, said Perry Kulkin, director of marketing for Lavi Industries, a queue management solutions provider and manufacturer based in Valencia, California. “Queuing at checkout is one of the last things businesses think about,” he admitted, well, at least pre-pandemic. As crowding happens and customer flow issues become more apparent, there is a greater need to manage that flow of people to avoid groups of people congregating—something that was never a good approach, he noted.

We have seen even small operators switch to single-line queues to better manage flow.

“When it comes to the pandemic, a single-line queue is probably the safest way to execute things,” Kulkin said. It not only keeps people organized, but it can create impulse opportunities as people go through that queue, he added. A typical strategy starts with the head of the queue being well marked with signage and fixtures. Since people can generally find that easily, it creates a natural starting point. Merchandising fixtures can help extend the flow, he said.

“In the last six months we have seen even small operators switch to single-line queues to better manage flow,” Kulkin said. “The last thing they want is to give the impression that it’s a free-for-all inside. The pandemic forced people to look at how they are dealing with the customer flow inside and out of their store.”

In and Out Safely

Speed of transaction and customers’ ease to find what they want also is amplified today, added Joseph Vonder Haar, CEO/partner of iSEE Store Innovations and former chairman of the NACS Supplier Board. He explained it this way: People want to get in, touch as few items as possible while finding what they want and get out. “Speed of transaction is more important than ever because it connects to safety now.” To support the goal of touching fewer things, iSEE is vetting a new product that can open cold vault doors without requiring customers to use their hands.

“It’s about a contactless experience,” said Vonder Haar, who believes consumers now extend that notion to curbside pickup. In fact, many c-store designers concur that curbside pickup, as well as drive-thrus, may significantly change the design of c-stores down the road.

While by no means a c-store mainstay, c-store chains were testing—or already executing—curbside pickup prior to the pandemic. The bulk of those chains are, no surprise, well-known names: Casey’s, Kum & Go and Wawa among them. However, even lesser-known operators can find success with contactless options such as curbside, delivery and drive-thru. Ever hear of FavTrip? This 11-store operator out of Missouri has been successfully executing drive-thru service (and delivery and curbside pickup) for more than four years. And owner Babir Sultan has some advice for those considering designing one into their operation.

Drive-Thru Advice

As for all the talk Sultan knows is happening in the industry around drive-thru, his advice for operators thinking of adding a drive-thru is to make sure they clearly understand the potential pitfalls. “Don’t just add it because of COVID,” he said. It can actually create chaos, as store parking may already be tight, leaving customers to park in the drive-thru lane. He faced that issue when he first added drive-thrus. “It took a while to build customer awareness of it,” he said. “You don’t want to mess up the customer experience.”

Curbside pickup, as well as drive-thrus, may significantly change the design of c-stores down the road.

At FavTrip, the experience includes options for curbside pickup, delivery or drive-thru at all three FavTrip-branded stores; the additional nine stores Sultan owns operate under different gasoline brands. Most delivery orders start on the FavTrip website, where customers can order anything, including alcohol and tobacco.

“Everyone is a lot more focused on essential items now,” said Sultan of his customers’ preferences today. As a result, he has changed his product mix to include more frozen grocery products and teamed up with a fresh produce company to deliver fresh produce seven days a week. “You have to adapt to change; we shifted spacing to accommodate more household essential items.”

Sultan’s other piece of drive-thru advice is for operators to consider restaurant-type technology intended for a drive-thru experience. He’s looking at register technology compatible with drive-thrus and notes there are limitations integrating this technology with legacy gasoline station technology. His preference is more of the Chick-fil-A model, where staff can be found outside on tablets taking orders.

By the way, his stores currently don’t sell hot food, which was a problem when it came to partnering with a third-party delivery operation. The drive-thru is plenty successful without hot food, although he does plan to add it—likely pizza—when his new 4,000-square-foot ground-up store is complete mid-next year (his current stores average between 900 and 1,200 square feet). Notably, COVID-19 has slowed progress with the new site as the city moves at a slow pace at the moment for things like permits.

“Drive-thrus at c-stores are not expected,” confirmed Mike Lawshe, president of Paragon Solutions, a consulting, design and branding services firm headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. “You have to educate and work with your customer.” He cited one example of a retailer with drive-thru sales of 5% pre-pandemic, that saw drive-thru sales reach 30% when the pandemic hit.

Drive-thrus, combined with pickup and delivery, are among the three most talked-about things since the pandemic, Lawshe noted. “The flow and functionality of design has changed forever.”