Operators Turn to Technology to Improve Operations and

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THE
ISSUE
S E PTE M B E R / O CTO B E R 2 01 5
THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF NATSO, REPRESENTING THE
TRUCKSTOP AND TRAVEL PLAZA INDUSTRY
Operators Turn
to Technology to
Improve Operations
and Increase the
Bottom Line
Top Apps for
Truck Drivers
The Connected
Truckstop: Growing
Sales with an
Online Presence
CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
Embrace And Fully Utilize New Technology
AS
TOM HEINZ
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
When speaking at the 2015 NACS
Insight Convenience Summit—
Europe, John Phillips, senior vice
president of customer supply chain
and global GTM, for PepsiCo, said,
“Dramatic change has occurred
across the consumer value chain
since the creation of the first UPC
code. There has been an explosion
of new technologies and devices
that are fundamentally changing
how retailers and manufactures
operate. Succeeding in the future
will require a much higher degree of
collaboration and integration across
the core functions of marketing and
merchandising, IT and supply chain.”
a nation, we’ve always embraced
the latest technology. While
touring Mt. Vernon, the home
of President George Washington, during
NATSO’s Day on Capitol Hill in May,
we were told, “President Washington was
always most interested in what new farming techniques were being implemented
whenever he returned to Mt. Vernon.”
Historians cite U.S. war production as a
key advantage that led to victory in World
War II. Author James Bessen’s book, “Learn
by Doing—The Real Connection between
Innovations, Wages and Wealth” [a recommend read] reminds us that if Hitler’s estimate of American ship production had been
right, Germany would likely have won the
Battle of the Atlantic, Britain might have
fallen, and the outcome of World War II
would have been different. Glaringly, much
of the output of war production was only
realized through the substantial acquisition
of technology-specific skills.
It seems as though new technology is presenting itself faster than ever, and so much
of that technology holds great promise and
amazing opportunities. However, technology can also bring challenges. John Maynard Keynes described a “phase of maladjustment” as businesses and their employees
work to catch up to technological changes.
For those of us in the fueling industry, we may watch nervously as a good
portion of what Americans do each day
moves online—shopping, working, socializing—and cuts down on the number of
miles they drive. There is also talk of autonomous trucks where technology will
drive the vehicle, and the concept of vehicle platooning whereby smart vehicles
utilize special lanes on freeways and create
a train-like system is gaining traction.
If those changes take place, they will certainly affect the fuel portion of our businesses. We will likely need to tap into our
entrepreneurial thinking as we alter our
businesses to meet the emerging needs of
our customers.
While some technology, such as selfdriving cars, may not gain traction until
well in the future, there are several new
technologies we can adopt today. Technology will most likely affect how we staff
our locations, not only in how we fill our
front-facing positions but also in who we
hire to deploy the latest systems.
We will need managers who understand
what today’s technology is capable of and
how we can use it to remain competitive while providing increased customer
value. We will also need employees who
can think strategically and find the greater
value technology provides, such as freeing
up our team players to take on other roles.
A kiosk may replace the counter worker
who took a sandwich order, but now that
employee might head outside to deliver
orders right to the cab of a truck.
We’re told that the typical user of information technology today uses 5 to 10
percent of the capability made available
by today’s hardware and software, not
surprising given most of us use less than
10 percent of our brain cognitive functions according to Doug Elliott Founder,
D. Elliott & Associates.
Technology doesn’t work on its own.
It’s simply another tool for our toolkit.
We are the ones who need to embrace
and fully utilize new technology. That
won’t happen overnight, but when it
does, we can expect productivity and,
ultimately, customer service to soar.
Thinking creatively, I’m certain we can
use technology to enhance our customer
interaction. ■
Best regards,
Tom Heinz
Coffee Cup Fuel Stops &
Convenience Stores, Inc.
NATSO 2015 Chairman
www.natso.com
3
WWW.NATSO.COM
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF NATSO, REPRESENTING THE TRUCKSTOP AND TRAVEL PLAZA INDUSTRY
C OVE R STO RY
08 Operators Turn
to Technology to
Improve Operations
and Increase the
Bottom Line
FEATU R E S
14
18
TOP APPS FOR
TRUCK DRIVERS
THE CONNECTED
TRUCKSTOP:
GROWING SALES WITH
AN ONLINE PRESENCE
Chairman
Tom Heinz
Editor
Amy Toner
President & CEO
Lisa J. Mullings
Associate Editor
Mindy Long
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Copyright 2015 by the NATSO Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
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THE NATSO SHOW
IN NUMBERS
ANTI-THEFT
TECHNOLOGY CUTS
LOSSES AT THE PUMP
D E PARTM E NTS
03
16
06
24
Chairman's Letter
EMBRACE AND FULLY
UTILIZE NEW TECHNOLOGY
Great Ideas!
CALCULATING THE RETURN
ON INVESTMENT IN
TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS
Foundation Update
TEN TIPS FOR LOCATING
HOURLY WORKERS
Great Ideas in Action
CASTAIC TRUCK STOP
iPAD POINT-OF-SALE
INNOVATIONS
We Want to Hear From You!
Do you have comments, ideas or suggestions? Don’t hesitate to contact us.
The NATSO Foundation
1330 Braddock Place, Suite 501, Alexandria, VA 22314
Email: [email protected] / Phone: (703) 549-2100
http://www.facebook.com/NATSOInc / www.natso.com
25
Member Profile
SPACE AGE TECHNOLOGY
DARREN’S GREAT
Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president of membership and a retail expert, writes a biweekly retail column on NATSO’s
blog. We feature the best here in Stop Watch magazine. Join Schulte on NATSO’s website at www.natso.com/great-ideas
to read his digestible retail tips every other Thursday.
Calculating the Return on Investment in Technology Projects
When I am out in the field visiting members, they frequently ask me about
technology. Operators are often wondering if they should upgrade their
pumps or their point-of-sale system, invest in a mobile app, update their web
site or purchase digital devices, such
as a menu board.
As with any major purchase, business
owners also want to know what the
return on their investment will be, but
that isn’t always easy with technology
investments.
To start, it is helpful for operators to
gather information about the benefits
of the technology they are considering,
such as increased speed of service for
their customers or their employees,
which can result in decreased costs
and an improved experience.
From there, operators can begin putting a pencil to paper. Let’s say you
find new point-of-sale technology that
can save employees time counting
a till, and it saves you one hour and
6
September/October 2015
you’re paying that employee $15 an
hour and you have three employees
on shift. Now you have a number associated with your return. You may
also find that an updated POS system provides a streamlined reporting
process, allows you to take care of it
faster, or create a loyalty program that
will establish a correlation of growth.
Those are all quantifiable benefits.
When looking at the ROI on a digital
menu board, operators can add up
all of the costs for the menu board,
installation and ongoing costs, then
tally up the projected sales increases. I’ve had members tell me they are
seeing increased sales ranging from
5 percent to 15 percent once they install a digital menu board. Now, that
could be a correlation rather than a
causation, but it still gives you a number to start with. You can take those
figures and calculate how much of
increased sales result in profit, which
will tell you how long it takes to see
a return.
However, other technologies can be
more ambiguous, which can make it
a challenge for people who want to
invest in them. But just because you
can’t always quantify the true gain
of an investment, doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t do it.
In those cases, operators can ask themselves five questions:
■
Is the proposed project critical to
the business?
■
What are the risk factors?
■
Who will be impacted by it, either
positively or negatively?
■
What will employees and customers have to re-learn with the new
technology?
■
Is an ROI necessary for approval and
support of the proposed project?
There is no single right way to conduct
a ROI on technology. The best advice
is to focus on the strategic objectives
along with the goals and benefits of the
proposed project. ■
HAVE A RETAIL MERCHANDISING, MARKETING OR OPERATIONS QUESTION? Reach out to Schulte
at [email protected] or (703) 739-8562 and he’ll answer your question in the next
Darren’s Great Ideas! for Independent Operators.
iPAD POINT-OF-SALE INNOVATIONS
Many of the locations that I visit are in the beginning stages of
replacing or upgrading point-of-sale (POS) systems.
Interestingly enough, many retailers large and small are experimenting with a tool that many of us see on a more and
more frequent basis being utilized by schools, sales persons and those sitting next to us on the airplane. This tool
is the tablet.
The benefit of a tablet at retail is that it allows the customer
and salesperson to bring it right to the product under consideration, initially providing information that the consumer
can use to ‘double-check’ the item and possibly complete the
transaction without having to spend time at a sales desk or in
a check-out line.
It makes for a more interactive and convenient sales experience, and convenience is one of our industries’ trademarks.
People are comfortable using tablets, even if they haven’t before, and they think they’re fun to use. That gets people eager
to work with them and eager to get out on the floor and sell.
The long struggle with sales deflated by merchandise displayed within glass cases resulting in a poor customer experience may be solved with a cashier roaming the sales
floor with an iPad. The cashier could be performing merchandising duties while also selling electronics and the
like with the added ability to show the features and benefits of the products displayed within the case. With a tablet, the product comes alive; it speaks to the consumer’s
visual purchasing mechanism.
So, if you are considering a new POS or an upgrade to your
current system, it may be time to research the capability of a
tablet and what it can bring to the profitability circle. ■
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7
Tools to Bring
the Inside Out
Signs that
Save Time
Tools to Bring
Customers Inside
8
September/October 2015
Tools to Gather
Customer Feedback
Grab-and-Go
Technologies
A Backup
System
Interactive
Displays
OPERATORS TURN TO
TECHNOLOGY
The Right
Lights
TO IMPROVE OPERATIONS AND
INCREASE THE BOTTOM LINE
BY MINDY LONG
T
oday’s technology is allowing truckstop and travel
operators to rethink the shopping experience and
make it even more customer centric, which can cultivate loyalty and grow sales. The right technology can
also streamline operations and reduce staffing needs, all of
which adds up to improved profits.
“Given a 75 percent smartphone adoption rate, mass consumers are increasingly comfortable, proactive and mobile
technology users. So, the timing is ripe for retailers to apply
technology where it enables a better shopping experience,”
said Chuck White, vice president of brands and marketing
for DAS Companies Inc. “Savvy travel plazas, like leading
convenience retailers, are using technology to create more
welcoming, convenient and engaging shopping experiences.”
There are thousands of new technologies operators can
invest in, but the key to success is investing in the right
technology. White said, “Steve Jobs, Apple’s visionary
founder, forewarned, ‘You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology—not
the other way around.’”
White said retailers are using digital media, such as
search engines, websites and apps, to build pre-store relationships. They are also using loyalty programs supported
by websites, email, in-store kiosks and coded loyalty cards
and creating more engaging shopping experiences through
interactive displays.
www.natso.com
9
Darren Schulte, vice president of
membership at NATSO, said operators have to first understand who
their customers are to ensure they
employ the right technology to meet
their needs.
“I’ve seen operators bring a technology into their business and hope
people will adopt it. That is challenging to do,” Schulte said. “It is more
critical to understand what customers
are looking for.”
Once operators understand their
customers, they can start to target
specific technologies throughout
the location.
TOOLS TO GATHER
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
Coffee Cup Fuel Stops has installed
customer satisfaction kiosks at three of
its stores. “We’re using Opinion Meter as the survey source and Samsung
Galaxy 10-inch tablets as the hardware,” said Chris Heinz, director of
finance & operations, at Coffee Cup
Fuel Stops. Heinz explained that he
chose the Android because they don’t
have a lot of updates.
The number of responses varies
by location, which Heinz attributes
to the placement of the devices. “At
our stores with the new design where
the men’s and women’s restrooms are
nearest each other, we’re getting 300–
FOUR MONEYSAVING
RESTAURANT
TECHNOLOGIES
10
September/October 2015
Technology doesn’t always refer to the
latest app or digital device. Here are four
technologies operators can use to cut
costs in the kitchen.
400 responses a week,” he said. “At the
Vermillion store, which has a different
design, we’re getting 100 a week.”
Real-time feedback is the biggest
benefit of the survey devices, Heinz
said. The kiosks have four smiley faces, two of which are for bad or okay.
“If they click bad or okay, it takes
them to a window and they can detail whatever the problem is. It goes
instantly to the fuel desk manager
and myself. The goal is to make realtime adjustments,” he said.
The surveys can also alert the location to bigger issues. When reviewing the monthly report for one
location, Heinz noted repeated comments about a bad odor. “We had our
HVAC service company go and check
it out and one belt was bowed on a
ventilation fan, so they fixed it and it
improved our bad odor results. I have
them looking at alternative ways to
increase ventilation,” he said.
Without the feedback, Heinz said
it could have taken quite some time
before they realized there was an issue.
Heinz will continue using the devices for restroom surveys, but he
plans to eventually expand them into
other areas of the business.
GRAB-AND-GO TECHNOLOGIES
Schulte said it is well known that
professional drivers are starved for
1
ENERGY-EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT.
Equipment that has the Energy Star
stamp of approval can save operators
thousands of dollars a year in energy costs.
A typical restaurant can save up to $15,000
annually by utilizing Energy Star appliances.
time, which is why technology that
can get them on their way quicker does
well. He said everything from electronic menu boards to improved ordering
methods are gaining traction.
Some locations are turning to kiosks,
which allow customers to place orders
that go directly to the kitchen. “In the
made-to-order space, our kiosk is a
very good match because you can, as a
business owner, offer any product you
wish in any work flow in any look and
feel,” said Justin Palmer, vice president
of engineering for Xpedient, a manufacturer of kiosks. “The experience is
very similar to an airport kiosk where
you go up and interact with a touch
screen to navigate through an order.”
Palmer said kiosks can work for
any type of food, including subs, pizza, fried chicken, salads and dessert.
Thorntons Inc., which operates a
chain of convenience stores and one
truckstop, has added sandwich ordering kiosks that it has branded Subworks, said David Caudill, vice president of information technology for
Thorntons Inc. “We want people in
and out and we don’t want to be the
reason they’re held up,” Caudill said.
Once customers complete their order, they receive a ticket. They can
shop until their number is called,
then they pay at the cash register.
“The good thing is they have three
minutes to walk around and shop.
Then we cash them out and let them
go,” Caudill said, adding that customers that don’t want to use the
kiosk can still order and customize
their sandwich at the counter.
The kiosks can help minimize errors in any orders. “As far as getting
order accuracy, we see people being
more accurate because the customer can indicate exactly what they
want,” Palmer said.
Xpedient can also configure workflow to provide build instructions for
different menu items, which can improve operations in the kitchen. “It
is basically the recipe that the store
owner can configure,” Palmer said,
adding that the system can route orders to different stations within the
kitchen. “Some customers break out
their kitchen into different areas—
drink area with coffees, etc.”
For Caudill, the kiosk has been
especially helpful with suggestive
selling. “The human behavior is to
ask once or twice whereas the kiosk
asks every time you go to the next
screen and you get more guests to
take the offer. It puts the control in
the guests’ hands,” he said.
Kiosks can also help on the labor
front. “Everybody tries to hire the
friendliest people they can get, but
sometimes people are in bad moods.
The human behavior
is to ask once or twice
whereas the kiosk asks
every time you go to
the next screen and
you get more guests
to take the offer. It
puts the control in the
guests’ hands.
2
3
4
EQUIPMENT RETROFITS. It isn’t always
practical to replace all commercial kitchen
equipment with more efficient appliances,
but adjusting equipment can still result in
savings. Adding refrigerator strip curtains, highefficiency evaporative fan motors or variablespeed hood fans are all ways to cut costs.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHTING.
Switching to more efficient lighting can
result in lower electrical costs. Operators can
also install occupancy sensors that will turn
off lights when no one is in the space. It can
be particularly useful in walk-in coolers and
storage areas.
—David Caudill
LOW-FLOW PRE-RINSE SPRAY
VALVES. Replacing typical pre-rinse
spray valves with low-flow devices can
provide water, wastewater and energy
savings. Locations that run their spray valve
for three hours a day or more can save
more than $1,000 each year.
www.natso.com
11
With the kiosk you know what
you’re going to get,” Caudill said.
Palmer said the kiosks allow locations to operate leaner and shift
their labor. “As far as the order taking goes, there is no requirement to
have a staff person for that. What
we have seen folks do is have one or
more kitchen folks that are multitasked—maybe they do inventory
with stocking but also work in the
kitchen as well,” he said.
One of the benefits of the kiosk is
the data it provides back to owners,
which can allow them to make better decisions to enhance the bottom
line. “You’re not only understanding
that they got a turkey sandwich, you
know they got it with lettuce, olive
and tomatoes. Now you have a better understanding of the replenishment,” Palmer said.
Palmer said the start up kit is
usually a $5,500 investment. “Depending on the hardware stack you
go with, typically a counter top kiosk and receipt printer is $2,500 to
$3,000,” he said, adding that there
is a licensing and support fee.
Caudill said the hardware is agnostic, but Thorntons is using Posiflex.
He added that the system is easy to
use and employees have minimal interaction with the kiosk. “It is set it
and forget it. You’re going to have
the occasional issue where the printer
got jammed, but that is it,” he said.
There are some barriers to entry,
Palmer said, explaining that some of
the older generations prefer to order
with a person. “The adoption of the
technology has been the most successful on the East and West Coasts
and Texas,” Palmer said, adding
that the Midwest has been slower to
adopt the technology.
Heinz is looking into self-serv kiosks for his location, but said he
12
September/October 2015
prefers technology that can scan anything with a barcode and accept payment, whether it is cash or a credit
card. “The idea is to take people out
of the line that just have two or three
items,” he said.
TOOLS TO BRING THE INSIDE OUT
Schulte recently talked with
one NATSO member that is investing in technology so employees can
take food orders right at the diesel islands. He said, “They’re in the process
of putting their menus on iPads with
a Square [credit card swiping device]
so people can pay there. They will be
walking out to the fuel stop and saying, ‘Sir, can I get you anything?’”
“Drivers are starved for time,
and a large percentage of customers fuel and leave. This location is
working to make the stop more effective and efficient for the driver,”
Schulte said.
SIGNS THAT SAVE TIME
Digital menu boards can also
reduce the amount of time drivers
need to spend at a location. “A menu
that is changing and giving customers
all of the prices is engaging on the
eyes and serves a need—speed. It
helps you make a choice quicker,”
Schulte said. (Schulte has written
about digital signage many times on
NATSO’s blog. Read 12 Benefits of
Digital Signs for more ideas on why it
is a good idea at http://www.natso.com/
blog/12-benefits-of-digital-signs.)
TOOLS TO BRING
CUSTOMERS INSIDE
A large percentage of customers at
truckstops and travel plazas simply
stop to fuel, but new technology may
help locations draw customers indoors.
Technology that holds promise in
this space are beacons—a piece of
hardware that can be attached to a
wall or countertop to transmit messages or prompts directly to a smartphone or tablet. The devices can be
used both in-store and outdoors, collect data on shoppers, and provide
information on where a customer is
and how long he or she stays there.
This, in turn, allows retailers to send
targeted offers to customers’ smartphones in an effort to increase loyalty
or suggest product.
Operators could use beacons in
multiple places, such as the entrance,
coffee bar, register and fuel pumps
and alter the messages they send customers based on where they are in
the store. For example, someone fueling could receive a coupon or offer
aimed at drawing them inside.
INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS
White said the next generation
of apps will utilize beacons to allow
smartphones to be fully interactive
with a display. “That technology
will be deployed and tested at Best
Buys, Targets and high-end retailers,” he said, adding that he doesn’t
think travel centers need to invest in
an app at this point but can tap into
technology their suppliers offer.
For example, Schulte said, Subway has an app that allows customers to pre-order. “The location can
create the sandwich so it is ready
when the customer arrives,” he said.
Suppliers can also use technology
to create in-store displays for operators. DAS Companies Inc. has partnered with Love’s Travel Stops to
create their “Mobile 2 Go” zone, a
“sensory-charged,” full-scale mobile
electronics department that allows
customers to see, hear, touch and
try on technology.
At Pilot Flying J, DAS Companies
Inc. devised a center store mobile
tech aisle anchored by a Mobile Tech
Learning Center that enhances customer learning through a push-button, computer monitor encased in a
classic jukebox designed kiosk that
houses cellular headsets and GPS devices. And at WILCO, DAS Companies Inc. employed an Electronics
Engagement Center that empowers
consumers to play with live mobile
electronics devices, watch 30-second
videos, and search a complete mobile electronics product library via a
push-sensor, computer monitor.
THE RIGHT LIGHTS
The right technology can also
encourage drivers to stop in the first
place. Mark Allaman, regional sales
manager for Sunshine Electronic
Display Corp., said LED signage can
get drivers’ attention and encourage them to exit. “Being unchained
from physical updates, you can have
up-to-the minute pricing to remain
more competitive in your market,”
he said.
LED signs also allow operators to
make price changes electronically,
rather than physically, which can
save staff time. “There’s a lot of good
will generated the day site personnel
are freed from changing track numbers in nasty weather,” Allaman said.
When trying to decide on which
signage to use, operators should
consider the line of sight to the sign
and the rate of speed on surrounding roadways. “Then I would suggest
thinking about contrast, how clean
the sign looks, what message to you
want to send to prospective customers and what image you want to project to your community,” he said.
A BACKUP SYSTEM
Keith Wade of Dodge City Petro
learned the hard way that losing internet service can be costly. When
AT&T accidentally cut a line near the
travel plaza, Dodge City Petro lost internet service for two days straight. “As
you can imagine with today’s technology, we were dead in the water. Most
of our systems would not function,”
Wade said, adding that the company
couldn’t process fuel cards or credit
cards, which resulted in thousands of
dollars in losses.
Now the location pays for two
internet providers and runs them
simultaneously to have back up in
place. “It costs more, but we would
have paid for it five times if I had already figured that out,” Wade said.
It was easy to find a second provider and it took about two hours
for the company to come in and install the system.
“We made a simple change that
many have probably already figured
out, but I bet there are some still
out there running one internet provider,” Wade said. ■
HOW TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BETTER #ASKTARYN
Have questions about how to use technology to make
the customer experience better? Taryn Brice-Rowland,
NATSO’s director of member engagement, is answering
member questions on her new blog series. Watch the
videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/NATSOInc
and send your technology question to
[email protected] or tweet it to @NATSO_Inc
with the hashtag #asktaryn.
www.natso.com
13
TOP APPS FOR
From finding the best route to monitoring fuel prices, there is
a range of technology applications that are aiding professional
drivers and helping them determine where to stop.
T
he apps drivers turn to for information can make their life
easier out on the road, but the
growing number of apps also means
that there are more and more external sources influencing where drivers
stop. Here are a handful of apps that
are directing drivers’ routes, fueling locations and additional stops.
AN ALL-IN-ONE APP
Overdrive’s Trucker Tools app
(http://truckertools.com/) offers 19
different tools within one app, including a truckstop locator that highlights
all of the amenities a truckstop offers,
a truck wash locator, a scale locator,
routing capabilities, weather and fuel
prices that are based on actual transactions rather than driver input. The
app also allows drivers to look for
medical examiners, which the app
pulls from the FMCSA’s medical examiner database. More than 320,000
drivers use the app, and truckstop op14
September/October 2015
erators can visit truckstopguide.com
to see how their location is listed and
update their information.
GPS APPS
GPS apps are useful for passenger and
professional drivers alike. For Class 8
drivers, the right apps can help them
calculate routes based on vehicle dimensions and load contents, which
can help drivers avoid fines, wasted
time and out-of-route miles, but it
is important for drivers to find applications that are designed specifically for the heavy-duty trucking sector. SmartTruckRoute (http://www.
smarttruckroute.com) and CoPilot
(http://copilotgps.com/us/) are designed for truckers. The viaMichelin
app (www.viamichelin.com) helps
passenger drivers find their way.
OVERNIGHT PARKING APPS
Several apps can help drivers find a
place to rest. Road Breakers (http://
roadbreakers.com) consolidates information on the locations of truckstops, rest areas and truck-friendly
businesses. The TravelCenters of
America/Petro Stopping Centers app
TruckSmart
(http://www.ta-petro.
com/trucksmart) features a plan-topark function that shares space availability with drivers. The MyDAT
Trucker Services app (www.dat.com/
products/trucker-apps) serves as an
amenities directory and displays nearby truckstops, rest stops, truck-friendly
hotels, Walmarts, CAT Scale locations
and weigh stations. The Trucker Path
app (https://truckerpath.com/) has
about 100,000 active users and helps
drivers find truckstops and weigh stations. Thermo King (http://www.
na.thermoking.com) recently released
its app that guides drivers to overnight,
paid parking in 2,250 stalls at Thermo
King dealers, whether or not the driver
is a Thermo King user.
FUEL PRICE APPS
Gas Buddy (http://www.gasbuddy.
com) is a free app that helps users
find cheaper fuel prices in their area.
The FleetAdvance Mobile app from
TRUCK DRIVERS
fuel-card provider Comdata (www.
comdata.com) lets its customers
search by their current location to find
the lowest prices along their routes.
The MyDAT Trucker Services
(www.dat.com/products/trucker-apps)
provides diesel prices, which are updated two to three times a day, and can
direct users to nearby loads.
SCALE APPS
With the Weigh My Truck app
(https://weighmytruck.com) from
CAT Scale Co., drivers can visit
a scale, weigh and receive their
information via the app without ever
having to open their door or roll down
their window. They can also use the
Scale Locator app (http://catscale.
com/cat-scale-locator/cat-scalelocator-apps) to find the nearest scale.
TRUCK AND TIRE SERVICE APPS
Drivers needing tire service can
use the Bridgestone Everywhere
Network mobile app (http://www.
notifyben.com) that connects drivers
with dealers or truckstops.
Those needing roadside service
can push a button on the TA/Petro
TruckSmart app (www.ta-petro.com),
which will automatically relay the driver’s latitude and longitude. The Find
Truck Service & Stops app (http://
www.findtruckservice.com) allows users to search for truck repair, towing service and truck parts from their phone.
DATA TRANSMISSION APPS
More and more drivers are able
to take care of the business end of
their operations from the cab of
their truck. The CamScanner app
(www.camscanner.com) lets drivers
use their phones as a scanner. The
mobile app from Sylectus (https://
www.sylectus.com/) offers image
capture and indexing capabilities
that remove the need for paper records and provide automated, near
real-time tracking of drivers and
loads. The Transflo Mobile+ app
(www.pegasustranstech.com) provides access to delivery documents,
load tendering, and claim and accident submissions along with twoway messaging so carriers and drivers can send and receive messages
along with real-time information
and updates.
ELECTRONIC LOGGING APPS
Smartphones and the apps that run on
them can automate what were once
paper-based tasks and give drivers more
legal driving time each day. A growing
number of drivers are turning to
electronic logging apps and logs, such
as BigRoad (http://www.bigroad.com/
fleet-home), XRS (http://xrscorp.com/
electronic-driver-logs/) and TomTom
Telematics (http://business.tomtom.
com/en_gb/).
WEIGH STATION BYPASS APP
The Drivewyze PreClear Bypass
app (http://drivewyze.com) can save
drivers time by minimizing stops at
weigh stations with bypasses they
receive based on the carrier’s safety
score. Drivewyze also offers a free
app that provides a heads up as drivers near a weigh station.
Turn to page 18 to learn how
truckstop and travel plaza
operators are taking control of
their online information and
getting their information out to
professional and passenger.
www.natso.com
15
FOUNDATION UPDATE
Ten Tips for Locating Hourly Workers
BY MINDY LONG
ith the economy improving,
it is becoming more and more
challenging to hire new employees. Here are ten tips for finding
the best new hires.
W
Search for employees from
other industries. “I often
suggest people look for workers in
places they don’t normally look,”
said Darren Schulte, vice president
of membership for NATSO.
One industry that truckstop and
travel plaza operators can tap into is
home health care. “They have very
loyal employees that are used to taking care of people. What do we want
in a cashier? Someone who is friendly
and wants to help,” Schulte said.
Schulte also suggests operators
look to the hotel industry when
searching for custodians. “Both of
these industries—hotels and home
health care—don’t always pay well,
1
so we may be able to offer these
employees a higher salary than they
were receiving,” he explained. “If
you’re an organization that is looking for a full-time employee and you
have benefits, you may be surprised
at the type of person you can find
and hire in those industries.”
To find these employees, operators should look at how hotels and
home health care centers recruit for
employees. “My guess is they aren’t
advertising through the help wanted
sign,” Schulte said, adding that operators could reach out to a local
staffing agency to let them know
what types of positions the travel
plaza has available.
Make recruiting an ongoing
process. Recruiting only when
you have job openings can leave you
at a disadvantage because you’ll most
likely rush to fill the position, which
could result in a bad hiring decision.
2
Focus on word-of-mouth advertising. While technology
has brought about more employee recruiting innovations, such as job
boards, websites and social media, referrals from existing employees, vendors and customers are still one of the
top ways to find a new hire. You
should also be on the lookout for
good customer service. Whether
you’re checking out at the grocery
3
store or ordering coffee at Starbucks,
keep an eye out for good service and
let the person know that you are always in the market for friendly, helpful employees.
Put hiring information on
your website. Adding a “Careers” or “Join Our Team” tab on your
website can help spread the word
about open positions. Even if you
don’t have a current need, you can list
the qualities you are looking for in
potential hires.
4
Use social media. If you’ve already cultivated an online presence (see related story on page 18),
you can spread the word through your
social media channels.
5
Use local job boards. Look
into all of the resources available in your community. These vary
by region, but they could include online listings via local television stations or newspapers or community
Facebook pages.
6
Cultivate a relationship with
your local schools. You can
introduce your business to local high
schools, tech schools and colleges by
sponsoring events on campus. You
can also create a more formal internship program for certain positions.
7
8
Know what you are looking
for in an employee. Create a
NATSO’s electronic Truckstop and Travel Plaza Training Manual provides detailed
job descriptions for key positions of manager, cashier and merchandiser. Learn
more and purchase a copy of the Truckstop and Travel Plaza Training Manual at
www.natso.com/trainingmanual.
16
September/October 2015
FOUNDATION UPDATE
HOW TO ADD A JOB APPLICATION FORM TO YOUR WEBSITE
Google is trying to make it easier for
business owners to add a job application
to their website by creating a free
template. Truckstop and travel plaza
operators can modify the template to meet
their needs and post it to their website.
Applicants can fill the application out and
submit it online.
job description for every position,
which will help you identify the qualities your employee needs to have.
Make it easy to apply. Putting systems in place, such as
job applications that can be submitted online, that make it easy for potential hires to apply can increase
the number of applicants. See suggestions at right.
9
To use Google’s version, visit https://drive.
google.com/a/natso.com/previewtemplate?
id=0AmWUO3YWuLjTdDlEeWxuRDUycWxk
OUk2eUJqVzNGc3c&mode=public and click
the “Use this template” button at the top.
Maintain a reputation as a
good place to work. Keeping facilities nice, being involved
in the community and treating employees fairly will all affect the
number of job applicants a location receives. ■
10
Locations can edit the contents of the
template to meet their needs. NATSO
recommends they avoid collecting Social
Security numbers for security and
liability reasons. Directions for editing the
document are available at https://support.
google.com/docs/answer/2839737?hl=en.
Once the form is ready, operators can add
it to their website (directions are available
at https://support.google.com/docs/
answer/2839588?hl=en).
Embedding the form is preferable as it
keeps an applicant on the company’s
webpage and looks more professional. To
embed a form, click the Send form button
at the end of your form and select the
Embed option. Or, go to the File menu and
select Embed. Users can then paste the
generated HTML into their website.
the Next Generation
of Portable Power
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www.natso.com
17
TECHNOLOGY
ISSUE
THE CONNEC TED TRUCKS TOP:
GROWING SALES WITH
AN ONLINE PRESENCE
BY MINDY LONG
S
martphones provide on-the-go
access for travelers and professional drivers no matter where
they are. Whether they are plotting
their next stop on a road trip, trying to decide where to stop for the
night or looking for a great place to
eat, people are using their handheld
devices to make purchasing decisions.
To connect with those potential
and existing customers, truckstop
and travel plaza operators have to
maintain an online presence and
should work to control as much of
their information as possible.
Dustin Trail of Trail’s Travel Center
in Albert Lea, Minnesota, has spent
the last year defining his online presence and making sure his information was unified across the web. He
has gotten involved on social media
18
September/October 2015
sites, including Yelp and Facebook,
and made sure all of his data was accurate on Google.
“Anyone can just create your business with or without accurate information. For us it was important just
to go through and claim that stuff,”
Trail said. “You wouldn’t let someone
design your own billboard, would
you? It is staying proactive on all of
those different avenues.”
Trail also added a virtual tour to
the company’s webpage to show
people what the location is like, and
it helps with online searches. “If you
have high-quality photos on Google,
you’re more relevant and will appear
higher up in searches,” he said.
Taryn Brice-Rowland, NATSO’s
information technology director, said
searches are particularly important
for mobile phone users. “Android
phones are powered by Google Business and iPhone results are powered
by Yelp,” she said.
Chris Heinz of Coffee Cup Fuel
Stops turned to a provider, LocalVox,
to help him clean up his digital presence, particularly on Google. “I was
struggling to get Google to stay. We
had one location that would consistently show seven miles away. It was
painful and I couldn’t get it done myself, but these guys did,” Heinz said.
“Now I have the password, everything
is showing right and we have a current picture showing.”
While Trail’s main focus has been on
Google, he also updated the company’s
information on Garmin, Bing, Trip
Advisor and Foursquare. “Foursquare
is a good way for customers to shout
out your location. It gets tied in with
some Facebook stuff too,” Trail said.
When deciding which online platforms to pursue, Trail said it is important to understand your resources.
“You would not overextend yourself
in your location, so do not do it online by maintaining virtual presences
that you cannot sustain,” Trail said.
As a result of Trail’s efforts, the
company’s web traffic has increased
every month and so have sales. “From
a year ago to today we have double
the Facebook friends and double the
Google Plus views and website views.
With that, our sales are up,” he said.
Trail said most departments have
seen 10 to 15 percent increases depending on the category. “Even if
our customer count isn’t growing,
we seem to be driving more inside
sales. Our inside sales numbers are
up around 10 percent,” Trail said.
“Our restaurant sales are up almost
11 percent over last year while the
industry standard right now is 2 to 3
percent. In a truckstop environment,
full-service restaurants are dying and
ours is growing.”
When coordinating an online campaign, Brice-Rowland said consistent
branding is key. “Everything a truckstop does should reflect its digital
presence and vice versa,” she said,
adding that operators should be careful not to make their sites too busy.
While Trail now has control of
his online presence, he said it isn’t
something you can set and forget.
“I don’t think the process ever ends.
It is a constantly changing. It needs
to be updated. It needs to be monitored,” Trail said, adding that operators shouldn’t feel discouraged when
staking their claim online. “It took
time to build your truckstop and it
will take time to build it online, so
plan accordingly.” ■
ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS TO LEAVE A REVIEW
Good reviews can encourage prospective
customers to stop, while bad reviews
can drive them away. The key for
business owners is getting happy
customers to take the time to hop online
and share their experience.
Dustin Trail of Trail’s Travel Center in Albert
Lea, Minnesota, said, “You need to find a
way to be proactive and to get people you
know had a good experience commenting
on you. But how do you get those people
to drive traffic?”
Taryn Brice-Rowland, NATSO’s director of
member engagement, suggests business
owners offer Yelp specials, such as a free
cup of coffee, as a way to engage those
who frequently use the service and leave
reviews. “They are more likely to leave
a good review because they’re already
interacting with the app,” she said.
Sometimes business owners simply need
to let customers know they’d like their
feedback. “Give your customers a great
experience and have signs out asking
them to leave a good review. Sometimes
you just have to ask people because they
might not be thinking about it,” BriceRowland said.
Trail is currently searching for the
best way to provide a quick and easy
way for customers to leave a review.
“People aren’t going to find the app,
search your store and write a review,
but they are more likely to respond if
you can cut the number of clicks down
by half,” he said.
Not only can good reviews drive traffic,
they can also provide a boost to employee
morale. “You get those positive reviews
and you can shout it out to one of the
managers. If they give an employee a
shout out by name, we will do something
and give them a gift card,” Trail said.
Inevitably, someone will leave a bad
review, but Brice-Rowland suggests
operators use those as a mystery
shopper experience and look for the
opportunity that exists. “A lot of times
bad reviews are rooted in something and
it is an opportunity.
FAST FACTS
64%
90%
67%
of American adults have a
smartphone
of American adults have a
cell phone
of smartphone owners
use their phone at least
occasionally for turn-by-turn navigation
while driving, getting directions or
finding an address
31%
of smartphone owners
said they use their phone
frequently for turn-by-turn navigation
while driving, getting directions or
finding an address
25%
of people say they have
trouble getting directions or
finding an address without their phone.
Source: Pew Research Center
www.natso.com
19
WWW.NATSOSHOW.ORG
The source of information
on The NATSO Show
2.5½DAYS
80
The percentage of NATSO Show
attendees who would recommend
The NATSO Show to a colleague
The NATSO Show is two-and-a-half days of
smart ideas, great new products and good advice
DECEMBER
4, 2015
Deadline to register
at the early-bird
rate to receive the
discounted rate
JANUARY
29, 2016
Deadline to reserve a
hotel room at Disney’s
Yacht & Beach
Club Resorts at the
discounted rate
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Travel plaza and truckstop owners, operators, managers, buyers and staff
who want to increase their industry knowledge, gain business intelligence and see new products
20
September/October 2015
5
4
Keynote speakers
providing innovative
business ideas
Breakout sessions
designed to help
operators KNOW their
business inside and out
from Know Your Data to
Know Your Employees
15 MINUTES
Time it takes to walk to Epcot from Disney’s
Beach and Yacht Club Resorts
20 MINUTES
TWO HEADS ARE
BETTER THAN ONE
Length of the Snap Learning power sessions on
truckstop business intelligence the show floor
With so much content to absorb, having an extra pair
of eyes and ears is a great idea and NATSO is offering
discounts for multiple attendees
MORE THAN 100
The expo floor boasts
more than 100 innovative
industry suppliers with bold
new products and solutions
150 MINUTES
Time dedicated to peer-to-peer sharing
in the Great Ideas! for Independent
Operators Workshop
www.natso.com
21
F
TECHNOLOGY
ISSUE
uel theft can result in huge
losses for truckstop and travel
plaza operators. To help minimize theft, operators are taking a
multi-pronged approach, combining technology that can help them
monitor inventories and alert them
to tampering at the pump with an
increased awareness from employees.
“It is the price of admission these
days to keep the thieves away from
your dispensers,” said Bill Jones, president of Warren Rogers Associates.
KEEPING INFORMATION SAFE
ANTI-THEFT
TECHNOLOGY
CUTS LOSSES
AT THE PUMP
BY MINDY LONG
22
September/October 2015
Skimmers—devices that are placed
within pumps to capture credit and
debit card information—can be
among the largest threats. Retailers
that are hit with skimming not only
lose fuel, they get a chargeback for the
purchase, said Darren Schulte, vice
president of membership for NATSO.
Operators are adding locks to their
pumps and are going a step further
with sensors, such as those from
Flintloc, that will detect any intrusion
into the pump, send a real-time alert
to management and shut down the
power to the pump.
“We alert the clerk and we will alert
the owner or the corporate office all
in real time,” said Dave Jacobs, national sales manager for Flintloc.
STOPPING FUEL THEFT
Because sensors from Flintloc alert
operators when someone opens a
pump, they prevent thieves from installing skimmers and also stop them
from disabling the pulser—a spinning
gear—within the pump that rotates
to ring up gallons. Once the pulser is
disabled, any gallons that flow from
the pump will not be counted, allowing thieves to steal fuel.
Jones said more than 90 percent of
fuel thefts take place at a dispenser.
Technology from Warren Rogers Associates monitors fuel levels along
with transactions, providing another
means to stop theft.
“We can see which dispensers the
theft took place from and the amount
of theft and the date and time. Our
customers will reference that time
and date with their own security systems,” Jones said.
Several years ago when Michael
Sibley, president of LaPlace Travel
Center, experienced fuel theft, he
turned to simple padlocks, which
he added to the fuel pump cabinets.
He said the devices have been effective, but thieves continue to up
their efforts. “Most recently we had
an issue where a thief did not open
the door but actually cut a hole
through the face of the dispenser,”
he said. “I subsequently added some
internal ‘hardware’ to my dispensers, and I look forward for this thief
to try again!”
Because theft is bound to happen,
Jones recommends operators have
proper video monitoring so they
can identify the driver or license
plate if a theft occurs.
QuikQ is currently testing equipment that will take time-lapse pictures
during the time a fuel transaction is
open. “We will make it very easy for
a carrier that has a question about a
fuel ticket to look at time lapse pictures during the time that the truck
transaction was open,” said Ernie Betancourt, president of QuikQ. “With
one click, a fuel manager that has a
question about an invoice can look at
pictures taken a minute apart.”
Some locations, including 275
Love’s Travel Stop facilities, are installing RFID fueling technology
from QuikQ, which can cut down
on theft. “The product was designed
for driver convenience, but a side
benefit of it is that the RFID reader
is reading the tag the entire time the
truck is fueling. If the truck leaves
the lane, the dispenser turns off,”
Betancourt said.
Sibley has always been concerned
about drive offs, and to help prevent
them, he updated his Trendar system
so it would allow trucker card preauthorization and installed a Passport
point-of-sale system that allowed
for larger preauthorization amounts.
Before that, the location had drivers
leave their credit card and driver’s
license with the cashier, but drivers
didn’t like the extra step. Although
upgrading the systems was expensive
and caused some back-office complexities, Sibley said it was worth it.
ENSURING COMPLETE DELIVERIES
Jones said operators also have to be
concerned with theft from deliveries. “With our system, we are able to
precisely measure the amount of delivery within the tank,” Jones said.
“We can see the amount of product that has entered the tank, reference what was in there and then
reference the bill of lading to say if
they’ve been shorted on delivery.”
Warren Rogers Associates uses an
onsite computer, an automatic tank
gauge console and tank gauges—
probes that go into each one of the
tanks and measures product level
and temperature.
at the equipment. Make sure it is
maintained and working properly. If
you have three shifts and three people
are looking at it every single day, the
likelihood of something happening
and going unnoticed for a long period
of time is decreased.”
Sibley said the human element is
key. “Placing security stickers on
doors, or buzzers inside may help,
it really boils down to collecting in
advance, getting card companies to
authorize higher amounts, having
employees better watch for thieves in
the act, and educating the public to
be aware to help watch,” he said.
The state of Florida, the Florida
Petroleum Council and Florida
Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association have
joined together to prevent skimming fraud following the discovery
of more than 100 skimmers on fuel
pumps in the state. The groups have
recommended fuel retailers routinely check their pumps for signs
of tampering and watch for suspicious activity, such as trucks blocking their view and passengers sitting
in parked cars for long periods of
time, which could be someone trying to remotely access a skimmer’s
collected info. They also warn to
watch for signs of tampering, such
as torn security tape. ■
RELYING ON EMPLOYEES
In addition to technology, operators
should emphasize employee awareness, Schulte said. He recommends
every shift leader take a quick walk
around the location, including the
outside, when coming on duty.
“Walk the pumps and see if they’ve
been tampered with. Make that a part
of your process,” Schulte said. “Look
www.natso.com
23
GREAT IDEAS IN ACTION
NEW MEMBERS
Where: Castaic Truck Stop
GREAT IDEA: DIGITAL MENU BOARDS
Castaic Truck Stop in Castaic, California, engages customers with its digital
menu boards. Not only do digital menu boards enhance the customer experience, they help reduce perceived wait times. The boards also allow operators
to up-sell and promote new items. To better target customers, the boards can
be programmed to show different menus based on the time of day or the day
of the week. Even better, the boards can be updated remotely from any internet location, making it easier and faster to roll out any changes, all of which
improves customer service and benefits the business. ■
NEW TRAVEL PLAZA MEMBERS
CEFCO TRAVEL CENTER #2004
2822 US Hwy 287 N
Vernon, TX 76384
PHONE: (254) 791-0009
CONTACT: Brett Giesick
FUEL ON TRUCK PLAZA #94346
492 Can Do Expressway
Hazelton, PA 18202
PHONE: (570) 706-8525
CONTACT: Alex Sayed
PLANEVIEW TRAVEL PLAZA
1500 Planeview Dr.
Oshkosh, WI 54904-9101
PHONE: (920) 426-2641
CONTACT: Dirk Binnema
BIG BOYS TRUCK STOP
595 Bagley Rd. #8
Kenly, NC 27542
PHONE: (919) 284-4046
CONTACT: Wendi and Walter Powell
NEW ALLIED MEMBERS
RIVA INTERNATIONAL INC.
14220 Hillsboro Dr.
Victorville, CA 92392
PHONE: (714) 264-1746
FAX: (760) 241-9031
CONTACT: Per Vesterlund
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.wildtoycars.com
HAVE A GREAT IDEA YOU WANT TO SUBMIT? Send a high-resolution picture of your location’s
great idea and the story behind it to Amy Toner at [email protected].
FOR TRUCK STOP;
SALE C-STORE; FOOD
NORTHERN OHIO OFF OHIO TURNPIKE INTERCHANGE
2 PLUS ACRES—OPENED MAY 2015
FOOD SERVICE WITH SEATING,
CIGARETTES, BEER AND WINE
$3,360,000 REAL ESTATE AND
BUSINESS plus INVENTORY AT COST
D. Green and Associates, Inc.—a Non Disclosure Required
Call Diane Green at 440-449-0635 or e-mail her at [email protected]
24
September/October 2015
TEAM RESEARCH
1911 Harlot Dr.
San Jose, CA 95131
PHONE: (408) 881-2680
CONTACT: Michael Hsieh
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.teamresearchinc.com
TS TRADING SYSTEMS
17985 SW 64th Place
Dunnellon, FL 34432
PHONE: (570) 419-1611
CONTACT: Kristi Clapper
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.tstradingsystems.com
BY AMY TONER
PHOTOS BY STEVEN R. HANING
ocated off of Interstate 84 in Hermiston, Oregon, Space Age Travel Center went
through a total remodel and rebrand this year.
“We opened in 2000 and we were getting a little outdated. We wanted to refresh
the branding and open up the floor,” said Don Nelson, general manager.
Other goals included adding more space for fresh food, focusing on coffee branding,
creating a new store brand, deemphasizing cigarette and tobacco signage and fixtures
and providing upgraded driver amenities. They also wanted to completely redo their
bathrooms so they were family friendly and big and open.
The company hired KRS out of Eugene, Oregon, for the remodel. The process began with a detailed survey with questions about their company, strategies and goals.
KRS then sent back a few designs that fit within their budget and mood boards.
The remodel took a little over three months. “We stayed open the whole time. There were
a lot of inconveniences, but we made it work. We pushed hard to do it quickly,” said Nelson.
L
www.natso.com
25
SPACE FOR WI-FI AND CHARGING
The location put in new Wi-Fi stations on both the gas and diesel
side. In addition to the free Wi-Fi,
the stations offer places for customers to plug in their cell phones
and laptops. They’ve added signage
so customers know about the WiFi and placed the stations along
large windows.
“We get a lot of people that come
in off the highway that sit and
charge. As soon as they see it, they
stay a little longer,” Nelson said.
A SUPER NOVA OF FRESH FOOD
Adding more space for fresh food was
a big goal of the remodel. “We had
a tremendous need for space to sell
quick-grab items, such as sandwiches,
ready-to-serve items and fresh fruit.
We lacked adequate space to expand
this category and believed that open air
coolers would provide an opportunity
to offer an expanded line of items that
fit this opportunity area,” Nelson said.
They added a big walk-around
cooler and several more modern fixtures for grab-n-go items. They can
26
September/October 2015
now offer fresh-made sandwiches
that come in twice a week and many
more items including yogurt, cheese
and granola.
COFFEE PLANET
The truckstop’s coffee and fountain
beverage area was given a complete
overhaul. “Our fountain and coffee
bar was congested with equipment
and offered no identity or brand
quality,” Nelson said. To fix this, they
branded the coffee area with the ap-
propriately named Coffee Planet
brand and added small touches, such
as orb lights, to reinforce the theme.
They also took advantage of new
coffee technology. “We went with a
more modern style for our coffee. It
is a coffee-on-demand system. Those
new brewers are really fancy. They
serve a perfect cup every time,” he said.
They upgraded their fountain
beverage machine so it includes the
latest fountain technology of flavor
shots. They also put in Bob Evans
gravy dispensers, which are proving to be very popular.
SEND CIGARETTE AND TOBACCO SIGNAGE
AND FIXTURES INTO A BLACK HOLE
It has been less two years since Stop Watch interviewed Space Age Travel Center, but with
their recent remodel we had to interview them again. Be sure to read the original article at
www.natso.com/spaceagememberprofile.
They had two goals for their cashier
desk. They wanted to deemphasize the
cigarette and tobacco signage and declutter the area.
“Truckstops start to outgrow their
space and get cluttered. Our goal was
to be less cluttered. Checkout areas are
great for impulse buys, but we did not
possess dedicated space for this type
of product, which made the area cluttered and unattractive,” Nelson said.
To meet these goals they lowered
and reduced the size of the cigarette
signage and created built-in fixtures
in the front of the counter for impulse buys.
DRIVER AMENITIES THAT ARE LIGHT
YEARS BETTER
To improve the space for their updated driver area, they took out the
arcade and phone bank. They also redid the TV lounge and added a piece
on the fuel desk to house some of
the driver-related services. Given the
bad winter weather in the state, they
added a weather monitor that shows
drivers the weather along key routes.
ARE THE REMODEL RESULTS INTERSTELLAR?
“We met all of our goals of the remodel. It turned out exactly how we
thought it would,” Nelson said.
Their customers agree. He said,
“We have had nothing but positive
comments. Now that we are finished
we get compliments everyday.”
And the news with the most gravity?
In the just two months since the remodel, their insides sales have grown
7 percent. ■
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www.natso.com
27
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