Lutefisk. It is one of the national dishes of Norway. To make it, catch yourself some cod, clean it, cover it in salt, leave it to dry for a couple of weeks until it is the consistency of tree bark (a metaphor for texture, not taste), and store it in a dry place. Before you […]
Control your paperwork and stay in compliance to avoid finding out. I promise that this is not a trick question about alternative fuels, online retailing or robots. It is a meditation on a situation we came across recently and, sadly, happens quite often in the fuel industry. Our company, StrasGlobal, provides contract site operations for […]
Eight tips for dealing with out-of-stocks and other supply chain issues. “Oh, dearest father. If my heart’s greatest desire is not fulfilled by Christmastide, surely I will perish from this earth and my ghostly remains will wander these lands for the rest of eternity. “ This, or something like it, is what my then six-year-old […]
Many customer theft issues can be resolved with good customer service. In my previous column, I talked about employee theft. According to the 2020 NACS State of the Industry report, store “shrink” (which includes theft and breakage) averages about $12,700 per store per year. And 33.2 percent of that is due to employee theft, according […]
Minimize employee theft by letting your staff know that you’re paying attention to the details. We have a lot to learn from George Clooney’s life of crime. As you may remember, Mr. Clooney starred in the remake of “Ocean’s Eleven” and several sequels, as well as not appearing in “Ocean’s 8” (the one with Sandra […]
Don’t neglect the most visible part of your business—the forecourt. “How did it get to this point?” Have you ever experienced the situation when you are looking around and, suddenly, your eyes seem to snap into focus and you see the teetering piles of papers on your desk, dirt on the floor, shoes left out […]
I have a secret. It’s something that will help you, but it’s not new information. In fact, it might be right under your nose. I am often asked if there is a way for small operators to compete against their larger competitors. The question has taken on even more significance during this time of pandemic […]
The following was published as part of the cover story in the September 2020 Issue of Convenience Store News Magazine. At StrasGlobal, the word “innovation” means meeting the changing demands of the customer. “One can innovate, but if you’re not aligned with what the customer is looking for, you’re innovating for nothing. It has to […]
Imagine we’ve all seen it by now: That one customer who just refuses to wear a protective mask in the store. That’s been one of the biggest surprises of the COVID-19 pandemic to me. It’s pretty straightforward: COVID-19 is mainly spread by airborne particles, people get sick by breathing them in, and wearing a mask […]
Roy Strasburger is a frequent contributor to FMN (Fuels Marketer News), online publishers of news for the fuels and convenience store industry. As everyone is very well aware, the COVID-19 (“Corona”) virus has changed the way that we are living life. Public gathering spaces are closed, retail outlets are closed, and social interaction as we […]
Our cashiers and customer service representatives are our first line of defense in regard to the sale of restricted products. I am usually a pretty easy-going guy. I like to think that I get along well with others and that others can get along well with me. I don’t get rattled often. About a month […]
AI takes care of repetitive tasks so humans can focus on more creative and substantial issues. In the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the computer HAL takes control of a space mission, making decisions that lead to the deaths of most of the astronauts on board, before it is shut down by the lone survivor, […]
By Roy Strasburger SIGMA Tech Trends Workshop 2019 Best Practice Trends—How to Manage and Leverage Your Data to Make Better Business Decisions November 12, 2019 Austin, TX— Staying on top of market evolution trends and disruptors is critical to keeping your business successful. During SIGMA’s 2019 Annual Conference November 4-6, 2019 in Austin, TX, petroleum […]
By Roy Strasburger Originally Published in Fuels Market News How hard can it be to have hot fresh coffee available all of the time? If you operate a c-store, you know it can be hard. It’s early morning. While the darkness of the previous night is slowly starting to dissipate, the fog inside your head […]
By Roy Strasburger Originally Published in CSP Magazine One of an employer’s main expectations is that staff be mentally alert and aware of the environment around them. The employee can enhance the safety of the business and the people in the store. He or she can also sense when the extra effort is needed to turn […]
Become your own mystery shopper to raise your standards and improve customer service By Roy Strasburger Originally Published in Convenience Store News WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, one of my tasks was to keep my room clean and tidy. Every day, I was to pick up my clothes, books and toys and put them in […]
The tactics of using a competitor as a benchmark fall into three categories By Roy Strasburger Originally Published in Convenience Store News “THAT’S INTERESTING.” Have you ever walked into your main competitor’s shop and had that reaction? As you look around the store, you see a product you had not heard of, a promotion you […]
StrasGlobal draws on 60 year family heritage as innovators in convenience and small format site management. Temple, TX – Convenience Management Services, Inc. (CMSI), the leading choice since 1997 for global oil brands, distressed assets managers, real estate lenders and private investors seeking a complete, turnkey retail management solution, is changing its name from CMSI […]
There are many components that a store operator needs to do right to have a successful business. Good customer service is a must. Having the proper selection of products appropriately priced is very helpful. Freshly made food and a beverage bar can provide additional gross profit opportunities. I think we can all agree on these things. […]
It’s happened to all of us. A visitor who you haven’t seen for years comes by to stay at your house for a couple of days. This is the home you’ve lived in for several years and you are house-proud. You clean it regularly. You even pick up the dirty laundry when you aren’t expecting […]
As we all know, the last month has brought devastation to various parts of our country. Hurricanes in Texas and Florida. Wildfires in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington state. Heat waves in New York and New Jersey. These natural events have had a huge impact on individuals, communities, and businesses. We operate stores in all […]
Low in-store sales, high employee turnover and declining gross profit margins are just a few of the problems Roy Strasburger, president of Convenience Management Services Inc. (CMSI), may encounter when he and his team take over a convenience store and gas station. Temple, Texas-based CMSI’s mission, simply put, is to operate retail locations for those […]
As we’ve expanded our operations over the last few months (we are currently operating sites in 9 states), I’ve been reminded how consistent training is so important to a successful operation and an engaged team. It’s a topic that I keep coming back to on a regular basis – as you can see from my […]
Everyone knows that theft is a major issue in the convenience store industry. The general public hears about robberies in the media all of the time. Convenience stores are caricatured as easy places to rob. Many of our stores are open 24 hours a day giving people with bad intent places to go late at […]
There is not a more analog job than driving a long haul truck. In this profession, everything is rooted in the real world. The trucks, trailers, and cargo exist. They are tangible. And they go from one place to another in real time through real space in the real world. This week I am attending […]
A few weeks ago I attended the NACS Leadership Assembly in Miami (which I highly recommend, by the way, if you can get an invitation). One of the objectives of the LA is to look over the horizon to see threats to the c-store business of the future. The main topics of this year’s session […]
My apologies for my absence from the site over the last few months. 2015 was a very busy year for us. We expanded our business by including more sites into our program through handling several “distressed” sites during foreclosures and receiverships and by adding more long-term sites with owners who want to own and control […]
During this cycle of posts I’ve been writing about the need to stay competitive to survive in the retail world. In the last post I started on the need to listen to a specific group of constituents – customers, employees, and competitors – to determine what you need to do to stay competitive. We’ve started […]
In retail, every day is a new day. With each sunrise, your competitors are thinking of ways to steal your customers and employees, take away your sales, and, in general, put you out of business. Every day a business owner has to think of ways to move her business forward – better customer service, products, […]
When you think about customer service and the retail experience, what are your memories? I would venture to guess that in ninety percent of all of your retail interactions the customer service you received didn’t make an impression on you. Think about it, when you are outside the house you may participate in several, if […]
We are in the middle of a set of posts that talk about how listening can help a retailer stay competitive in today’s market place. I think that there are three distinct groups that we need to listen to. The first is the customer. We need to try to learn what they want from us. […]
Over the last few posts we’ve been exploring the idea of being competitive in today’s retail market. One of the ways be being competitive is to create or introduce new products and services to help your customers. So the question became – where do we get the ideas we need to stay competitive? I’ve suggested […]
In my last post I wrote about how “compete is a verb” is one of my favorite business sayings. The bottom line is that if you are not competing every day your business is going to be left behind. So how do we find out what we need to do to stay competitive? My answer […]
In my last blog I wrote about the sharing community – how technology is allowing us to share or borrow under-utilized things (cars, bedrooms, lawnmowers, etc) through sites such as Uber and Airbnb. My point was that technology, rather than isolating us as we become more and more involved with our computers and smartphones, is […]
Over the last few years I’ve often heard how recent technology is causing society to break down. Although social media is allowing people to be in touch with more people on a more frequent basis than ever before there is less and less direct physical interaction. There are legions of virtual “friends” but nobody actually […]
Over the last two weeks I’ve posted thoughts about how the smart phone is creating a revolution in retail transactions and ways that the smart phone can be used to provide more convenience to the customer. Although it is still too early to tell what the industry standard will be for both of these uses, […]
We are in the middle of a series of posts on how smart phones may affect your business. My last blog was about mobile payment systems. The next one will be about showrooming. This one is how we can use smart phones to speed up customer service in regards to food service. You’ve been in […]
Over the next few blogs I’d like to share some thoughts on smart phones and how they may affect the convenience industry. This isn’t going to be about social media and the advantages/disadvantages of getting your message out to phone holders or the need to engage with them on Facebook, Twitter, or the dozens of […]
I must admit that I’m not much of a professional basketball fan. But, being a native Texan, I couldn’t ignore the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. As I’m sure you know, San Antonio won the series four games to one. The recent contest has created a great sports metaphor […]
Over the last four weeks you have indulged us by letting us tell you about our new suite of programs. We find with the more people that we work with, the more opportunities we find to make business easier for them. Our commitment is to make retail headache free and these new programs offer economical […]
Summer is upon us. The sun is out, summer vacations have started, and the American dream of swimming, bar-b-ques, and outdoor fun is in full swing. It’s not too late to make sure that you are ready to maximize the opportunities that the summer season has to offer. Traditionally, summer has been the peak time […]
We are pleased to introduce the fourth new CMSI program that we have added to our suite of retail solutions. This tool is designed for those people who have a financial risk or liability exposure through the operation of a retail fuel site. If you are a fuel wholesaler or jobber, a landlord of a […]
The last couple of weeks we’ve been announcing new additions to the CMSI suite of retail solutions. Our new programs are the result of client’s requests: they have a problem and we provide a solution. We want to make these available to you as well. The third new program that CMSI is proud to introduce […]
Hi there! We at CMSI are really excited to be rolling out three new programs and with this, and the next two posts, we will be shamelessly plugging our new services and what they can do for you. Normally we keep the posts on this blog more focused on industry issues but, hey, it’s our […]
About three weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 NACS SOI Summit held in Chicago. It is an event sponsored by the National Association of Convenience Stores and CSP Magazine. The annual Summit brings together the leaders of many of the country’s most progressive convenience retailers to hear about how the industry […]
I attended the NACS SOI conference two weeks ago (more about that in next week’s blog). While there I had a conversation with another business owner. During the conversation we talked about the ups and downs of owning and, more importantly, being responsible for the life of a company. It is often easy to think […]
As I mentioned last week, we are using this space last week and the next two weeks to introduce some new CMSI programs that we are very proud of. Last week we debuted our CMSI Accounting Package and you can read more about it on the blog post below. Today, we are pleased to announce […]
If you have been kind enough to have read my postings over the last year you will be well aware that customer service is a topic that is often on my mind. In these days of channel blurring and homogenized retail offers, it is the way people are treated in our stores that will provide […]
I was in a convenience store in an economically depressed part of Houston recently. It was well run store – a wide variety of products stocked on the shelves, clean, and attentive customer service. But you could tell from the outside of the store, the surrounding neighborhood, and the customers that walked through the door […]
I recently read an article called “How junk food can end obesity” by David Freedman (published in the July/August 2013 issue of the Atlantic magazine) that got me to thinking about what “healthy food” really means and how it relates to what has been called an obesity crisis currently affecting the United States. In his […]
With the recent legalization by Colorado of the retail sale of marijuana and the upcoming legalization in the state of Washington, the question of pot in the work place is surfacing again. The issue first came up with the approval of the sale of medical marijuana in the 1996 in the state of California. The […]
The Economist magazine (January 18th edition) recently had a major article about whether new technology will replace workers. We’ve all heard the stories and have seen the movies about robots and computers replacing humans in the work force. In these scenarios, the displaced worker either becomes the billionaire owner of a tech start up or […]
Recently, I’ve been writing about what it is going to take to help keep people employed in the post technology revolution economy and, in the past, I’ve touched on the subject of the type of training employees should receive and have access to from their employer. In today’s post, I’m going to try to tie […]
Over my last few blog posts I’ve been musing on the technology revolution that is currently taking place and how it may affect jobs in the future. To summarize my thoughts so far: technology is increasing worker productivity which means that fewer workers are needed to make the same amount of stuff. Those workers who […]
In my last post, I talked about the introduction of technology and what it may mean to today’s work force. The crux of the issue is an economic one – new technologies are increasing worker productivity making it unnecessary to have as many people doing the same job. This means that the wise use of […]
There is a lot of discussion going on at the moment about whether the minimum wage needs to be raised. Currently the Federal minimum wage is $7.25. Some states and cities have enacted their own minimum wage standards with the highest currently being $9.32 in the state of Washington and $10.74 in San Francisco, respectively. […]
At the last few industry events that I’ve attended the big news has been the introduction of electronic cigarettes and the related question of whether this is going to be the next big thing for the convenience store industry.In case you are not familiar with them, electronic cigarettes are “nicotine delivery mechanisms”. They typically are […]
Okay – I will admit right up front that I have never met Nelson Mandela. As you no doubt know, Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, after a long illness. This week the memorial service for Mr. Mandela was held in South Africa. Tens of thousands of people, including dozens of world leaders, […]
Recently, I mentioned that one of the trends in the convenience store industry is that total fuel sales are falling. We are selling fewer gallons of gasoline each year. This obviously has a huge impact on the revenue stream and profitability of a convenience store that sells fuel. As this trend continues, convenience store operators […]
It’s hard to believe that it is already Thanksgiving again. It was about this time last year that I started down the tricky road of blogging. Frankly, it is a lot more difficult than I had imagined. Coming up with topics that are relevant and (hopefully) interesting can be daunting. And timing and consistency is […]
A common theme through most of the convenience store conferences that I have been to this year is that the total amount of gasoline being sold in the United States is on the decline. This doesn’t seem to be temporary trend but, rather, the harbinger of the future of gasoline retailing. Analysts attribute the decline […]
As you may be aware, the FAA recently ruled that personal electronic devices such as e-readers, mp3 players, tablets, computers and smart phones could be left on during the take off and landing of aircraft instead of only being used above 10,000 feet. Cell phones would have to be in “airplane mode” and laptop computers […]
Over the last two posts I have been exploring the idea of convenience stores offering healthier alternatives to their customers. The basic thought process is that 1) there is a growing trend in health conscious consumers due to either lifestyle decisions or the obesity crisis and 2) having healthy alternatives in our stores helps our […]
In my previous post, I opined about the trends towards healthy eating and whether they are really having an impact. It has been shown that even though people are given the option to purchase “healthy” items, more often than not, they chose the “unhealthy” one. This can be due to cost, perceived taste of the […]
Good eating habits. Obesity epidemic. Healthy lifestyles. Fresh foods. It’s in all of the media: How Americans are wanting to move to a more healthy lifestyle and they are craving the opportunities to eat foods that are better for them. All anyone really wants these days is a small piece of grilled fish on a […]
As I am writing this post I am sitting in a downtown coffee shop. I’ve been reading lately that the background noise at the typical coffee house is just the right level to promote creativity but not enough to be distracting. Since I need all the help that I can get, I thought I would […]
Think back to the last time that walked into a museum. As you walked through the gallery you were surrounded by pieces of art or artifacts. Just by looking around, you could tell that every item was selected for a particular place and reason. It offers something special in the context of why the visitor […]
“A nation of shopkeepers” is how Napoleon referred to the United Kingdom in the early 19th century. Many have cited it as a derogatory description of the British. However, Napoleon later explained that is was not meant to be derisive but to be a statement of fact – Britain derived its power from commerce and […]
Almost every time I’ve been in a conversation and the subject of customer loyalty come up it inevitably focuses on making customers like us. “We want a customer loyalty program so that our customers will come back to us and not go to our competition,” an industry executive told me a while ago. I admit, […]
The biggest disappoint that I ever face is when someone betrays the trust that I have put in them. It happens, not all the time, but occasionally, on a personal and business level. A large part of the issue is that I inherently believe in the goodness of people. Everyone is honorable until they prove […]
As I write this I am on a plane returning from London. I’ve spent the first part of the flight reading the British newspapers about the passing of Margaret Thatcher who died yesterday at the age of 87. As I am sure most of you know, Mrs. Thatcher was the Conservative Prime Minister of Britain […]
We have recently been involved with the take over and operation of a ten store chain in the Midwest. As usual, when we are involved in what we call a “distress” project, it is a very anxious time for the store employees. Life suddenly becomes filled with uncertainties and anxieties. Questions ranging from employment to […]
In my last post I wrote about the stress and anxiety that store staff go through when CMSI is brought in to take over the management and operation of their stores. At CMSI, we bend over backwards to make sure that the staff at our contract management sites have the most comprehensive support that can […]
It takes a special kind of person to work as a CMSI transition crew. What typically happens is that we get a call from a client saying that they have a retail operation (one site, ten sites, 250 sites) that is in trouble and they need our help to contract manage it until they can […]
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the NACS Leadership Forum in Miami. I think the Forum is one of the best programs that NACS puts on as it brings retail leaders from the c-store industry together with suppliers in an atmosphere of thought provoking conversations and presentations. Last year I […]
In my last post I mentioned that I had attended the 2013 NACS Leadership Forum in Miami a couple of weeks ago. In that blog I wrote about social media and some of the presentations I had seen at the Forum. But I thought that today I would address a more basic questions that is […]
My last post was about the ethical and moral obligations of retailers during natural disasters. My view is that it is wrong to take advantage of the unfortunate situation of others to raise prices or gouge. We have a responsibility to our customers to treat them fairly and with respect. This doesn’t mean that difficult […]
The battering that that northeastern part of the United States has been taking over the last few months (Hurricane Sandy, the recent blizzards) have been sad to read about and devastating for many of the folks directly impacted. People have died, homes have been lost, and property destroyed. Frankly, it is so difficult to imagine […]
In my last post I talked about the importance of the personal interaction between our employee and the customer. That is just one facet of customer service. An often-overlooked component of keeping the customer happy doesn’t really involve the employee at all. If you are offering a service such as an ATM, air and water […]
Happy 2013! Welcome to the new year. It is the time, as everyone who has ever had a media outlet will tell you, to look forward to the new year and make resolutions about what you want 2013 to be like. Look into the future to envision what you want to be and craft your […]
Customer service is often held up as the holy grail of retailing. It is second only to having the products that your customers want in retailing importance (if you don’t have the right products you won’t have the customers and a case can be made that if you have the exceptionally right products you don’t […]
Okay, my last attempt at this post mutated into an advert for NACS and the NACS Show in October 2013. What I want to focus on today is the importance of training in creating a professional convenience retail business. As a customer you want the person serving you to be knowledgeable, efficient, and friendly. As […]
I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with the National Association of Convenience Stores (”NACS”) for almost 30 years. That time has included being on the NACS Board of Directors, serving as a Vice Chairman, and participating on several different committees. Something that my involvement in NACS, and in the c-store industry in general, has […]
Thanksgiving is a time for us to slow down and focus on those things for which we are grateful – family, friends, health, the fact that the ugly dog belongs to someone else. It is a reflection on what has gone right for us. However, in the convenience retailing business this is the time of […]
I was eating at a very nice restaurant this weekend when the question of customer service came up. The young lady waiting on our group did everything by the book – made sure that we had water at the table, made menu recommendations, took our order, got the order correct (which seems to be more […]
It is my pleasure to post the initial entry on the CMSI blog. We are a company that has been around for quite a while but are just now getting into blogging. Since this is our first post, I thought is would be good to set out our initial hopes and dreams for our blog […]
I want to take some time to talk about who we are and what we do. I know that you can find out more about us in the Services tab at the top of the page but I thought it would be good to introduce ourselves in more informal way. Hi! Our name is Convenience […]
One of the questions we most often get is: “What is the difference between a Contract Operator and a Tenant or fuel dealer?” It is a very good question and one that goes to the heart of what we do. For the purposes of this discussion I am going to treat tenants and fuel dealers […]