Any experiance running a Convenience Store?
 

I have a semi rural location in mind right at the very edge of a town of 600 so a bit of a walk out from there But its at the intersection of two good state routes and basically on the commuter trail its about 15 miles out of the employment center here.
What I have in mind besides the usuall is two billboards back at the edge of town with the phone number and "Call now your pzza will be hot and ready when you get here"

Id also handle drive up tobacco and coffee for a buck.
I see it as a place to sell market garden freash produce maybe even have some of the gardens on the grounds.For those who want to buy some fresh food on thier way home.
So its sorta a cross between a 7-11 and a farmstand with more to offer to get people to stop for the farmstand
Any experiance in these lines?

Where to begin...
 

I owned a C-store for a few years. Be ready to work what seems like 24-7. Have a decent cash reserve at startup because whatever can break, will and you'll need it to do business. The biggest problem was probably finding and keeping trustworthy, reliable employees for the amount of money you can afford to pay.

You can make money but it takes lots of time and effort. I enjoyed it but had health problems and didn't have the time and effort to keep it going so I sold it.

Good Luck!

They guy that owns the one here in town is seldom there except for picking up the cash at night.Any insight on that Guest Too? It seems to do pretty well he and my father are good friends and I ocationally hear things that make me think its doing well and has from the first.

I know a store like that here and they do seem to do okay but there's not any competition close. They tend to be out of something every time I go in and they have stuff(gas pump, cold boxes, hot boxes, pizza oven, etc.) broken a lot of the time. It's my opinion that if people have the choice between a store that has what you want almost every time or one that sometimes does and sometimes not, they will choose the "reliable" store.

Also, if you had reliable people you trusted with your money then you could do that.

Just my opinion and experience. It takes all kinds and what works for me doesn't work for everyone and vice versa.

If you are interested in buying the operation, look at the books, and have an accountant who handles small businesses look at the books. The store seems to be located in a spot where "tourists" drive by, so having farm fresh produce with a garden or two adjecent would be very attractive. I'm sure you could also sell seedlings.

I have no experience in running convenience stores

but have observed, and even been told by the cashiers, that the most successful convenence stores around here lately employ attractive young women whose pay scale is based upon how much cleavage they typically reveal.

There seems to be a contest going on to see how far the law regarding such public displays can be stretched.

Can you sell beer there? My friend has a store and sells a lot off beer, smokes and lotto tickets. His deli does well also. He seems to have a lot of money but town is a little bigger.

Hillside although I suppose I could work that into the business plan most of the "ladies" who would apply for that type of work here might be better served with a burka.

Maura The loaction I have in mind is totally undeveloped right now so "books ' to go thru.
It is however at a corner where everyone says the longest most boring roads in the area start

The one person I knew that managed a convience store ended up putting in long hours to fill in for people who didn't show for work.

When I worked in one the worst time to be there was the weekend because of the kids in the area. This one was in town and got the kids that were given money to go just to get them away from their parents. Don't think that would apply from your description but figured it doesn't hurt to hear it.

I had a Conv. Store/Game Room for two years--------It Was ALOT of Long Hours trying to get it going. I went to the location and sit there for most of the day before I opened the store---Counting cars/traffic flow----I figured if I could get a small percentage of the cars riding by to stop---I would do good---but I didn't---I even offered Free cup of Coffee in the morning hours for a month and only got three people to stop in for the coffee. The Game room did good---It grew and grew---At night on the weekends I would have a couple hundred kids a night coming and going---Then all the neighboring stores thought I was making to much money in the game room----6 stores put in at least one pool table some two-------then a Big store a few miles away put in a BIG game room-----I went from $1200 in quarters a week take in to $35 the last week I was open----Still only a few morning time customers------I said all this to say-----If you seem to be making money there----Someone will try to take it by opening a place down the road. You can figure and figure-----But you will Never really know how it will do till you try it. You also don't want to start out to big---The way you described what you want to do---You sound like you will need several people working at the same time-----If you do then your pay out will be to big to start with---If you try to get to many things going to start with and don't have hardly any help----If you get Busy----It can hurt you bad if people are wanting to be waited on---and have to wait to long. If I was going to open your store---I would set it up as a Conv Store where one maybe two people can run it the first few weeks---Get started---Then add pizza or this and that as the store grows---I would have a "Plan" in motion---Have a Place Figured for everything---Just don't jump in head first with everything in the beginning----Well I would have to do it this way-------But if You have the cash-----Start out as BIG as you can afford to loose----If it did Flop. Good Luck. Randy

I LIKE THE IDEA!

I've had a few stores of my own...all different.

Keep your store hours down to "peak times" to begin with. It will help you control your labor costs as well as avoid the depressing boredom of few customers. (IF that happens....)

Keep your inventory down to "hot-movers".

Definitely hire a top-quality CPA....not just a "bookkeeper"! It will "make you money"!

Promote the things that you are good at and enjoy! (selling farm-fresh chicken-eggs, seedlings, home-harvested timber, garden produce, etc.) You will probably need "certification" for some of this.

It will take a little while for you to determine "prime times" and "hot-movers". DON'T OVERBUY InVENTORY...play it nice and easy to start off. Make the store pay for itself!

When you feel that you have a "handle" on your market, ADVERTISE ! (Many different ways to do this inexpensively.....News Briefs in the local paper work well on "start-ups" and don't generally cost you a thing!

Lotsa other ideas for you....but I think that the location sounds good AND LOCATION IS CRITICAL IN MOST (not all) RETAIL OPERATIONS!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

It's FUN!
Bruce
It's fun IF you make a good profit..without killing yourself!

Wow, must be a difference in locations.

Here it's how many moles with hairs sticking out of them that qualify you... (or that's the way it would appear).

LOL------I don't think the cleavage shinning will help with the business, but I know a Nice looking Lady well dressed(nothing revealing) with a good personality will help ALOT in building up a business. A Lady that makes everyone feel welcome, but not flirting. There was a Store close to me that hired a Lady like I described----His Business doubled in one year. She left him and open her own store----It Was Booming from the day it opened-----Every one that knew her followed her to her new store. She just makes you feel good----drive out your way just to stop in and speak to her. Randy

My parents had a small general store in a rural location when I was in my teenage years. I think that if it is making enough money that you could hire someone (so you aren't there fulltime) then it could be a great little business. This was not the case with ours. I spent many hours grudgingly working at the store while my friends were out doing teenage things. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful to my parents for what they provided to me, and I was glad to help out, but we didn't own the store....it owned our family.

Thats one reason I got out of it---I was working from 115 to 120 hrs per week, had a full time helper for 40hrs and My X wife worked there after her 40hr job, My daughter worked every day part-time after school and every weekend----WE Had No Life beyond the store----Could never go out to the movie--or go out to dinner. We did have some good food in the store----we sold steaks, burgers, hot dogs etc---but Just getting away would have been nice. I Don't want A store anymore---not if I have to Run it. Randy

Heck, I was just the MANAGER of a Cstore way back when... it was a 24 hour store and I remember working over 10 weeks straight without a day off at LEAST 10 hours a day.

Nope, if I opened a store it would be open about 100 hours a week, when I wanted it open, and ONLY if I worked only half of those.

As a further note about the local convenience store scene: Most of the owners are South-Asian immigrants.

I'm working at a gas station right now to get some extra bucks. My other projects have been on hold for a variety of reasons and this was a quick, stop-gap measure to keep me earning cash.

I haven't had a week of less than 40 hours for over 3 months. Tonight, I was training a new person to relieve me of some hours so I could get on with my life and other projects.

The Illinois State Police sent in an "undercover buyer" for beer. He had a fake ID and I was so freakin' busy with everything tonight that I missed it. Between folks getting ready for the storm, usual Friday traffic and the lottery up to $177,000,000, we were slammed! I had all kinds of things going on and I was trying to teach the new girl how to operate the lottery machine. His picture was real and the background in the photo was blue. That means he's 21. In Illinois, under 21 is red. What I missed was the birthdate was off by a digit. It's supposed to be easy, but I get my numbers backwards all the ---- time when I'm tired. So, his birthdate was 03.16.87 but I read it 01.17.86 or something. Basically, I missed one out of three and so I'm out.

I get a $500 fine, a court appearance next month (which will cost more cash) and I get fired. I'll find out tomorrow if the manager can do something for me, as I'm the go-to guy for the whole store whenever somebody is sick and can't work. Odds are, I'm done.

I'm mad, obviously, for a number of reasons. First, it's entrappment. Plus, the fake ID looked too close to the real ones. The state cops were smug, sanctimonious jerks. I can see ticketing somebody for not carding, but to give a fake ID made by the State is wrong. The State of Illinois fakes its own ID cards better than anybody else.

Sure, they got me. And yeah, fighting it wouldn't do much good. One thing I do have on my side is that the local state's attorney is lazy and if I plead Not Guilty, they would have to do some work. More often than not, they would delay until the smoke cleared and then dismiss the case. Most of the cases here are deals cut after guilty pleas.

What ----es me off is that we Americans have allowed law enforcement to get away with so much in the name of "the law". The Patriot Act is just a small example of the slow and steady loss of rights and freedom. This crap wouldn't have happened 15 years ago.

So basically, for $7.50 an hour, I risked this much trouble and now that it's finally happened, I'm worse off than if I had never worked.

You want to buy a c-store? Get ready for the cops trying to hang you ever step of the way. Between tobacco stings (we got hit last week, a guy is suspended for a week) and beer stings, the angry customers mad about gas prices and everything else, it's just not worth it.

I worked for couple years at a c-store, assistant manager. Right on the outer edge of a big city. We sold everything, but only made money on cigs and beer. As AM I worked third shift. Finally decided to find other opportunities after being robbed for the third time in three months. We DID NOT have a cage to work out of. If you are in or near any city, and are open at night, keep your cashiers behind bullet proof glass. There have been four c-store cashiers killed in the city I work in this year already.

galump

p.s. I work part time now at a c-store. We have a 1" bullet proof glass cage that the night people have to work behind.

I've never worked in one, but I've supplied them in the past as a Pepsi delivery man. Many rural stores do not get service from the soda, bread, or milk man as they don't generate enough business. They also don't get good pricing as they don't buy the volume necessary. Many of the successful stores would drive long miles to stock up on sales from discount stores to supply their store. This makes you some money but makes for more working hours and you then don't get credit for out of date merchandise, you also don't get coolers from the companies.

Without an existing structure now I would say it makes any deal there very, very iffy, at best. Chances are you might be able to rent a corner, but then how much are you willing to put into an adequate structure, such as a buildiing, parking lot and the required utilities? You might have $100K invested right there before even opening.

However, for a structure consider a double-wide built to have an open interior.

As noted above, you might concentrate on the 'sin' merchandise, such as warm discount beer, discount cigarettes and lottory. Hard to go wrong catering to people's vices.

I have seen closed gas stations converted to such stores. One bay had a door put in back for drive-through beer. Essentially all of their business was drive-through.

In a typical convenience store the gas pumps are what draw people in. While there they typically purchase other items on which the markup is normally about 50% higher than local retail.

I agree with Ken. I knew a couple who bought a little corner store and they went broke till they started selling beer and cigarettes. A little lunch stand doesn't hurt.
The gas pumps were just a draw to get people inside and made almost no profit by themselves.
Oh, they did a little better after adding a couple tanning beds in a back room but its not a get rich quick option.

Think long and hard before selling beer and wine. Not only could an unsuspecting and tired employee be busted on a sting (see above), but people think you have a whole lotta money in the till; therefore, you are more likely to be robbed. It sounds like the store in question is not dependant on liquer and tobacco. To me, that is much more attractive if I am looking for fresh produce and cut flowers.

Terrebus, Very sorry to hear of your trouble. Yes, it is entrappment, and I loathe it! Best wishes for getting on with something new. ldc

Thank you! I guess it's back to scrapping metal despite the freezing cold *brrrr*

Terreabus your right it was a setup. Theres just nothing lower than a cop. and your states attorny will likely back them up cause he has to work with them all the time. The truth of the matter is "intent" you intended to be right you looked for the pickture and the blue they picked a busy time and a barely forged ID to stack things against you. Now heres whats funny They work with this stuff all the time but if you go to court they will bring in an "EXPERT' witness about the forgery. Well you are not supposed to practice law the lawyers say that all the time but the EXPERT will act like you are an IDIOT because you dont know as much about things as the EXPERT!
I saw a case once where they used a "fake ID" That they had made !that was absoluty coorect except that one letter was made with a slightly diferent font it amounted to having to see a period in the bottom of an eight (.) (8) so they wanted you to pick out a fat bottomed 8 !
Nothing lower than a cop

:flame: :nono: :(

There are far more good then bad. Most just want to enforce the laws that are on the books and go home at the end of their shift if one piece.

I think you are partially right . Most just want to go home. and thats enough to malke them evil. I also think that most get off on the power. Lets face it its not a job you do for the money in most places.

If it will be out by itself I would find a better location.I managed a convience store out in the boonies and in just a few months I was flashed,had beer stolen several times,propsitioned many times, had two guys try to deal drugs from their car cause there was a pay phone(before cell phones) and finally the last straw I was robbed by a couple that pulled a gun and took all that was in the register and my purse ,frightening enough but they went to another store next and shot the clerk cause he wouldn't lay in the floor.I called the police on all occassions and because we were out in the middle of nowhere it took forever for them to get to me.We did a good buisness but it was dangerous.

Another idea I heard of is getting in a position where you can half way run things on your own without the overhead. I have heard of people getting minimum wage jobs in small inner-city gas stations that sold cigs, lotto tickets and playing cards out of a cage. It was the only merchandise the owner was interested in. The owner come around once a week or so. You can go look out for good deals on quantity lots of stuff and then just sell there stuff and offer your own products as well that you bought. You get regular retail for your stuff this way and I have heard of minimum wage workers making more this way then they could in a much better paying job. Just an idea, no overhead on your part and still the oppurtunity to run your own thing in a quasi way.

Who knew rural ?georgia? could be so bad?

Wanting to go home to their family at the end of the shift makes them evil? And why does doing a job that you get underpaid for an evil thing??? Most of the ones I know got into it becuase they had a desire to help others. Spending most of their time dealing with jerks and criminals tends to take the shine off of the job real quick, but that still doesn't mean they are evil.

My opinion?

You should not own or run a CS.

LOL Ive seen this before and I dont want to get into it here its more a discssion for general chat But note carefully what you have done.
I commented on one thing .You then twisted both that comment and my comment to make it seem like Ive said something entirely diferent.

There may be nothing at all wrong with wanting to go home to their family at the end of a shift . That sounds like a very admiral thing to me.

I never said doing a job you are underpaid for is an evil thing. Doing a job that you are underpaid for means you are doing it for some reason other than the money. Look into what that could be as a cop and I think you will not like what most of those reasons are. There are a few good ones but most are on the bad side.


KCM Interesting comment could you elaberate? Why would the moral standings of the cops affect the type of business I should be in? Is there some business you think would fit better for me?

I don't know if you were being sarcastic or serious.Drugs and crime are every where!We have since moved to a more rural location and safer job.Even here they are busting meth labs and of course there are always drunks even in a dry county.

Very serious. I didn't realize crime was so high and that so many robberies would take place if you weren't close enough to the police.