24/7: The NACS Blog

7/27/2010

Could you create a work of art with a snack food? For the winner of the second annual Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Coaster Build-off Contest, the answer was a definite yes. The challenge: using hot glue, pretzels and a little ingenuity, build a model of the world’s tallest and first floorless dive coaster. As you can see from the picture below, this was a serious challenge! The winner, Jennifer Westcott, was rated on the detailing, accuracy and overall presentation.

The grand prize included a four-pack of two-year, 2-Park passes for Busch Gardens and Water Country USA and a year’s supply of Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels, with a total estimated retail value of more than $1,200. Talk about promoting a product with a little community outreach, a lot of creativity and some innovative marketing!

Posted at 3:17 PM by czuazua | Category: Best Practices; Merchandising | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Friend A Pickle!

In an effort to provide a forum for pickle-lovers everywhere to unite, Van Holten Pickles has set up shop in the social media world. Pickle-in-a-Pouch, promoted by its mascot, Steve B. Pickle, is the star of Van Holten’s new Facebook and Twitter pages. And it’s not bad timing – the pickle is reportedly having something of a comeback with consumers.

Visit the NACS Facebook and Twitter pages for news on NACS and the c-store industry.

For more coverage on social media, read check out “World Wide Networking” In NACS Magazine.

Posted at 2:52 PM by czuazua | Category: Branding | Email this Post | Comments (0)

7/13/2010

Alternatively Fueling Up

The Department of Energy has embraced the mobile world in an effort to encourage alternative fuel use by launching the Alternative Fuel Locator App, which provides instant access to biodiesel, electricity, E85 (ethanol), hydrogen, natural gas and propane fueling sites. This release is part of a wider effort to encourage the use of fuels other than oil-based motor fuels, and bases its information on GoogleMaps and the location of listed stations.

To learn more about mobile apps in the convenience and petroleum retailing industry, read the NACS Magazine feature, “Increase Your Mobile(ability)” and look for the release of our very own NACS Show mobile app for this year’s NACS Show!

And for more information about NACS efforts to reduce retailer liability in the alternative fuels arena, visit nacsonline.com/renewablefuels.

Posted at 1:24 PM by czuazua | Category: Operations; Motor Fuels | Email this Post | Comments (0)

7/12/2010

Doing Good for the Gulf

What do you get when you combine an effort to help the Gulf with a lot of goodwill from customers? A new social media community for one convenience retailer and an impressive charitable donation.

Ricker Stores raised money for Greater Good, a charity dedicated to restoring the Gulf, by donating $1 per fan who joined the Ricker Facebook page during the last week of June. The promotion raised a total of $1,305 including the starting amount of $1,000 and helped create a social media community to allow for better communications between Ricker's and its patrons. Who doesn’t call that a win-win?

Posted at 1:22 PM by czuazua | Category: Best Practices; Branding; Leadership | Email this Post | Comments (0)

6/16/2010

Continuing Luck

The Illinois Lottery has topped $2 billion in sales for the fourth consecutive year, the Associated Press reports.

Illinois passed the $2 billion mark on May 25 and is on pace to beat last fiscal year's sales (the state's fiscal year ends June 30).

The lottery, an Illinois state agency, will transfer $625 million into the state's capital fund and the state's common school fund, money that will assist public schools, according to Illinois Lottery spokesperson Jodie Winnett.

Posted at 2:43 PM by czuazua | Category: Industry Data | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Capturing the Afternoon

Patrons looking for a little afternoon repast in New York are finding themselves with more choices these days, the New York Post reports. A number of restaurants are developing special menus to feed guests who wish to dine between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

“It’s a way to take advantage of the real estate,” said Justin Morel, Cookshop general manager. “We have the kitchen, we have the dining room, we have people coming off or going up to the High Line or on an art gallery crawl. It just makes sense to be able to offer them something to eat.”

Cookshop offers a “linner” menu that has 16 items, such as pate, fresh salad and pizzas. Pulino’s names its menu a “mini lunch,” with such delights as a dozen pizzas and nine appetizers.

Tribeca Grill has a hefty midday menu with around 20 items paired with wines and cocktails. Customers dining between lunch and dinner include tourists, art patrons, college students or night workers on their way to their jobs. “We’re here because it’s not that touristy,” said student Natasha Miller. Miller arrived at Tribeca Grill around 4:00 p.m. with a visiting friend.

“Having a menu like this, at this time, is just a no-brainer,” said Tribeca executive chef Stephen Lewandowski. “People are hungry at all times of the day.”

Posted at 11:34 AM by czuazua | Category: Best Practices; Operations | Email this Post | Comments (0)

6/14/2010

Watch This: Voices on the Hill

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) joined a group of convenience store owners as they deliver two million signatures from customers urging Congress to put an end to unfair credit and debit card swipe fees. Watch the press conference here.

Posted at 9:49 AM by czuazua | Category: Government Relations; Credit Card Fees | Email this Post | Comments (0)

6/9/2010

Get a Plan

Every retailer needs a plan for how to manage negative comments in cyberspace, writes Steven Strauss in USA Today. This “is increasingly a significant problem many small businesses have because more things are migrating online, even complaining,” writes Strauss.

The author of The Small Business Bible gives the following tips on developing a plan to handle unhappy customers who blog, post or tweet their complaints online.

Keep an eye on Twitter. Twitter provides immediate action, so monitor Twitter discussions of your business. Use Twitter as a tool in your customer service box because it can “offer excellent, immediate customer care, build your brand as a customer-centric business, and solve problems quickly.” To monitor tweets, use Monitor.com and Tweetbeep.

Make sure you have the right Google Alerts. This will allow you to find out what others are saying about your business all over the Web.

Get a Google Profile. Use your Google Profile to tell about your business and link to your Web site, etc. Your profile will always be on page 1 of any Google search that mentions your business.

For more about mobile marketing and managing consumer comments, read “Increase Your Mobile(ability)” from the May issue of NACS Magazine.

Posted at 10:10 AM by czuazua | Category: Best Practices | Email this Post | Comments (0)

6/7/2010

Watch This: Oil Spill Angst

As efforts to clean up the BP oil spill continue, the calls for boycotts of BP fuel are increasing. What you may not know is that small businesses – not BP – are the ones hurt most by the boycotts. Watch the video below to learn more.

Posted at 1:36 PM by czuazua | Category: Motor Fuels; Operations | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Beyond BP Protests

In the midst of massive efforts to organize boycotts of BP gasoline across the nation in response to the recent oil spill, NACS has been working to set the record straight on how boycotts would hurt small businesses. While intentions are clearly to make a statement about BP’s actions before and after the spill, boycotting its gasoline would actually be to the detriment of the neighborhood convenience and petroleum retailers who own the stores.

For real-time updates on NACS’ advocacy for the industry during this difficult time, follow us on Twitter or visit our Facebook page.

Posted at 10:01 AM by czuazua | Category: Motor Fuels; Gas Prices | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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