Convenience Store Managers: How Do They Do It?

I've been working in convenience store management for 10 years now and if I have learned anything it is (nothing is ever as easy as it looks). Each day I get started at 6am. I get to my store and then a take a brief walk around the exterior to check for lights that may be out or nonoperational. Then I check my lot to make sure my 3rd shift policed up any trash that might be blowing around. Then finally I check my fuel dispensers for dirt or broken hoses and malfunctions.

After my little walk I proceed inside where I greet my associates and costumers before I get my morning coffee. Once I have poured my coffee I smell the aroma. One because I like the smell of coffee,two to make sure it's fresh. If there is one thing I know a regular coffee drinker can just about walk through your door and tell if your coffee is two hours old. Then I make my way around the inside of my store down the isles checking for mopping and facing of product till I arrive at the restrooms. I open the door and check for any mind blowing smells, I know it sounds funny although lot of your customers will not use a restroom that smells to the ceiling. Air freshener and cleanliness is essential in the restrooms because it gives the customer a shopping knowledge of the employees and sanitary conditions.

After this I stroll by the beverage cooler doors to check for stocking issues and to see if the glass has been cleaned. Once I've completed my inside walk I am ready to get started on my daily reconciliation. I guess you ask why does this guy take so long to get the essentials started? Why not just get to work?.
There are four reasons why I do things in this order.
One. I like to arrive to my store early not at time or behind time. This gives me a chance to say hi to my job.
Two. I like to know I've possibly intercepted a few minor things to prevent major problems from occurring later in my day.
Three. Customers like to see you take pride in your store, it gives them a certain reassurance to shop there.
Four. To let my employees know I am looking at their work. Nothing bothers you more than to know you completed a task that know one acknowledges or looks at.

One large item I realized early on in this business is that organization is everything. If your office is in shambles you never feel like working in it.
I try and keep my office organized for my records, files and daily paperwork. The best system I have found that works is to set your filing system on a daily and
monthly system. This helps you store daily paper work by days of the week. Then once the month is over you can store items such as commodity counts, profit and loss statements, monthly goal sheets and audit reports by a monthly file in case you need to pull and look at in a later date.
The easiest way to start your daily paper work is to have a good closer or third shift employee.

Why? you ask. If you have a person trained an dependable to close out your daily machines for example, your register daily report, money order machine, run lotto reports off your terminal and if you have them your phone card terminal. An employee trained and capable of assisting you with these operations can really help you out to get your day off to a good start. The one thing you always want to remember is that something could change at any minute so it's good to keep an open mind for the unexpected. Take each task and form it to be as easy as possible to manage. After all we are the managers and to make our job easier to accomplish makes our days less consumed for the unexpected. Starting an agenda is probably the managers best form of organization.
Have your day planned out so that you know what you need to get accomplished and what can be worked on at a slower pace. Management will always be full of deadlines, quotas, short days and days you thought would never end. The number one thing is to accomplish your agenda till either completed for that day or till the unexpected hits and you either have to run a register or complete a quick competitor survey or leave for an emergency. Always work to make the next day a little less demanding.

There is no perfect manager because we do not always have the answers. There are managers that are assets to their company and seem perfect because we make it look so easy.