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Here are some feel-good stories about retailers serving their neighbors during the pandemic. From giving away goods to dedicated shopping hours for seniors, retailers are showing why they’re the heart of their communities. Here are some stories about convenience retailers and grocers who are going the extra mile to help customers during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip is providing free delivery via EatStreet at more than 70 Wisconsin locations for items such as bread, eggs and toilet paper, Madison Magazine reports. “These are largely unprecedented times, and we want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get the items they need without having to take on additional costs,” said David Jackson, Kwik Trip’s digital marketing and loyalty manager. “Whether you need bread and eggs, or some comfort food like our famous chicken sandwiches and a Big Buddy, we’re going to make sure you’re able to get what you need without having to leave home.” Choice Market in Denver is offering food pickup or takeout discounts to service industry employees who are hard hit by the sudden closure of in-store dining in bars and restaurants, plus emergency responders who are on the front lines of the public health crisis. “In an effort to support our fellow colleagues who have been the most impacted, Choice is offering a 20% discount on the entire bill for any employee in the service industry as well as any first responders and medical personnel,” Choice said in a notice to customers posted on its website. The hybrid c-store/fast-casual restaurant also is offering $5 off any UberEats delivery of $20 or more to help reduce the delivery expense to customers. Choice Market is featured in the 2019 Ideas 2 Go.  Across the Atlantic in Drylaw, Edinburgh, Day-Today convenience store has given away more than $6,000 in free products to seniors, as a way to help them prepare for quarantines, the Good News Network reports. Owner Zahid Iqbal packaged toilet paper, tissues, anti-inflammatories and antibacterial hand soap into “coronavirus kits” that he delivers for free to customers age 65 and older or to anyone with mobility problems. “We’ve given away more than a thousand now, that’s just over the weekend,” said Iqbal. “It’s a time when we need to stick together.” Meanwhile, some grocery stores and discount stores in the United States are setting aside special times reserved for elderly shoppers to help those most vulnerable to COVID-19 shop for essentials, CBS News reports. Foodtown, a grocery chain of about 30 locations in Texas, is opening its doors from 7 to 8 a.m. “to allow those ages 65 and older to shop in a less crowded environment,” the company announced on its website. Starting Thursday, Massachusetts-based Stop & Shop will open earlier to serve only customers who are age 60 and older from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., the company announced on its website. At Dollar General, the first hour stores are open will be for older shoppers only, USA Today reports. The chain is encouraging other customers to please shop “around this window of time to allow the most susceptible customers in our communities the ability to shop during the first hour that stores are open.” From NACS Read Full Article

From California to Massachusetts, c-stores face varied circumstances as they put new protocols in place and rush to identify opportunities. As COVID-19 disrupts lives and businesses across the globe, U.S. convenience stores are experiencing different realities depending on their location, but many are already adapting by evaluating new opportunities to meet changing customer needs in the midst of chaos. At press time, California, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington closed bars and restaurants beginning Monday, March 16, in effort to slow coronavirus, while internet rumors swirled — and which The National Security Council warned are “fake” — that a national lockdown could be imminent. As lockdowns emerge, tech-forward companies already offering order-ahead, pick-up at store and/or delivery may see an advantage as customers look for alternate ways to buy products while staying home. Amazon has seen such an uptick in delivery orders that it announced plans to hire an additional 100,000 temporary employees and raise wages. Convenience stores have an opportunity to also step up on delivery. C-Store Advantage C-stores have many advantages over other channels, Mel Kleiman, founder of Humetrics pointed out. For example, they don’t usually have the long lines grocery stores are known for, making them ideal stops for people concerned with social distancing. “Yes, there are going to be major disruptions in your operations, but let’s figure out how to make it a positive for growth, customer retention, employee involvement, as well as positive PR for your company and the industry as a whole,” he said. Savvy c-store retailers are looking for the opportunities, whether that means figuring out ways for customers to order at the pump, or passing out DIY hand sanitizer recipes or considering new ways to offer support to parents or communities. On March 16, Alltown Fresh, which operates four locations — two in Massachusetts and two in Connecticut — announced on Twitter that it was introducing order ahead and curbside pickup at its Massachusetts locations. Customers can call to place their order, and then call again when they arrive. The items are brought to the car, reducing social contact. “Stay tuned for the rollout to our (Connecticut) locations,” Alltown Fresh tweeted. Ashland, Ky.-based Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, with stores in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Florida, also took to Twitter to remind customers that its drive-throughs are an option for picking up supplies.The chain also announced that it’s hiring at ALL locations. Wawa, Pa.-based Wawa, which operates more than 860 c-stores in seven states, also posted on Twitter to educate customers about its delivery services. Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz, which operates 600 stores in six states, tweeted to remind customers about its mobile app, which has a mobile point-of-sale so customers can scan, pay and go quickly without worrying about lines. It also allows customers to order ahead made-to-order foodservice items and pick them up curbside or in-store. The View From California In California, despite slower store and gas volume on Monday, March, 16, Rotten Robbie Gas Stations saw an uptick in non-edible grocery and take-home water sales, said Reilly Robinson Musser, vice president of marketing and merchandising for Robinson Oil Corp. dba Rotten Robbie Gas Stations, which operates 34 c-stores in California. Most schools in the area are closed for at least three weeks, and tech companies, such as Apple, Google and Facebook are allowing employees to work from home. “Restaurants are empty and people seem to be taking things seriously,” Musser said. Robinson Oil sent guidance information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to all employees and provided extra hand sanitizers and gloves. It’s asked employees to take precautions as far as social distancing, etc. Employees are asked to stay home if they are feeling sick and area managers are keeping in touch with all employees. They’re asking people to be flexible with scheduling to help accommodate those who have to stay at home with kids or who are out sick. aymond Huff, president of Denver-based HJB Convenience Corp., which operates 19 Russell’s Convenience stores in four states, began to see the effect of COVID-19 last Wednesday, March 11.  “Our stores are in the central business districts of Los Angeles, Denver and San Francisco.  Sales were off 12% on Wednesday, 18% on Thursday and 22% on Friday. Prior to the crisis sales were trending up about 7%,” he said. While Russell’s is a tech forward company, offering frictionless checkout through the SKIP app, as well as two Russell’s Express micro marts, the buildings where the micro marts  operate have emptied, making identifying new opportunities more of a challenge. At its convenience stores employees are allowed to wear masks, if they choose and are washing hands every hour as well as when they touch surfaces, such as stainless steel.  “We are sanitizing all surfaces where customers touch hourly with the bleach and water mixture required by the health department,” Huff said. All Russell’s Convenience employees receive sick leave and vacation time. Huff added each area is implementing a plan of action. “In my opinion, the U.S. should just close everything down for two weeks, let this thing run its course and get us back to business,” Huff said. Silver Linings in Chicago Following news of the bar and restaurant ban in Chicago, The PRIDE Store’s Owner & CEO Mario Spina noted the chain’s brewery and tasting room would be closed but customers could still purchase the brand’s packaged beer inside its 15 Chicagoland PRIDE Convenience Stores, plus any other locations that sell 93 Octane.  The c-store chain’s restaurants — which include Urban Counter, Taco Urbano and Pride Café — will continue to offer carry-out and delivery through Uber Eats. “With many grocery stores being hit hard by consumers stocking up on products, our restaurants could continue to be busy because of the lack of options available,” Spina said. Stores were busy ahead of the lockdown.  “We have seen stores run out of dairy products, cleaning supplies and other miscellaneous home items. We are in the process of increasing the inventory carried at each store to be able to provide those core items to our customers,” Spina said. Protocols are changing too. Each cashier must wear plastic gloves during their shifts. The usually 24/7 stores are now closing from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. for a deep sanitation, although dispensers remain open for fueling. “We will also sanitize our dispensers (keypads and nozzles specifically) multiple times throughout the day. Luckily, a few years ago we installed hand sanitizers at each door for our customers,” Spina said. Managers are instructed to keep an eye out for team members showing flu-like symptoms. “Open communication regarding this is crucially important,” Spina said. Convenience stores across the country are beefing up their store sanitation and employee hygiene practices and alerting customers to the changes they are making to keep them safe. As CStore Decisions reported yesterday, Sheetz and Kum & Go both announced plans to extend paid sick leave to employees impacted by the virus. The c-store industry is no stranger to transformation in difficult times. It evolved from two-bay garages servicing cars to gas stations with “Cokes & smokes” shops to foodservice powerhouses offering frictionless checkout options. If there’s one thing this industry excels at it’s finding success by thinking outside the box amid changing circumstances. Humetric’s Kleiman pushed convenience retailers to think in terms of opportunities they can be building now when customers need them most. “The question to you is, what can you do to not only survive, but thrive?” From Convenience Store Decisions Read Full Article

From sanitation practices to payments to pump-side delivery, c-stores are taking a proactive approach. U.S. convenience and fuel retailers are reaching out to their customers across the country to share information about operational plans—including store and forecourt sanitization, employee leave flexibility and supply chain robustness—in the face of the fast-moving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has largely tapped the brakes on public life as usual in hopes of slowing its spread. 7-Eleven, Casey’s, Sheetz and Wawa are among the retailers who have contacted customers via email or social media in recent days to communicate their plans, along with in-store discussions with concerned customers and employee team members. Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens said in a message to customers Thursday, “We recognize that things are changing rapidly now. But please know one thing—We will do our best to be there for those that need us, when they need us, as long as we can.” The Pennsylvania-based retailer has partnered with the Red Cross to provide customers and associates with health and safety tips to limit the spread of any virus or infection. The tip sheet is available in all stores and can be downloaded here. “For the past month, our team members have been operating with heightened attention to actions like store cleaning and more frequent handwashing,” Darren Rebelez, president and CEO, Casey’s General Stores, shared in an email to the Iowa-based c-store chain’s customers Thursday. “This includes being diligent with fundamental actions like increasing the frequency of cleaning food prep equipment, counters, restrooms and fuel pumps as well as other high-touch surfaces throughout our stores. As always, our team members are staying home if they are sick.” For store operators, NACS e-learning partner Ready Training Online (RTO), which provides online training solutions for the convenience, restaurant, and retail industries, has created a free seven-minute training module on how to help prevent the spread of illness and disease at businesses. The training covers best practices and the basic techniques frontline staff can implement immediately to protect themselves and others from the spread of illnesses such as the common cold, flu and the current outbreak of COVID-19. Click here. Beyond practicing good hygiene, sanitizing high-touch areas and making hand sanitizer stations available for customers and staff, many c-stores are suspending the use of refillable tumblers and mugs, eliminating food and beverage samples, considering limiting certain foodservice operations and expanding delivery services, including pump-side delivery. On the forecourt, customers at many retailers will find plastic gas mitts, and some retailers are offering to pump gas for their customers, where staffing and local regulations allow. Kenosha, Wisconsin-based Lou Perrine’s Gas and Grocery in a Facebook post reminded customers that the c-store delivers: “Corona Virus got you on lock down? Need a pack of smokes and some Mt Dew? No need to get out of the house, just hit us up and we will come to you!” The c-store also offers to pump gas and deliver in-store goods to customers on the forecourt in its “You Call We Pump” service. (For more on forecourt delivery, see “Pump-Side Delivery” in the August 2019 issue of NACS Magazine.) Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven president and CEO, in an email Friday reminded customers that delivery is available to more than households through the 7NOW delivery app. He announced that starting this week, 7-Eleven will offer a contactless delivery option in response to CDC recommendations and customer requests. Concerns about spreading germs via hand-to-hand contact when paying with cash has some retailers encouraging customers to pay by other means. “We request that payments are made by contactless card/phone where possible,” U.K.-based Applegreen said in a tweet. Retailers also addressed supply chain concerns. DePinto said 7-eleven is “working with vendors and suppliers to stock stores with high demand, essential products and making them easy for you to find.” Hy-Vee, the West Des Moines, Iowa-based grocery and c-store chain, said it is “working closely with our suppliers to make sure we have enough supplies to meet our shoppers’ needs. We are reaching out beyond our traditional supply channels to make sure we have the items you want. Our employees also are increasing their stocking efforts as we keep up with customer demand.” In addition to meeting the needs of their customers, supporting their employees is top of mind for NACS members. With schools closing across the country and public gatherings limited in size, parents are scrambling to secure backup childcare. For employees, Wawa said it is offering enhanced leave to provide flexibility and support. (For more on helping employees find child care, see “The Child-Care Crunch” in the March issue of NACS Magazine.) Sheetz is providing up to an additional two weeks of paid time off to any team member who contracts the virus or has to quarantined due to exposure. The Pennsylvania-based retailer also is reassuring employees with pre-exisiting health conditions or compromised immune systems who are especially vulnerable to the virus that they are eligible for leave without fear of losing their jobs. Sheetz President and COO Travis Sheetz in a message to customers raised the possibility that some c-stores may need to close as a last resort. “As you well know, Sheetz team members weather some pretty big storms, but these are unchartered waters for all of us,” Sheetz said. “While we are driven to remain open and available to you, we will not jeopardize anyone’s health or safety in that effort and must follow the direction of local, state and federal health agencies and officials. As a last resort, some stores could close. At a minimum, you may experience staffing shortfalls, so we thank you for your support of our team members as they work tirelessly to continue to provide the TCF [Total Customer Focus] you are accustomed to at Sheetz.” From NACS Read Full Article

With C-stores being more essential than ever, consider adding a concierge program to make it as easy as possible for your customers to get in-store product and food. Click here to download the C-store Concierge form we created to easily implement this program at pump and store entrances.

Here are some best practices for businesses on the frontlines. How are grocery stores, convenience stores, drugstores and other essential businesses keeping their employees safe while serving customers during the coronavirus pandemic? The Good Jobs Institute shares some best practices from companies like H-E-B, Mud Bay, Costco and Mercadona in an article for the Harvard Business Review. Reduce workloads. With more cleaning necessary to help stem the transmission of COVID-19, retailers need to create time for workers to disinfect stores more frequently. Tips include shortening open hours and clear language explaining to customers and employees the reasons for the changes. For example, Spain’s biggest supermarket chain, Mercadona, is asking customers to quickly pick up items and not hoard. Costco has shut down its hearing aid, optical and food court departments, while also not allowing returns on toilet paper, cleaning wipes, rice and paper towels. Outline safety measures. Retailers should create clear communication related to disinfecting distribution centers, trucks and stores, as well as handwashing and personal protection standards for employees. Be clear on how social distancing will work inside stores, such as using tape on the floor near registers to cue shoppers how to line up. Also include how employees will be monitored for potential sickness. For instance, at Mud Bay pet stores, greeters request shoppers wash hands at an outdoor station prior to entering and to keep social distancing inside the store. Empower workers and make changes frequently. COVID-19 necessitates continuously changing protocol as new information is available from state and federal government. For example, Costco, H-E-B and Mercadona quickly put plexiglass at checkouts to reduce contact between employees and customers, while Mud Bay immediately started curbside pickup. Convenience stores have been agile in adding additional safety mechanisms as well. Build in margin. Retailers who staff their stores with more labor hours than expected will find themselves able to continue operations as customers demand more and workers call out sick more. For example, H-E-B added a coronavirus response manager to monitor store sanitization and social distancing. Be respectful. Retailers should prioritize workers through pay bumps, tools and resources to stay safe, and recognition of the tough job they have now. Many convenience stores have increased pay for their frontline employees. The CEO of QuikTrip has been stopping by stores “to show solidarity, recognize good work, and communicate that their jobs are safe but adheres to recommended social distancing and sanitizing practices while doing so,” authors Sarah Kalloch and Zeynep Ton wrote. For more insight from Kalloch, who spoke at the NACS 2020 Leadership Forum, read “The Customer Experience Journey” in the April 2020 NACS Magazine, and Zeynep Ton, who led a Super Session at the 2019 NACS Show, in “Supersized Learning” in the November 2019 NACS Magazine. From NACS Read Full Article

NACS survey finds the coronavirus crisis is changing customer preferences for more take-home, bulk items. Convenience retailers say they have seen an increase in sales of grocery staples as customers increasingly turn to their local convenience store for pantry items. More than half of all retailers (52%) say their grocery sales have increased, according to a national survey of U.S. convenience store owners conducted by NACS, the trade association that represents the convenience and fuel retailing industry. Convenience stores traditionally sell immediate consumption items—83% of all products sold at a store are consumed within an hour—but they have pivoted to providing items that can be brought home: 52% say they are adding more cleaning/toiletry items, 31% are emphasizing ready-to-heat meals and 28% are showcasing multi-pack/bulk items. At the same time, convenience stores have dramatically scaled back self-serve foodservice and restaurant functions: 66% say they have closed public seating and dining areas and 45% have removed customer access to self-serve foodservice such as coffee, fountain drinks, bakery items and roller grill. It is important to note that these percentages reflect retailers who have made changes; many operators do not have dining areas, for instance. Even with the significant shift in products sold, nearly half (46%) of convenience retailers say their current distribution system is working. Another one in five (18%) say the system is sufficient, but they are supplementing it with other deliveries. New programs offer convenience, sanitizing Retailers also are looking at new programs to allow social distancing and to enhance convenience: 14% are offering some sort of curbside pickup program, 13% have increased a focus on drive-thru and 11% have added or increased delivery options. Convenience stores, which sell 80% of the fuel purchased in the United States, have ramped up the frequency of cleaning and sanitation practices inside the store and at the pump. Nearly one in three (31%) retailers are providing hand sanitizer at the pump and 20% provide gloves. Overall, 99% of retailers surveyed say they have enhanced their cleaning protocols for high-touch surfaces, with regular cleaning conducted as often as every 30 minutes. Supporting communities Nearly two in three retailers (60%) say they have reduced store operating hours, due to less customer traffic or to deep clean and restock during overnight hours. “We are here for the public and their needs. We are taking every precaution to conduct business safely,” noted one survey respondent. Convenience retailers also are supporting medical/healthcare personnel and first responders: Nearly half (49%) of survey respondents are supporting these heroes in their communities by offering free beverages and steep discounts on food, delivering free meals to local hospitals and firehouses, providing free fuel for critical community groups that provide school lunch deliveries, donating product to food banks and other programs, and supplying masks and other supplies to emergency and healthcare professionals. “We have always supported first responders with coffee and the like to help them through their shifts,” said Douglas Dean with 76/Circle K (Tamuning, Guam). Retailers also stressed the importance of their teams serving customers. Nearly one in three (32%) said that employee conversations, no matter how brief, were the most effective means of communications to tell people about their pandemic response activities. “It’s critical that we let our employees know we appreciate the fact they helped us hold our company together,” said Kim Robello with Minit Stop Markets (Kahului, Hawaii). Summing up the current operating climate, Dennis McCartney with Landhope Farms (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania) noted, “The emphasis on cross-contamination and customer safety is something that has been highlighted over and over during this crisis and something that will continue long after this is over. We are vowing not to relax these ‘cleaning and sanitizing processes on steroids’ and will continue to magnify their importance to our associates and our customers.” The NACS Retailer Member survey was fielded in late March and closed April 1. A total of 105 member companies, representing a cumulative 1,828 stores, participated in the survey. From NACS Read Full Article

Cloth masks are a voluntary public health measure; c-stores work to procure them for employees.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on April 3 issued an updated recommendation regarding the use of face masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The agency now says Americans should use simple cloth face coverings as a voluntary public health measure in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies, etc.   “We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”), and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms,” notes the CDC’s website. “This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.” The agency emphasizes the importance of maintaining six-feet social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. Additionally, the use of simple cloth face coverings can help people who may have the virus and not know it from transmitting it to others. CDC notes that the cloth face coverings are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators, which are reserved for health-care workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. Here are two resources for homemade cloth face masks: A YouTube video on how to make a mask from household items like t-shirts and bandanas, andCDC guidance on how to make, wear and clean homemade face masks. For workers on farms, and in food production, processing, and retail settings who do not typically wear masks as part of their jobs, the CDC suggests that they consider the following if they choose to use a cloth face covering: Maintain face coverings in accordance with parameters in FDA’s Model Food Code sections 4-801.11 Clean Linens and 4.802.11 SpecificationsLaunder reusable face coverings before each daily useCDC also has additional information on the use of face coverings, including washing instructions and information on how to make homemade face covers NACS communications with retail members suggest that there are many companies that already had  flexible policies on face mask usage prior to the April 3 CDC announcement, and some companies are working to secure masks so long as their inventory requests do not interfere with health-care and other medical workers and first responders obtaining necessary equipment. Wawa, which is preparing to make masks available for store associates as supplies permit, notes on its website that it has reached out to a number of hospital partners, which have confirmed that the masks Wawa is purchasing do not impact their needs or inventory at this time. Wawa is not procuring the N95 respirator masks that hospitals need, and until masks are delivered to Wawa stores, associates may wear personal masks in the interim. Giant Eagle said yesterday it is now providing disposable face masks and gloves to its 34,000 store and distribution center workers. “The safety of our Team Members and guests is our #1 priority,” Giant Eagle said in a tweet. As part of Walgreens’ broader safety measures, the company will be providing face covers to pharmacy staff and other store team members, as well as distribution centers’ staff as another preventive measure to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. Walgreens notes on its website that although the CDC has not updated its guidance for retail pharmacies and face covers, the company is providing them to team members based on ongoing COVID-19 disease prevalence and progression and feedback from health officials. The Kroger Family of Companies announced that in addition to limiting the number of customers to 50% of the building code’s capacity to allow for proper physical distancing in every store, the retailer is encouraging associates to wear protective masks and gloves. Kroger has ordered masks for associates nationwide, with supply starting to arrive in select regions, with the anticipation of all locations having supply by the end of this week. Walmart stated on March 31 that is was making face masks and gloves available for store associates who wanted to wear them, as supplies permit. The masks are “high-quality masks but not N95 respirators—which should be reserved for at-risk health-care workers. We encourage anyone who would like to wear a mask or gloves at work to ask their supervisor for them, while keeping in mind that it is still possible to spread germs while wearing them.” The Food & Beverage Issue Alliance has updated its guidance on the proper use of face masks in retail food environments, noting that the best way to prevent exposure to COVID-19 is through a combination of practices that include hand hygiene, physical (social) distancing and the use of a face covering when appropriate. From NACS Read Full Article

From free coffee to cents-off at the pump, retailers continue to show love to their communities. Convenience retailers are not slowing down when it comes to helping those who help others. Retailers and suppliers across the country are giving away coffee to first responders, providing extra pay to frontline employees, making generous donations to hospitals and simply serving in their communities. BP and Amaco gas stations are offering 50-cent-per-gallon discounts on gasoline for hospital workers, nurses and first responders, The Indy Channel reports. To receive the discount, the customer must have his or her identity verified through ID.me, a digital identity verification system. In addition, this week ampm stores started giving free hot dogs, coffee or fountain drinks to emergency service workers and hospital staff who show an official ID inside the store. RaceTrac is extending its free small fountain drink or coffee to essential workers through the end of April. The company will also continue its $3 an hour pay bump to hourly workers and $150 extra weekly pay to store general managers through April. “RaceTrac is committed to providing our communities with the essentials they need during this time of great uncertainty,” said Melanie Isbill, chief marketing officer, in a press release. Global Partners LP’s convenience store brands, Alltown Fresh, Alltown, Jiffy Mart, XtraMart, T-Bird, and Honey Farms, also temporarily increased compensation for retail store employees by $2 an hour and is providing $50 monthly gift cards for each store employee. Store managers will receive a one-time bonus payment of $600. Fleet Advantage’s foundation, Kids Around the Corner, made a $10,000 donation to the First Responders Children’s Foundation to aid in their emergency response fund. “Community involvement, charitable giving and support are a tenet of Fleet Advantage and essential to bringing our communities together as we are all deeply affected by this virus,” said John Flynn, CEO at Fleet Advantage. QuickTrip (QT) launched an on-lot pickup service across the country. QT customers now have the option to have their items delivered to their vehicle almost anywhere on the lot upon arrival. “Our customers all have varying preferences and goals for their visits to QT, and we hope this option will accommodate many who aren’t able to come inside for a visit,” said QuikTrip Digital Marketing Manager Mattie Garrison, in a press release. Pilot and Flying J travel centers continue to stay open to serve professional drivers and others working to support their communities. The company is taking extra precautions, such as following social distancing guidelines and disinfecting frequently used surfaces, including gas pumps, door handles, restrooms and showers. “We are extraordinarily grateful to the everyday heroes—from professional drivers to first responders and health care providers—who are working tirelessly to provide the care, services and supplies we need through this challenging time,” said Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Company, in a press release. TA and Petro Shopping Centers are also staying open, with additional cleaning of the fuel pumps and pin pads, more frequent cleaning of showers and restrooms, and closing full-service restaurant dining. Its fitness centers and driver lounges have been closed until further notice. The Goods Mart has created the Goods Surprise Snack Box, which is will be filled with snacks and shelf-stable beverages. Boxes come in three sizes and in vegan, gluten-free and paleo/low sugar varieties. Customers can donate a box to the Food Bank for New York or to the staff at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Mount Sinai. In addition, 10% of each box will benefit the Restaurant Worker’s Community Foundation. The New York c-store was featured in the 2019 Ideas 2 Go video. Krispy Krunchy Chicken donated 50 cases of SaniPro wipes to Baton Rouge, La., health-care facilities. The company also gave meals to hospitals in the New Orleans area, WBRZ-TV reports. ExxonMobil also donated hand sanitizer. Common Man Roadside has reduced its hours and turned its fresh foodservice into carryout only. “We have stepped up social media activity to encourage business and have been involved in reaching out to the community, providing some meals to area hospital health-care workers. We are also offering a 50% discount on takeout meals to health-care workers and first responders,” Bill Boynton with Common Man Roadside told NACS Daily. “Business is off, but we are pushing forward in this current environment, and [are] confident that this too shall pass.” Marathon Petroleum Corporation donated 575,000 N95 respirator masks to 45 health-care facilities, while the Marathon Petroleum Foundation Inc., gave $1 million to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. “We are incredibly grateful for the selfless actions of doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers on the front lines of this pandemic, and we are grateful that we can make this contribution to their safety,” said MPC President and CEO Michael J. Hennigan, in a press release. From NACS Read Full Article