How do you design a unique experience for your customers? Create your own set of standards. That’s the guiding principle for Basecamp Wilson in Wilson, Wyoming. “We embraced that our standards are our standards, and we don’t compare ourselves to other gas station convenience stores,” said James Fraser, general manager of the store, which is located at the base of Jackson Hole’s Teton Pass. “That philosophy has allowed us to think outside the box.”
Fraser, along with some financial partners, purchased the convenience store in 2018 and transformed it into Basecamp Wilson, “a high-end market with a restaurant that sells gas. We’ve enjoyed the dichotomy of having a cool experience with our convenience store/restaurant on the inside and gas pumps on the outside.”
Modern Market
On the market side, Basecamp Wilson has traditional convenience store items, such as snacks, drinks, tobacco and candy, alongside gourmet grocery items and wines, craft beers and spirits. The store also carries local and French cheeses, plus charcuterie items and higher-end crackers. “We also have a lot of kombucha, sparkling water, Yerba Mate energy drink replacements, premium chocolate and local sausages and meats, plus high-end snack sticks,” Fraser said.
The store boasts a robust alcohol section that includes the standards, plus craft beers from 30 different breweries—many of them local—and beer and wine on tap. Basecamp Wilson’s wine shop even has an in-house sommelier. “That’s something not many gas station convenience stores have,” he said. The sommelier focuses on low intervention and natural wines without a lot of chemicals or preservatives added. “We have between 100 and 150 bottles of wine, ranging in price from $9 to $120 per bottle,” Frasier said.
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Ideas 2 Go showcases how retailers today are operating the convenience store of tomorrow. To see videos of the c-stores we profiled in 2019 and earlier, go to www.convenience.org/ideas2go.
We wanted to keep our shelving cohesive, so we don’t allow any outside point-of-sale displays.
The sommelier is on hand to answer customer questions and also run a weekly wine tasting on Friday afternoons, where she showcases two wines. “We end up selling cases of wine during the tastings, so it has worked well for us,” Fraser said.
Basecamp Wilson’s in-house restaurant is Rations Wilson. Run by Chef Brian Laughlin, the fast-casual restaurant serves quality food, such as hand-ground burgers and breads from a local bakery. “We try to keep the price point low, too, such as offering burger and fries for $9,” Fraser said.
The store offers 24 seats inside plus an additional 40 to 60 seats outside, weather permitting. In addition, Rations supplies the store’s extensive grab-and-go section, including four kinds of breakfast burritos, fried chicken, hot ham-and-cheese sandwiches and other menu items. “Most of what we feature on our menu is available in our grab-and-go section to give customers a choice of pre-made or fresh-made,” Fraser said.
Basecamp Wilson’s in-house restaurant, Rations Wilson, serves quality food and supplies the store's extensive grab-and-go section.
Modern Connections
Architecturally, Basecamp Wilson resembles “a nicer boutique store or restaurant,” he said. “We didn’t want to take any cues from other gas stations as we wanted a unique look all of our own.”
Inside the store, the only shelf branding is Basecamp Wilson. “We wanted to keep our shelving cohesive, so we don’t allow any outside point-of-sale displays. We wanted people to see our brand,” Fraser explained. He added that the ban on supplier POS displays has not hurt sales at all. “In fact, we have seen sales increase significantly because of our focus on Basecamp Wilson branding.”
The store connects with customers via Instagram and Facebook, as well as through advertising in local publications. “We also do local events, such as wine dinners with a regional wine maker, and we sponsor local town activities, too,” he said.
Overall, Fraser hopes customers leave the store with a smile “and the thought that this is the cleanest, nicest, most different gas station experience they’ve ever had. Our goal is that they begin to expect all convenience stores to be like Basecamp Wilson.”
Bright Ideas
“We want our staff to create relationships with customers because it helps both with staff retention and customer loyalty,” said James Fraser, general manager of Basecamp Wilson in Wilson, Wyoming. To that end, Fraser maintains staffing at the same level throughout the year, despite the traffic uptick in the summer with the influx of tourists. “We’re located in a very seasonal resort town, so that means we’re really busy in the summer and less so in the winter,” he said. “But we’ve kept our staff pretty much the same because I don’t downsize our employee roster in the off-season.”
To Fraser, the cost of a higher payroll during the slower winter months is more than offset by low turnover. “It’s also the convenience and peace of mind knowing that our workers know our store and customers,” he said.