Above: A gondola at TXB Stores in Georgetown, Texas, is brimming with fresh salads, sandwiches, fruit, veggies, yogurt parfaits and more! Fresh fruit is a perfect on-the-go snack, says Anna Felz, director of brand management.

One hot summer morning found me in a TXB in Georgetown, Texas, a suburb of Austin, where I had the chance to chat with Anna Felz, director of brand management for TXB Stores, and TXB CEO Kevin Smartt and his team about the new concept store, now a year old, and the innovation showcased there.

I watched a mom carrying a baby navigate the bright, fresh space along with another woman—Grandma?—and a preschool-age girl. Mom grabbed a hand shopping basket, and the family set out exploring the store. Mom picked up blueberries and cut-up watermelon from a grab-and-go case filled with fresh fruit, eyed the prepared grab-and-go foods and put a dozen eggs in her basket. She then headed to the TXB Market for breakfast—TXB has a fabulous menu of breakfast burritos and other freshly made-on-site foods. While waiting for her order, she selected a TXB private-label bottled tea from a gondola near the foodservice counter and examined one of the grab-and-go fresh salads the store stocks.

This family’s c-store trip may have started out as routine—a stop for gas and breakfast—but clearly became one of discovery and delight."

Meanwhile, Grandma spotted a display of apples and selected one. Then the little girl ran back and picked up two apples—one Red Delicious and the other Golden Delicious—and with Grandma’s help selected a bottle of chocolate milk from the cold case. By the time they made it to the counter to pay, the hand basket was full, and Mom had even added a jug of windshield washer fluid.

I got a kick out of watching the family’s journey through the store—as did Smartt, who had been taking in the scene from a different vantage point. I jokingly asked him if he’d paid the family to hit many of the special touchpoints I was there to see. He smiled and said, no, but he appeared tickled to see how the visit played out.

This family’s c-store trip may have started out as routine—a stop for gas and breakfast—but clearly became one of discovery and delight. Which brings us to our cover story this month: “Today’s Customer Journey,” in which we share insights from NielsenIQ, Cardlytics and Casey’s on behavioral segmentation, digital marketing strategies and advice for influencing customer journeys.

If you are reading this at the NACS Show in Las Vegas, you are on a discovery journey of your own. I hope you’ll stop into the General Sessions this week where NACS will debut the 2022 Ideas 2 Go video series, introducing you to TXB and the five other c-stores our team visited over the past few months to help you think about the journeys your customers take to and within your stores—and how to engage them every step of the way.

Enjoy the Show!