The day after Liz Lord turned 16, she started working as a sales associate in a QuikTrip store in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. “It was such a fun environment, and they’re so flexible with part-time people,” said Lord, who stayed on the job until she left for college, where “I realized that I’d have better opportunities if I worked at QuikTrip full time and attended school part time.”

Lord was right. Today, 23 years later, she is manager of infrastructure engineering for the Tulsa-based retailer, supervising the team that builds the network and security systems for the 800-store chain. “The money drew me in originally, but once I was here, it was the people,” she said. “When you go into any store, you’re immediately accepted into that team, and you’re treated like family. That’s why I stay.”

There’s no argument that salary and benefits are key to recruiting and retaining competent staff members. Currently, the average convenience store manager earns $47,429 a year. Full-time sales associates are paid $11.75 hourly, and the average part-time sales associate earns $10.83 hourly, according to the NACS State of the Industry Compensation Report of 2019 Data. In addition, about 75% of convenience store operators offer some type of medical coverage to hourly employees.

“It’s probably a bit obvious, but separating hourly sales associates by full time and part time sheds a spotlight on the difference in turnover, with part-time associates turning over 160% compared to only 81% for full-timers,” said Jayme Gough, research manager for NACS.

QuikTrip is known in the industry for offering high salaries and generous benefits. The average QT manager makes “close to $90,000 a year,” said Brady Walker, who started working in a store 15 years ago and is now manager of corporate personnel. “They work hard and earn every penny of it.”

The company is privately insured and offers medical, dental and vision insurance, plus tuition reimbursement for employees and scholarship opportunities for dependents. “We have a tremendous 401(k) profit-sharing program, but that’s a long-term incentive,” he said. “We also have customer service bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary bonuses and rewards.”

But money and benefits alone won’t keep employees working at jobs they don’t enjoy.

“We want to make sure employees are valued and have a voice,” said Walker, referring to regular opinion surveys that are distributed to the team. “We try to get a sense of what do we do that works well. We ask them, ‘What are you forced to do that doesn’t make any sense?’ Some tasks may look good on paper. But maybe there’s a better way to do something, or maybe they don’t need to do it at all. When Chet [Cadieux, president and CEO, QuikTrip] is out in the stores, one thing he does is find the part-time clerks and ask them, ‘What are we doing that’s stupid?’ It’s a good thing. There’s a lot of trust involved in that.”

Hiring Right

Even during times of unemployment, finding good applicants to hire can be a challenge. QuikTrip representatives attend occasional job fairs and post openings on social media, but “the best recruiters we have are store employees and signage in the stores,” said Walker. QT hiring managers take special notice of those applications with an employee recommendation, and employees receive monetary rewards when they recommend an applicant who is hired.

Employee recommendations also are important at VERC Enterprises, which operates 31 convenience stores and car washes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. “Our best employees are referred to us by current employees, and the person making the referral and the new hire both receive a bonus,” said Courtney Buckley, manager of training, development and fun at VERC. “Besides referrals, we post online and attend job fairs, and we work with the state’s Re-Entry program to provide employment opportunities for former inmates who have been rehabilitated.”

It’s hard to tell from an interview if an applicant will be a successful, long-term employee. QuikTrip interviews include behavioral questions, such as, “Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict.”

At VERC, “We then ask about previous jobs, how long they worked there and why they left,” Buckley said. “We ask what they liked most about a previous job and what they didn’t like to determine if our company is right for them. If there is something they didn’t like, but it’s a requirement for our job, that’s a red flag,” she said. “If someone changes jobs every couple of months, that’s another red flag. The internet is a great tool. Google and Facebook are free and help us learn more about the applicant.”

Every QuikTrip applicant completes an assessment survey by answering “agree/disagree” questions on a graduated scale. The company can look at survey responses of proven, tenured employees to see if there are common factors that indicate an applicant’s future success. “We use data a lot more than we used to just because we have it available,” said Walker. “If we can hire two or three out of every 10 interviews, that makes us more efficient.”

Like other convenience operators, QuikTrip seeks “that person who is high energy, has a good personality and who isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Everybody takes part in all the tasks whether that’s dumping trash, cleaning restrooms or stocking coolers,” he said.

Top-Notch Training

Training for success begins as soon as the job offer is made and accepted.

At VERC, novice employees go through a five-day “training checklist,” which “starts with something fun, like a store lunch, to welcome the new hire,” said Buckley. “The checklist covers everything that an associate needs to know, and it’s reviewed over the course of five shifts at the store.”

Initial training includes operating the POS and the lottery machine, learning fuel pump safety procedures, stocking, cleaning and what to do during down times. Once the checklist is complete, the associate leaves with a $25 gas card that they must ring up themselves.

VERC offers continuing education, including leadership, supervisory skills, English as a second language, time management and more. “Almost everyone in the company is involved in this training, from the support center to team leaders to associates,” Buckley said. “These extra classes help our stores run more efficiently and further the education of our employees.”

QuikTrip’s onboarding starts with orientation at the division office and then moves to the store, where newbies work beside a designated trainer for several days, learning tasks and receiving feedback. Because the chain is growing rapidly, video training modules often are used to inform store staffers about new food offerings and updated procedures.

Opportunities for promotion are another tool that motivates employees to take more responsibility and stay on the job, and both VERC and QuikTrip are committed to promoting internally.

“Our associates make the best leaders because they are familiar with our culture and how our company works,” said Buckley. “Associates can apply to be a shift leader by meeting with our president and vice president of operations. If they think it’s a good fit, then the associate will train for a couple months, which involves learning paperwork and other tasks of a store leader. After that, they take the Shift Leader Evaluation, and if they pass, they officially become a shift leader.”

Retailers can’t grow a winning business singlehandedly. Some may try, but every famous entrepreneur has built a flourishing company with great employees by his or her side. “If you hire the right people, it makes a whole lot more sense to take care of them and invest in them, then go out and find more of them,” Walker said.