Dysart's Travel Stop in Pittsfield, Maine, won the drawing for the top prize of a 2009 platinum Cadillac Escalade. Dysart's was one [image-nocss] of the stations that received the highest marks, a gold rating, from the mystery shoppers in every inspection in 2008. Han-Dee Hugo in Wilmington, N.C., was presented with a 2009 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle for being among the stations that received gold ratings on two out of the three inspections.
"CITGO is extremely proud of the local business men and women who operate the more than 7,000 CITGO stations across the country and would like to recognize all of them for their dedication to the brand," said Jennifer Moos, CITGO general manager of brand development. "We know what an important role these businesses play in their local communities. The competition this year for the IVP grand prizes is a testament to the dedication our local retailers have, not only to the CITGO brand, but also to their customers and the communities in which they live, to provide a high-quality shopping experience."
The CITGO IVP program is based on in-person mystery shopper visits designed to ensure that the more than 7,000 locally owned CITGO stations are customer friendly. The IVP program uses an independent third party to judge each CITGO retail location based on 14 characteristics, including assessment of store personnel, exterior signage, cleanliness and internal operations such as the convenience store and, most importantly for many customers, the public restroom facilities.
"It's refreshing in this time of economic stress that CITGO still goes the extra mile to recognize their retailers," said Tim Dysart of Dysart's Travel Stop. "We're a local business that serves our friends and neighbors, just like all the CITGO retailers, so we strive to provide a clean and welcoming environment."
Gold ratings were awarded to stations that receive a positive score in 12 or more of the 14 characteristics in the mystery shopper assessments. Stations with three or more gold ratings joined the Platinum Club and were eligible for the new Escalade. Locations that scored gold on two out of three inspections were entered to win the Honda Gold Wing.
"We know that having a clean, welcoming store will help keep customers coming back," said John Clark of Sampson-Bladen Oil Co. Inc., Clinton, N.C., which operates the Han-Dee Hugo locations. "These days, it's more important than ever to offer some kind of competitive edge. We appreciate that CITGO is rewarding stations for doing something we'd want to do anyway--offer a great experience to our neighbors who shop here."
For 2009, CITGO is revising the mystery shopper program to cover 24 characteristics of each retail location. The new program, now called "Image Impact Initiative", will add further rewards and recognition to local CITGO retailers who offer their customers high quality shopping experience.
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