When Mike Wilson, chief operating officer of Cubby’s Inc., talks about data, his message isn’t about complex analytics platforms or expensive software. It’s about using the information retailers already have to make smarter, faster decisions in the real world.
Wilson oversees 31 stores across Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota, including convenience stores, grocery stores, car washes and quick-service restaurants.
- Cubby's Inc. is No. 165 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.
Small retailers already have all the data they need to compete with large chains, he said during an education session at the 2025 NACS Show in Chicago.
“You don’t need a data scientist or a million-dollar system to run smarter,” he said. “The tools are already in your stores—your point of sale (POS), your waste logs, your schedules, your vendor reports. What separates the operators who win from the ones who fall behind isn’t access to data. It’s how quickly they can turn the numbers into action.”
Wilson challenged operators to pick one number to use the next day. From Cubby’s experience, here are 10 data points that can immediately improve profitability, labor efficiency and customer experience, according to Wilson.
- Sales per labor hour: Divide total sales by labor hours. It reveals whether payroll is working and where to shift hours to match customer traffic instead of just cutting them.
- Customer count vs. basket size: If sales are soft, determine whether the store is losing customers or if shoppers are spending less. The first problem calls for marketing; the second calls for suggestive selling and bundling.
- Top and bottom sellers: Run your top 10 and bottom 10 items weekly. Cut slow movers and focus on the products that truly drive the business.
- Gross margin by category: Not all sales are equal. Cigarettes may bring traffic but have thin margins, while foodservice can deliver 50% profits.
- Waste percentage: Treat waste logs as a gold mine, not a punishment tool. If chicken tenders are always being tossed, employees are over-prepping or forecasting wrong.
- Hourly sales by daypart: Overlay hourly sales with the labor schedule to find hidden opportunities. Too many people before the rush burns payroll; too few during it means lost sales.
- Vendor fill rates: If energy drink deliveries are only 80% full, that’s 20% of potential sales walking out the door. Hold vendors accountable.
- Rebate and trade-fund tracking: Vendor rebates and marketing dollars are pure margin multipliers, but only if the items are stocked, signed and promoted.
- Product pairings: POS data shows what sells together. If most pizza sales include a fountain drink, train staff to suggest it every time.
- Sales per item per store per day: When testing new products, Wilson looks at how many sell per day per store. If an item doesn’t move after 90 days, and staff actually merchandise it, it’s time to cut it.
“The goal isn’t to drown in reports,” Wilson said. “It’s to spot the story in the numbers. Take one step and make your store better this week than it was last week.”
For small operators, he said, speed is the advantage.
“You can look at a number today, make a decision tonight and see the results tomorrow,” he said. “That’s your edge.”
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