LAS VEGAS — Store design can be a strategic way to create opportunities to save time and labor for employees.
Kevin Smartt, CEO and president of TXB Stores, has focused on redesigning stores for a better workflow since Kwik Chek began rebranding to TXB.
- TXB is No. 141 on CSP's 2022 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by number of retail outlets.
The first updated design element upon entering new TXB stores is floor mats that are laid into the concrete and bolted down. The recessed mats prevent a trip hazard and prevent dirt from being tracked throughout the store, meaning less sweeping and mopping for employees.
“From a labor-saving standpoint, all our employee has to do is come up and vacuum out the dirt because it settles down into the recessed area,” Smartt said during a workshop at the 2022 NACS Show. “And then the strips that go across—when they wear out—they are Velcro, and you can just peel up and put another one down.”
In the dispensed beverage area, TXB also keeps more than enough cups available at the beverage station, so employees don’t have to worry about restocking them as often. Drains below the fountains make for easier cleanup, and trash cans hidden beneath counters looks cleaner and prevents employees from having to tidy the trash area.
Beneath the coffee machines, there are more holes in the countertops, which catch the pucks from the machine.
“The way those machines work, they can only hold so many pucks, and when you get those pucks of coffee in there, it shuts the machine down,” said Smartt. “So this allows us to run pretty much all through the peak time of morning without having to focus on being over there at the coffee bar having to empty those pucks.”
Smartt added several other features for easy cleaning, such as floor drains and built-in pressure washers on the building.
In coolers, micro-glass shelves are worth investing in, according to Smartt, because they keep product pushed to the front, so coolers always look neat without the upkeep of an employee.
For foodservice, TXB’s offerings include a taco line, and Smartt said that the stores previously cooked its tortillas in the back on a grill, but from a theatrical and labor-saving standpoint, it makes more sense to cook them in front of the customer.
“We’re not having to turn around, walk to the grill, cook the tortillas and walk back,” said Smartt.
New TXB stores have screens that show lottery tickets, which takes away the need for them to be on or inside the counter. During the checkout process, employees are free from tallying tickets and counting money because tickets are integrated into the software.
Food lockers are another new feature for TXB. Customers picking up food from a mobile app order can punch a code into the locker for a grab-and-go experience. The queue won’t be interrupted, and employees do not have to worry about managing order pick-ups.
Smartt said that the customer hand-washing station, which he began installing post-pandemic, has been a big hit.
“All of our stores have these merchandising areas for fruit. We see customers come up and wash their hands, grab some fruit, turn around and go over and wash their fruit,” Smartt said. “For us, it’s been a really nice edition, and we get a lot of complements from people that come into the stores and see this.”
Smartt said he has learned a lesson with the addition of the hand-washing station as well as a store garden, which turned into a community garden on its own.
“It’s not intuitive for us as retailers because we always want to maximize every square foot in our store for profit, and I’m not saying that’s the wrong thing to do, but what I have found is, if you can create a sense of community, you can create a sense of home for your employees,” Smartt said.
Turnover, therefore, has been exceptionally low, said Smartt.