B U S I N E S S
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Edited by
James E. Ellis● Covidpushedconvenience
storesonline.Butdeliverycosts
andnewrivalscouldhitprofitsAmerica’s152,000conveniencestoressurvived—
eventhrived—duringtheAmazonerabybeing
thequickestwaytobuythingslikeicecreamand
cigarettes.Theymostlyignoredthewebbecause
theycould,thankstotheirubiquitouspresenceon
urbanstreetcornersandsuburbanroadways.
Thecoronavirus isquickly challengingthat
business model. Since the pandemic hit the U.S. in
March, drastically reducing in-store shopping, big
players like 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Casey’s GeneralStores have accelerated the rollout of delivery from
thousands of locations via third-party platforms
such as DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats.
“What Covid really did is it gave the industry
a peek into the future,” says Frank Beard, a retail
consultant. Convenience stores were eventually
going to face the same challenges from e-commerce
specialists that have already crushed department
stores and apparel chains. The pandemic sped up
that timeline, however, as Americans grew wary of
going to public places and spent less time driving
because they’re working more from home. “Covid
disrupted some of these routines,” Beard says, “and
there’s going to be a lot of lingering effects.”
The industry has been a rare success story in
brick-and-mortar retailing by improving its foodCan Direct-to-Door
Slushees Beat Amazon?