Drive-Thru Convenience Store Fights to Stay Open

NACS Online
June 12, 2013

Coolers is using marketing campaigns to convince customers that its business model is a fun and convenient shopping option.

PIERRE, South Dakota – Like many businesses, Coolers has been trying to find its niche in the world. In the case of this convenience store, the originality lies with it being a strictly drive-thru store, the Capital Journal reports. Anne and Bert Rowe opened the first Coolers in December 2010, and a second location a year later. Today, only the second location is still in business.

While the concept has attracted its share of regular, new customers are needed to boost business. “We know it would thrive if we could get people to come through and see us,” said Anne Rowe. Coolers has launched a “Save Coolers” campaign with Facebook ads.

The store stocks the usual convenience store merchandise, from milk and beer to candy and chips. “We have everything any other convenience store has, we are just more fun,” she said.

Overall, drive-thrus are a rising trend in convenience stores and QRS, although most are attached to store customers can walk into as well, said Jeff Lenard, NACS spokesman.

With the average c-store customer spending three to four minutes per transaction, many consumers expect drive-thru experiences to be even faster.

For convenience stores, having a drive-thru can be challenging because of the sheer amount of products offered. “If you are offering the entire store through the drive thru, how do you do that and still provide quick service?” he said.

For more information on convenience store drive-thrus, check out “The Ins and Outs of Drive-Thrus” from NACS Magazine.