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You probably haven’t heard of the Midwestern-based Kwik Trip. But in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, you’re hard-pressed to find a single decent-sized city without one.
The company now accounts for $4.5 billion in annual sales, and it’s the most beloved c-store in the region – by both customers and employees.
What makes Kwik Trip so great?
Here’s a few things:
1. Unique Hiring Process
Kwik Trip was recently named one of Milwaukee’s Best Places to Work. Their unique hiring process actually checks for honesty, humility, and respect.
Employees with those qualities make customer’s days. And since the typical location serves 1,500 – 2,000 people per day, it’s important employees know how to make them happy.
2. Unequalled Employee Benefits
How do you attract the best workers and keep them motivated? By treating them better than anywhere else.
Most large companies do not get this. Kwik Trip doesn’t just get it – they excel at it. 40% of the company’s profits go right back to employees through their profit-sharing plan, which typically amounts to 5-9% of workers’ gross wage.
Generous health benefits and enjoyable working conditions make Kwik Trip the go-to convenience store to work at.
And maybe this is what makes Kwik Trip number 65 on Forbes list of Best Place to Work in the US.
3. Consistently Exceptional Customer Experience
Kwik Trip bathrooms are always clean. When they’re not, a complaint goes straight to the CEO’s desk.
The store offers hot to-gos like coffee, pizza, hot dogs, doughnuts, and other delicious snacks. It’s also a mini-grocer, offering milk, bananas, bread, meat, produce, and other small items people may not want to drive all the way to the local grocer to get.
And these items come in at highly competitive prices.
4. Sleek Operations
Kwik Trip has a centrally located distribution hub in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 450 employees work in a 360,000 square foot facility, while a 176,000 square foot dairy production facility supplies customers with its namesake.
Most of the hot food served on-site also gets prepared on-site.
It’s difficult for other c-stores to match. And the words “Kwik Trip’s opening a new location” strikes fear into the hearts of competitors.
When it comes to c-stores, Kwik Trip’s quite awesome. What did you learn from some of their tactics today?[:]
