ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Convenience store clerks, emergency personnel, hospital workers and others work hard around the clock to provide services. National Third Shift Workers Day recognizes those who help keep our cities and communities safe and operational 24/7.

Approximately 15 million employees work the third shift outside the hours of 7 am and 6 pm in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Shift workers are mostly in the protective services (firefighters, guards and police), followed by hospital workers, the manufacturing industry, foodservice, transportation/utility workers and long-haul truckers.

While it seems like a no-brainer to have hospitals, firehouses and police stations open all day, some don’t see the need for convenience stores to be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But those very shift workers—plus nighttime travelers and those in peril searching for a safe place to go—need convenience stores to provide snacks, gas and other necessitates at a time when other retailers are closed.

A 2014 NACS survey found that more than 90% of new c-stores never close. Sixty-five percent of all convenience retailers operate all or some of their locations 24/7. An additional 9% of stores stay open after 11 pm, but not overnight. The top reason for not operating 24/7 was the low volume of sales. Many c-stores use the overnight hours to restock inventory, to deep clean the foodservice or high-traffic areas, and to prep for the morning rush.

The NACS survey found that more than 95% of retailers say that shift workers are the most common customers served overnight. Read more about convenience stores open all night in “24/7 Operations” in NACS Magazine.