ALEXANDRIA, Va. – On this week’s episode of Convenience Matters, “A Conversation with Roy Strasburger,” NACS hosts Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives, and John Eichberger, executive director of the Fuels Institute, talk with Roy Strasburger, president of Strasburger, about his 50 years in the convenience store industry.

Strasburger’s family has been in the convenience and fuel retailing industry for 65 years, and he started helping out his father at the store during the summers while in elementary school. “I’d go to cars [at the pump island] to get their orders [for items inside the store] and then bring the order out to the car,” Strasburger said. His other early tasks included sweeping, stocking shelves, dusting and sorting glass soda bottles for return to bottlers. “The bottles were kept out back of the store in the 100-degree [Texas] heat, so I’d sort the bottles and fight off the bees and the flies,” he said. “That made me want more time inside the store rather than outside.”

Strasburger also reflected on changes in the industry during his half century of working in convenience stores. “Most of the major developments and changes are technology-oriented. [For example], when I started in the business, it was all cash, [and now we have] pay-at-the-pump technology,” he said. “However, from a customer-service point of view, I think a lot of the basics are still the same—that you’re trying to provide the best operation you can, the cleanest operation you can, great customer service, and that you’re friendly and providing products and the items that people want at a reasonable price.”

Each week a new Convenience Matters episode is released. The podcast can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play and other podcast apps, and at www.conveniencematters.com. Episodes have been downloaded by listeners more than 48,000 times in more than 95 countries.