LOS ANGELES – Convenience store owners have to compete and succeed within a challenging business model, providing a diverse range of products in a smaller store space, while also providing low prices for customers. Maintaining profits can be difficult, but there are practices store owners have learned to embrace that help keep their budgets out of the red.

According to a recent news release from LA Top Distributor, a Los Angeles-based provider of convenience store items, they offer three key strategies for improving sales:

• Uncluttered check-out area – The check-out is the center of business transactions within the store, and is the only area where a customer must have interaction with an employee. It should always be neat and uncluttered. Display small "throw in bag" products here, and not much else. An uncluttered check-out area won't overload the senses and it keeps customers happy.
• Know your base – A successful store owner must cater to all types of convenience store customers, from "last minute shoppers" to "regulars." But when it comes down to it, stores rely on their regulars and owners must meet their needs.
• Inventory Awareness and Following Trends – If a store owner consistently finds themselves running out of stock on an item, it's not the customers' fault for buying too much. Owners should constantly be tuned in to their inventory so they can know exactly what to get, when to get it and how much of it they need. A successful owner pays attention to what sells and what doesn't, and stays in touch with overall market trends.