Rutter’s announced that it implemented a starting wage of $18 an hour on January 1.

The average increase for all Rutter’s employees for 2024 is 7%. The new wage is a 75% increase to the c-stores starting rate in 2019.

“Providing competitive wages is a foundational part of being a great place to work and shows our long-term investment in our employees and communities,” said Suzanne Cramer, vice president of human resources at Rutter’s. “Our ability to attract and retain talent will allow us to continue to provide award-winning customer service to all of our patrons.”

In other wage-related news, in late September 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law stating that fast food workers must earn a minimum of $20 an hour. The new minimum equates to an annual wage of $41,600. The bill will take effect on April 1, and will give California’s fast food workers the highest guaranteed base salary in the industry.

Conversely, Walmart cut its starting pay for some new hires in September, suggesting that the labor market may be loosening. Under the old structure, some workers started at a slightly higher initial wage depending on their job. The new structure flattens this disparity.

NACS conducts an annual compensation study that aggregates the most up-to-date convenience industry-specific benchmarking data. The data provided by NACS is now available in an interactive dashboard that aid data visualization and helps you to hire strategically and benchmark against peers in the industry. For more on the new compensation tool from NACS, register to watch an informational webinar on-demand.