ALEXANDRIA, Va. – "How do you solve the problem of a woman needing something immediately in the middle of the night...there are some bad guys out there who think of the c-stores as a beacon to make a quick grab...how do you make it a safe place?” asks William Shatner to NACS experts.
In a special episode of Convenience Matters podcast, Shatner and NACS President and CEO Henry Armour joined host Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president strategic industry initiatives to talk about topics related to convenience retailing.
Within the episode, Shatner declares that “in 20 years, convenience stores do not have a future,” though soon retracts that statement when convinced of their worth by Armour.
In a fun, and often contentious exchange, Shatner, Armour and Lenard talked topics ranging from safety to competition to the future of a competitive convenience.
Shatner also addressed some convenience related questions, such as what a convenience store would look like on the Enterprise and whether cup holders would have been helpful. (Sneak peek: the answer is no, but listen to find out why not!)
“Star Trek has an overarching guiding principle known as the ‘prime directive.’ Simply put, you can’t interfere with the internal development of alien civilizations. It was terrific to hear an icon like William Shatner violate that principle in offering both solicited—and unsolicited—advice about our industry,” said Armour.
The NACS Convenience Matters podcast debuted in 2016 to appeal anyone working in retail, supply products or services, fascinated by the auto industry and the future of fueling and mobility or who simply love convenience.
Also, Convenience Matters now has a new, user-friendly website, conveniencematters.com. The site features information about the podcasts and the program hosts as well as recent podcast episodes with industry leaders, partner organizations, celebrities, industry experts and convenience store fanatics, plus.
In addition to weekly programs, Convenience Matters also features special episodes on timely topics, such as those focused on the fueling issues related to hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which were shared with reporters across the country.
“We are delighted with the success of the Convenience Matters podcasts and how our members download episodes to hear unique approaches to current challenges facing the industry and inspiring personal stories, as well as best practices, tips and trends,” said NACS Convenience Matters co-host Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives. “The average podcast listener in America consumes five different podcasts a week, and we are honored to be on so many members’ playlists—as well as playlists from listeners in 80-plus other countries.”
A new Convenience Matters podcast is released every week focusing on topics related to convenience stores. Episodes of Convenience Matters can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and at conveniencematters.com. Since its launch in February 2016, it has been downloaded in more than 80 countries and listenership has more than doubled over the past 10 months.