C-Stores Offer More Than Convenience

Convenience stores offer speed of service to customers who want to get in and out of the store quickly. These shoppers recognize this channel of trade for its convenient locations, refueling, extended hours of operation, one-stop shopping, grab-and-go foodservice, variety of merchandise and fast transactions. Here's more facts about this dynamic industry: 

• Of the 151,975 convenience stores in the United States, 122,620 locations sell fuel.
• The convenience store industry is a destination for food and refreshments. Foodservice sales, which includes prepared food; commissary; and hot, cold, and frozen dispensed beverages, accounted for 28.5% of in-store sales and 38.9% of in-store gross margin dollars at convenience stores in 2025. Most foodservice sales are from prepared food. In 2025, prepared food accounted for 74% of foodservice sales.
• The U.S. convenience store industry conducts approximately 160 million transactions per day.
• Self-serve is a part of most convenience stores' fueling operations. The first self-serve gas station was opened by Hoosier Petroleum Co. in 1930, but was closed by the fire marshal for being a fire hazard. Frank Ulrich reintroduced the idea in 1947 at the corner of Jilson and Atlantic in Los Angeles. Modern self-serve began in 1964 with the introduction of remote fueling; an attendant was no longer required to reset the pumps after each transaction. Today, self-serve is still prohibited in New Jersey.