Amazon.com announced last week that it plans to permanently close eight of its 28 Amazon Go convenience stores. The first Go opened in January 2018 and featured the debut of its “Just Walk Out” technology.

Convenience stores may not need to worry much about what customers have to say about them — if they have anything to say about them at all, but new research finds that reputations matter in the convenience store world. How influential are customer reviews on a convenience store’s reputation?

Sheetz is reviewing its “smile policy” that forbids associates from having “missing, broken, or badly discolored teeth (unrelated to a disability)” following an exposé by Business Insider.  Do you see some rationalization for Sheetz’s smile policy?

A 7-Eleven in Austin, TX, is blasting opera music nonstop outside the store as a deterrent against loiters and panhandlers. The owner said he has faced issues since a homeless encampment developed next to the location. What do you think of the use of loud, classical music to deter loitering outside stores?

These days, the favorite grocery store in the U.S. is not even a supermarket, a new survey says. Why are more people shopping at 7-Eleven and other convenience stores for meals in the current economic environment?

The devotion that Wawa’s customers feel for the convenience store chain has been described as cult-like, and that has inspired the business to follow its devotees into an expanding list of geographical markets. What makes Wawa special in the eyes of its customers and how does it ensure that it carries that uniqueness into new territories?

Circle K has reached agreement to lease space within its convenience stores in Florida for the purpose of dispensing medical marijuana to patients in the state. Is Circle K’s move a game changer for the legal cannabis business?

The Texas grocery powerhouse H-E-B is piloting a new form of self-checkout at one location that might remind shoppers of a trip to the airport. Do you see the Fast Scan self-checkout that H-E-B is piloting having any advantage over other options on the market?

Alimentation Couche-Tard yesterday said it will deploy more than 10,000 self-checkout machines in 7,000-plus Circle K and Couche-Tard convenience stores over the next three years. What impact do you think the new self-checkout technology being scaled at Circle K and Couche-Tard will have on those chains’ customers, associates and operational performance?

A convenience store’s main competition was simply another c-store until relatively recently. Now quick commerce businesses have made aggressive moves into the convenience space, promising delivery of small baskets within as little as 10 minutes.  How can c-store retailers stay competitive with the new series of fast commerce operators as well as traditional rivals?

Convenience store customers increasingly want to be able to place their food orders beforehand via an app, according to a new study. Will all big convenience store chains eventually need apps to facilitate advance ordering and delivery?

Automated grocery stores have been slowly but surely popping up worldwide since the launch of Amazon Go. Now a checkout-free concept is on its way to college campuses, along with some other new tech-enhanced food solutions for students.  Do you expect that the reaction to autonomous grocers on campuses will be different than in general markets?

A representative of a convenience store chain recently said that foodservice is now the most important part of the convenience store experience.  Do you think it is true that convenience stores are becoming primarily “restaurants that sell gas”?

Grocery stores are not the only food retailers experiencing significant stock-outs this year. Customers are more frequently finding shelves empty of the food they are looking for at convenience stores, according to CNN. Are convenience stores positioned to weather stock-outs better or worse than grocers?

Foxtrot recently secured $100 million in new funding to open 50 locations over the next two years as it seeks to “modernize the nostalgic corner store experience” with a focus on discovery, local and digital. Has the in-store experience during the pandemic become a more important driver of customer acquisition for digital-first players?

Amazon.com is opening larger versions of its Amazon Go convenience store concept in the suburbs.The retail and technology giant is planning a store for Mill Creek, WA, which is located about 20 miles outside of Seattle where Amazon debuted its first Go store in 2018. Will Amazon Go convenience stores be successful in suburban locations?

Bodegas are go-to spots for quick purchases in New York City. But the city’s iconic, often cluttered mom-and-pop convenience retailers are growing concerned that they are on the way to being replaced. Do you think the concern bodegas have about being pushed out of existence by ultra-fast delivery is warranted?

One of the biggest app-based delivery services is offering customers in select markets a service that will get them their grocery orders even faster than usual. Do you think DoorDash’s ultra-fast delivery service will catch up to those who entered the market earlier?

Starbucks and Amazon have teamed up to open the first of at least three concept stores between the two Seattle-based retailing giants. Will the new Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go concept be a winner for both companies leading to a wide rollout across the U.S.?

The latest marketing campaign from 7-Eleven makes use of “superfan influencers” who got their year-long gigs through a contest run recently by the convenience store giant. The next phase of the campaign will focus on adding more influencers to the team.  Do you find that most retailers benefit from influencer marketing campaigns?

AMC Entertainment, the largest movie theater chain in the U.S., announced plans to bring its AMC Theatres Perfectly Popcorn to retail. Do you agree that it’s “natural and logical” to bring popcorn from AMC’s theaters to retail settings?

Wawa has added self-scan checkout kiosks in 61 of its locations after a successful pilot, and the kiosks are slated to appear in more stores soon. Do you see self-checkout technology being more widely used in the years to come or will retailers cut back on deployments?

A number of grocery stores and tech vendors have piloted delivery robots over the last few years. Now one company is looking at the convenience store space as the sweet spot. How useful do you see robots, either remote controlled or autonomous, being for convenience stores now or in the near future?

Athlete and press access at the Olympic games in Tokyo was limited, but those limitations did not extend to local eye-opening convenience stores. What can the Japanese konbini teach U.S. convenience store retailers as well as those operating other food formats?

Customers shopping at more than 3,000 7-Elevens in the nation’s capital and 32 states around the U.S. will have the option of paying without having to stop at a checkstand. 7-Eleven plans to roll out the option by the end of 2022.  Do you see mobile checkout becoming technological table stakes in the convenience store channel over the next year?

Amazon.com is putting its cashierless Just Walk Out (JWO) technology to use in a new full-sized Amazon Fresh store in Bellevue, WA. Do you think Amazon will roll out Just Walk Out technology to all its Fresh stores and perhaps even Whole Foods?

7-Eleven is launching its biggest commercial campaign in years to try to keep itself at the top of the convenience store world. Do you think an ad campaign like the one 7-Eleven is launching will meaningfully affect how people see the brand?

7-Eleven stores in Canada are applying for liquor licenses to serve beer and wine to customers inside their locations. Could having alcoholic beverages on tap be a major customer traffic driver for 7-Eleven?

Vegetarians and vegans in the Seattle area who wanted to experience a version of Starbucks where all the food was suited to their dietary preferences had a chance to do so at some point last year, but they probably didn’t know it.  Do you see a location with all plant-based food offerings from Starbucks having wide appeal?

New measured channel data shows that small and extra small manufacturers and private label suppliers gained market share in 2020 as a variety of factors helped accelerate trends that began well before the novel coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. Why do you think Americans have been turning to small CPG brands in greater numbers in recent years?

In Japan, 7-Eleven has long offered a higher-end customer experience — one that might be coming to the U.S., thanks in part to the novel coronavirus pandemic.   Do you think the konbini-style, service-oriented, higher-end convenience store is the future for 7-Eleven in the U.S.?

Hudson, which operates in airports, travel hubs and tourist destinations across North America, has announced the planned opening of a new store concept that allows customers to check out without having to stop at a cash register. How likely is the Hudson Nonstop store concept to connect in a positive way with airport travelers across North America?

If the pandemic served up lemons for convenience store retailers in 2020, the vast majority were able to turn them into lemonade based on the results of a new survey by NACS. Do you think that convenience stores will come out the other end of the pandemic in a stronger or weaker competitive position than they were going in?

Convenience stores are go-to spots for snacks in many neighborhoods, but a recent study shows that offering unhealthier fare is having a negative impact on the health of the communities they serve — in particular on kids. Is making money on the sale of healthier foods a bigger challenge for convenience stores than grocers?

With stores open but COVID-19 concerns remaining, customers are seeking assurance that retailers are taking safety seriously. An industry group hopes to give them that assurance with a new certification for retailers. Do you see the Safe Shop Assured certification being widely adopted and will C-stores that participate benefit?

A new study finds that 57 percent of all convenience retailers offer some form of last mile fulfillment and, when done correctly, it can pay off for stores in significant ways. How important is last mile fulfillment to the evolution of convenience stores?

People are still thinking twice before interacting with public touch screens and throughout retail, some are seeing voice-driven technology as a perfect solution. Will the desire to avoid the touching surfaces drive mass use of voice-assisted kiosks, and might they replace touch screens altogether?

With commuting and general travel down since the coronavirus landed in the U.S., c-stores have struggled to drive traffic and are losing share to bulk-buying at larger formats. How may c-stores have to reposition themselves or tweak their offerings amid the pandemic, and possibly after?

Wawa has submitted plans to build a new drive-through-only concept store, a first of its kind for the convenience chain, in Falls Township, PA.  Does curbside pickup or drive-through offer the better opportunity for convenience stores such as Wawa to grow customer traffic and sales?

Despite rumors to the contrary, America is not in the middle of national coin shortage. That’s the conclusion of the U.S. Coin Task Force established last month by the United States Mint and Federal Reserve. How would you recommend retailers and others facing a shortage of coins get consumers to spend them?

The Japanese wing of Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has opened a store in Tokyo with one foot in a new vertical. Does it make sense for IKEA to expand into the convenience store space as it moves to more urban settings, and do you see this concept eventually making its way stateside?

Despite all the economic disruption caused by the pandemic, leading credit card companies do not plan to extend what’s commonly known as the “Outdoor EMV” deadline. Should the credit card industry delay the Outdoor EMV deadline in light of the COVID-19 outbreak?

Amazon.com announced yesterday that it has begun selling the technology behind its Amazon Go and Amazon Go Grocery concepts to other retailers. Will other retailers buy Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology?

Target’s push to open smaller locations in recent years has been one of the chain’s success stories. Now the retailer is thinking of developing even smaller stores to enable it to have locations almost anywhere. Has Target’s experience operating stores between 12,000- and 30,000-square-feet prepared it to succeed with even smaller locations?

Over the last year, 7-Eleven has been running a testing ground for new in-store features in Dallas called 7-Eleven Evolution, with an eye toward expanding it even further. Do you think 7-Eleven’s Evolution concept will be viable across the U.S.?

When Amazon Go launched it was billed as the future of the convenience store, but the fully-automated retail store had one notable omission — no hot bar. Now, Amazon has plans to reopen a location with hot food and other add-ons. Are food and drink offerings compatible with Just Walk Out technology?

Convenience store retailers are heading into 2020 looking for brighter times ahead following a solid 2019. A survey of c-store owners by NACS found that 74 percent saw sales increase last year, with only seven percent reporting declines. Where do you see the convenience store business headed in 2020 and beyond?

Convenience store chain Casey’s General Stores considers itself committed to the communities that it serves and is launching a new campaign called “Here For Good.” Are c-stores in a better position than most retailers to portray themselves as a community hub?

Amazon.com is “in talks” to bring the Just Walk Out technology it uses to support its Amazon Go stores to OTG’s CIBO Express stores at airports and Cineworld’s Regal cinemas, and also exploring deals with concession stands at stadiums and baseball parks. What do you see as the biggest motivation behind Amazon’s reported exploration of leasing its Go technology?

7-Eleven knows that its customers in New York City are on the go, and the chain is looking to speed them on their way with the introduction of mobile checkouts at its stores in Manhattan. How important is checkout speed to the success of convenience stores?