Candy, Gum & Mints See Sales Momentum

The slot corner consists of a carved-out nook with various gaming machines inside. “It’s a staple that you would see in all of our stores here in southern Nevada,” he noted. Terrible’s stores are also known for fl ying an American fl ag out front, a tradition that Jerry Herbst established back in the 1950s. “We fl y a fl ag everywhere that we’re allowed to,” Breeden said. “I think we have about 150 of our 170-plus stores currently that fl y an American fl ag outside.” Some of them are fl own atop poles that are up to 100 feet tall.

“That’s something that a lot of people recognize our stores from,” he said. “They see the American fl ag and immediately know that there’s a Terrible’s on that corner.”

Most Terrible’s locations are branded Chevron, which ties in well with the chain’s red, white and blue logo.

Terrible’s forecourts are clean, modern and feature big, bright lots.

“We have bright lighting and very nice landscaping that includes palm trees. It’s very different landscaping and a different look and feel than what you would normally see at convenience stores throughout Las Vegas,” Breeden said. At Terrible’s Nevada-based locations, guests can try their luck on the slot machines in a section known as Ms. Terrible’s Slot Corners.

Customers can access electric vehicle charging at a number of Terrible’s locations, including at its travel stores in Jean, Nev., and Indian Springs, Nev., and throughout the Las Vegas valley. “The (Nevada) Governor’s Offi ce of Energy wanted to build an electric highway that stems across from northern to southern Nevada,” he said.

Terrible’s has been a part of the electric highway initiative from the beginning. “We are expanding upon our EV charging, and we are placing that in a lot of the newer locations that we’re building today,” he said.

Terrible’s stores are known for fl ying an American fl ag out front at nearly all locations, a tradition that dates back to the 1950s.

Terrible’s Jean, Nev.based travel center is the world’s largest Chevronbranded station, measuring 50,000 square feet with 96 fuel pumps.

Following the acquisitions of Get N Go and Pit Stop earlier this year, Terrible’s is in the middle of remodeling the 15 sites to fi t the Terrible’s brand. The chain is also embarking on a full remodel of some of its older locations to keep them fresh and up-to-date design-wise. Terrible’s recently fi nished construction on two ground-up builds. One, located in north Las Vegas, is set to open this October. The other is a travel store, about an hour north of Las Vegas in Moapa Valley, that opened at the end of September.

FOOD & TECH

Terrible’s offers typical c-store fare, including roller grills and prepackaged grab-and-go sandwiches. It also provides fresh doughnuts every day through a partnership with Krispy Kreme.

Currently, the chain is testing bean-to-cup coffee equipment at about 20 locations to gauge the community response. “It’s working very well right now,” Breeden said. “I think our expectation is to really move forward fully with that in the near future and trying to get that at all locations.” Terrible’s offers delivery, which it calls ‘Terribles2U,’ through third-party delivery platform Grubhub. “We are currently slated with expansion plans for that to extend really across all of the other delivery platforms in the start of 2023, including Uber Eats, DoorDash and Instacart,” Breeden said. It’s also exploring order-ahead and pickup opportunities for the future. “We’re not there yet, but we do have plans to launch that for sure,” he said. While the chain sees big opportunity with delivery, foodservice isn’t a major focus for the chain, given the realities of the Las Vegas market. “Every intersection has four fast food restaurants and four bars that are all offering $4.99 steak and eggs,” he explained. Technology, however, is a big priority. Terrible’s offers its Terrible’s Social House app, which has more than 130,000 members. Within the app, Terrible’s kicked off its new loyalty program, Terrible’s+, on July 1. “It’s currently in-store specifi c and will continue to expand on the levels of loyalty you can earn,” Breeden said. “What I mean by that is it’s going to eventually be out at the gas pumps. It’s going to be out at our car washes and then some of our other on-premise entities that we own as well. The goal is to really expand it to a nice 360 (degree) loyalty program that touches all of our entities within the organization.”

The loyalty program allows guests to earn points in a touchless way. Customers simply scan their phone at the register during the transaction to gain points for purchases. “You can redeem those points for C-Store Cash,

Terrible’s operates more than 70 car washes, which include both touch-free washes and tunnel washes.

and that C-Store Cash can then be redeemed for anything within the store (except for lottery),” Breeden said.

Terrible’s opted to reward customers with C-Store Cash because it didn’t want to restrict or dictate how they redeem their loyalty points, and offering C-Store Cash gives shoppers total control over redemption selections.

“Expanding our loyalty is a very large priority for us,” Breeden added. “The expansion of our app and the expansion of the Terrible’s+ loyalty program are key for us to continue to give back to our loyal customers.”

Technology continues to be at the forefront of Terrible’s plans moving forward.

“We understand the world is moving in a more digitized fashion,” he added. “And our goal is to try to stay ahead of that and make sure we’re offering the best products that we can. Whether it be Terrible’s+, or the app, or Terribles2U with the whitelabeling third-party delivery portions. Those are really big priorities for us right now.”

Like many c-store chains today, Terrible’s is also testing self-checkout. “We currently have it in fi ve different locations, and we’re obviously watching that very closely for potential future expansion,” Breeden said.

‘DELIBERATELY DIFFERENT’

“What differentiates Terrible’s is it’s still a familyowned and -operated chain with deep roots in southern Nevada and a passion for giving back to the communities where it serves,” Breeden said.

Its commitment to what it calls, “deliberately different programming” also sets Terrible’s apart from the competition.

“We never want to forget our roots,” Breeden said. “A part of who we are and a part of where we’ve been, even back to 1938 Chicago, is offering deliberately different programs that you really don’t see anywhere, not just in Las Vegas, but across the country.”

Terrible’s may have differentiated itself with pony rides in the 1940s, but today, it’s offering a wide range of special services to its customer base from basic conveniences to fun promotions.

Many of its travel centers feature pet relief areas to accommodate guests traveling with their four-legged companions. Inside, stores provide fresh beef jerky that customers can bag themselves and big walk-in beer caves. In 2022, the chain added Amazon lockers at 50 locations to make it more convenient for customers to receive their Amazon deliveries.

It also operates more than 70 Terrible’s car washes, most of which are co-located with a convenience store. The car washes are a 50/50 split between touch-free washes and tunnel washes. Through Terrible’s #TerribleArt program it utilizes different in-store partnerships and a local artist to create eye-catching murals on the walls of some stores.

The company runs a variety of programs to support

As Terrible’s looks to be deliberately different, it includes a program called #TerribleArt, where it utilizes different in-store partnerships to create murals with a local artist named Krie (@without_a_ruler) throughout the year on the walls outside of some of the stores.

the local community. It offers a Game Day Giveaway promotion, where it gives away a $1,000 shopping spree to one lucky contestant when a local sports partner plays a game. Customers scan their Terrible’s Social House app at the store to gain entries into the sweepstakes. It’s ‘Shop, Spin & Win’ promotion gives away up to 40,000 free products a month. To play, customers must make a $9 qualifying purchase in-store and then spin the wheel on the app for potential prizes.

The chain’s ‘Pump and Pour’ program gives away a free product for any gas purchase. Customers that spend any amount on fuel activate the Pump and Pour screen at the pump, which allows them to select an offer — such as a free product, a buy-one-get-one deal or a dollar-off coupon — and bring it inside to redeem it. Through Pump and Pour, Terrible’s awards customers about 100,000 free products each month.

“We really feel that the community sees these types of programs that we do and appreciates them,” he said. “Being deliberately different is definitely what we try to be every day.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Southern Nevada remains a fast-growing community, where Terrible’s is looking to expand, especially on the highways into and out of the region, which the chain sees as untapped potential that will allow it to better serve the commuters driving to and from Las Vegas.

“Our mission is to provide high-quality retail products, entertainment, hospitality and a deliberately different experience to every customer at a fair price,” Breeden said.

Terrible’s is set to bring that mission to new market areas as well, as it plans to aggressively build and acquire stores over the next five years.

“We are looking at opportunities where we can potentially expand our brand and bring Terrible’s to other areas and other communities,” Breeden said. “We are obviously always looking at other markets that we can step into and continue to build a brand presence in other areas. … If there is a need for convenience stores and gas stations, our eyes are open to looking at that need and potential growth in the future.” CSD