A Day In The Life Inside The Pantry's Cultural Revolution

When The Pantry launched its Fresh Initiative in June, the largest independently operated convenience store chain in the Southeast U.S. knew changing its corporate culture was going to be just as important as changing its marketing message, product offering, and the look and branding of its stores.

Thus, it seemed like a perfect opportunity for Convenience Store News to combine its in-depth cover story on the Fresh Initiative and The Pantry's cultural transformation with the publication's annual industry-exclusive A Day in the Life series.

Now in its fifth year, CSNews' A Day in the Life report provides readers with a glimpse into the everyday challenges and successes of c-store industry people. Its purpose, in part, is to raise the visibility and perception of careers in c-store retailing.

CSNews editors spent three days in North Carolina. They visited stores as well as The Pantry's two support centers, and shadowed store associates, store managers, district managers and headquarters executives.

In the following pages, you'll see how The Pantry's new operational strategies are being executed throughout the organization, from the support center to the stores.