Exploring Retail's New Horizons with Pilot Flying J's Allison Cornish

Our guest this week is Allison Cornish, VP of Store Modernization for Pilot Flying J, recorded live in the MarketDial podcast studio at the NACS Annual Show. Allison is deeply experience convenience store industry veteran who was also recently recognized as the Top Woman in Convenience.In a wide-ranging conversation we unpack the evolution of the convenience store business model at the Berkshire Hathaway owned retailer and discuss which merchandise, process, and technology adaptations are most important to drive customer loyalty and store associate engagement  We also delve into Pilot Flying J's innovation process, including the role of  consumer research and prototyping to unlock new sources of guest and store operating value.But first we dip into the week in retail news, including our take on the relative importance of Black Friday/Cyber Monday. We ponder the avalanche of discounts that are about to be unleashed upon us, particularly by Kohl's which appears to be in the worst inventory position. Then we dip into earnings reports where we learn that less bad is apparently the new good, as Best Buy and Nordstrom dropped a lump of coal into our stockings, but saw their share prices rise. Dick's Sporting Goods continues to shine, however, posting yet another quarter of sales growth. We close with quick takes on declines in Amazon's customer satisfaction and whether a bankruptcy filing from Bed, Bath & Beyond is inevitable.The Remarkable Retail Podcast Tops LoyaltyGuru's Top Podcast List.Catch Steve and Michael at NRF's Big ShowBONUS EPISODE: Stuart Taylor, VP, Business Insights and Analytics, Kum & Go About AllisonAllison Cornish serves as Vice President of Store Modernization at Pilot Company. Cornish is a graduate of Maryville College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management. She joined Pilot Company as her first job out of college and throughout her career has held leadership positions in multiple capacities including Regional Manager, Chief of Staff and VP of Operations. Cornish is dedicated to mentoring young up-and-coming leaders and female colleagues across the business and its more than 650 company-operated travel centers. About UsSteve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his       website.    The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a      Forbes senior contributor and on       Twitter and       Linked