Welcome!

It is my pleasure to post the initial entry on the CMSI blog.  We are a company that has been around for quite a while but are just now getting into blogging.  Since this is our first post, I thought is would be good to set out our initial hopes and dreams for our blog so that you can see where we are heading.  Of course, everything is subject to change!

Our plan for this space is to bring you the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of the CMSI team regarding convenience retailing, site operations, retail technology, products, life, and just about anything else that interests us.  Our goal is keep the entries brief, interesting, and informative while, at the same time, conveying to you some of the things that make us special.

We aren’t planning on using this space to sell you anything – that is the job of the rest of the website.  If you are a retailer, or just interested in the retail industry, we hope that you pick up an idea or tip every once in a while that will make you think – think about what you are doing, what you want to do, and why.  It’s not going to be all about business, although that will be the majority of our first posts, but also about trends, events, and issues we see in the world at large.  Our retail programs have covered the planet and we take the idea of the world as one globally interconnected market place very seriously.

We don’t stake out any specific positions on the political, religious, or racial spectrum.  For us, retail is all about people interacting with their surroundings and trying to fulfill a specific set of needs.  As a retailer, we are there to help fill those needs.  Whether it is a good cup of coffee at 5am or a smiling face behind the counter at the end of a long day, we are there to provide it.

Ultimately, what we sell is time.  Time is defined by its consumer and can range from speed of service to the intersection between cost and value.  If you have a rewarding experience it is time well bought (as it were).

I am very fortunate to be part of a great team of retail professionals and I hope to have them voice their ideas and thoughts in this space from time to time.  You will get to hear their perspectives: from behind the cash register; providing the technology interface; finding the source of the inventory shortages; filling the suddenly empty mid-night shift; getting the accounting right; counseling an employee who has been robbed or hurt.  These are things we do everyday but the stories aren’t often told.  Some will be funny and some will be frustrating but all of them will reflect what is happening in the world of retail.

Of course, we welcome any comment or questions you have.  Please feel free to contact us using the links in the Contact Us section at the top of this page.

Thank you for joining us – we look forward to being part of your retail experience.

Roy