New Greensburg GetGo store part of convenience trend in downtown food options

The GetGo Cafe + Market gas station and convenience chain expects to have a downtown Greensburg location open by early August, taking the place of a shuttered Family Video store that was razed to make way for the new business on South Main Street, near Euclid Avenue.

It’s a change in the local retail scene that represents larger shifts on the national level — as home video rentals give way to streaming services, demand is high for convenient food on the go.

That shift has prompted more convenience stores to pop up in downtown settings — a trend that has caught the attention of Johanna H. Slot, associate clinical professor of marketing at Penn State University.

“Traditionally, you would go and get gas on the highway, and maybe you would take out some made-to-order food or a prepared item,” Slot said. “But these stores have changed in terms of image.

“People actually go to these gas stations not only for the gas but for the food. The made-to-order food is seen as a good value, and these stores are going to go where the people are who want this food.”

The GetGo that is taking shape in Greensburg “is a good location on the south side of the Greensburg downtown district right along the Route 119 corridor, making it convenient for those traveling in or around the downtown area,” said Dick Roberts, spokesman for the Giant Eagle supermarket chain that operates GetGo stores. “While it’s not a traditional busy highway location, we feel that building within downtown areas of certain cities allows us to provide even more convenience for our customers.”

GetGo stores feature some food items that carry the supermarket chain’s Giant Eagle and Market District brands. The Greensburg GetGo, which will be open 24/7, also plans to sell beer. A state restaurant liquor license for the site is in safekeeping status.

While made-to-order food might be seen as a good value by customers, it’s just as valuable for convenience store owners.

Stores can realize a profit margin of as much as 50% on such food sales, Slot said, while other items customers can quickly grab inside the store might turn over a profit of between 30% and 40%.

In contrast, she said, “The gross margin on fuel can be 15 cents per gallon,” which falls to about 2 cents per gallon after expenses.

Watch for salt in convenience foods

Made-to-order and grab-and-go foods at convenience stores can have a place in a healthy diet, but consumers need to pay attention to such factors as sodium content, according to Beth Chiodo, a dietitian and public relations chair for the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“Most people want to eat healthier, but their schedules are so busy, so convenience becomes a primary factor in the choices people are making,” Chiodo said.

Lower-calorie items on convenience store menus still might contain a large portion of a person’s recommended daily limit of salt — which is 2,300 mg, according to Chiodo.

“Typically, salads are great options, as are fruit, yogurt … and other fresh grab-and-go items,” she said. “You can go with the hot options sometimes, but the sodium content makes it something you don’t want to do every day, especially if you have a condition like heart disease or high blood pressure.”

Though convenience chains such as GetGo and Sheetz have continued to open new locations, the total number of such U.S. stores has been on the decline in recent years. Industry observers suggest the pressures of the covid-19 pandemic have added to the departures of single-store convenience operators.

According to a count conducted by NACS, a trade association for convenience and fuel retailing, the number of convenience stores in the nation fell to 148,026 at the end of 2021, down from 150,274 a year earlier — continuing a multi-year decline.

Customers might be ready to change their fueling habits in their search for the cheapest price for gas, but brand loyalty can be more of a factor when it comes to other amenities offered by convenience chains.

“The better offerings you have, the more people will go inside the store, and people develop a brand loyalty,” Slot said. “They will drive farther to get there,” instead of frequenting a closer store that hasn’t won their favor.

New store’s impact weighed

News of the planned GetGo in Greensburg prompted some social media comments questioning the need for another gas station in the city. Within the city limits, there are three Sunoco stations and additional stations operating under the Citgo, BP, Sheetz and Marathon brands.

A Sunoco station that is paired with an upscale 7 Eleven convenience store is on Mt. Pleasant Street, not far from the GetGo site. That 7 Eleven store doesn’t sell beer. But, according to the chain’s website, it is among just three 7 Eleven locations in the state that feature a hot menu of fried chicken and biscuits — branded as Raise the Roost and introduced in 2020 at a store in Manhattan.

Media representatives for 7 Eleven didn’t respond to a request for more information about the Mt. Pleasant Street store.

Jason Garber, owner of Callaghan’s bar, across Main Street from the new GetGo, said he welcomes the arrival of the new business, as long as creation of a turning lane for GetGo traffic doesn’t affect his sidewalk.

“Our commerce comes right off the street,” he said. “It’s a neighborhood establishment that has been here a long time.”

He doesn’t believe beer sales at GetGo will have much effect on his business, which he noted draws many area college students, who often arrive via Uber.

“Competition grows your business,” he said, indicating it will be a plus to have another business taking the place of the vacant video store.

“Greensburg has a lot of gas stations, but it’s nice to see something old replaced with something new,” he said.

Giant Eagle is contributing $25,000 to city officials, who plan to erect a gateway “Greensburg” sign at the Euclid intersection that would welcome motorists driving north on Main Street to the downtown business district.

Garber said he’d prefer it if the space were used for parking, to help accommodate surrounding businesses and apartments.

Parking also is on the mind of Jim Heater, manager of the Main Bowling Center directly next to the GetGo development.

Heater said he’s already hired security guards to ensure parking spaces intended for his patrons aren’t invaded by motorists who are visiting other nearby properties and may have become used to parking in the vacant video store lot. The two neighboring parking lots had been continuous with each other, but plans call for a fence and guardrail to help separate the convenience store from the bowling lanes.

Heater said he’s also concerned additional traffic drawn to the convenience store will create hazards for patrons entering and exiting his lot.

“I really don’t think them being there is going to help us in any way,” he said of the new store under construction.

He noted his staff might have to more closely police patrons who try to bring outside food and beverages into the bowling center, which offers its own food menu.

“It’s going to be the casual bowlers who do it every now and again,” he said.

The Greensburg GetGo store is expected to have a staff of between 25 and 30 when it opens. Job applications for new GetGo stores, including the Greensburg location, can be submitted at jobs.gianteagle.com.