Survive: Essentials for C-Store Assistant Managers
This podcast provides practical training for convenience store assistant managers. Each episode focuses on the real challenges of running a shift, supporting store managers, handling employees, and keeping operations on track in a fast-paced environment. Assistant managers are often expected to lead without formal training. Survive helps bridge that gap by breaking down shift management, team accountability, inventory control, and problem-solving in a way that can be applied immediately on the job. If you are stepping into leadership or currently managing shifts, this podcast will help you build confidence, make better decisions, and handle the daily pressure of store operations.
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THE MORNING RUSH COMMAND CENTER (DEPLOYING YOUR STAFF)
<p>SHOW NOTES (SURVIVE VERSION)</p><p>Episode Title: The Morning Rush Command Center: Deploying Your Staff (Episode 84) Episode Description: "When all employees stand behind the counter, the sales floor immediately collapses." In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez explains why Assistant Managers must physically assign specific zones of responsibility to their sales associates before the morning rush begins.</p><p>What You Will Learn:</p>The P&L Podcast: A special announcement regarding a new, upcoming resource for Assistant Managers preparing for promotion.The Deployment Error: Why allowing all your employees to stand behind the cash registers destroys your...
S EPISODE 83: Q1 RECAP & THE "THRIVE" PREVIEW (REVIEWING THE SCOREBOARD)
<p>SHOW NOTES (SURVIVE VERSION)</p><p>Episode Title: Q1 Recap & The "Thrive" Preview: Reviewing the Scoreboard (Episode 83) Episode Description: "Your team executed a poor financial shift that simply looked clean to the physical eye." In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez explains why Assistant Managers must stop judging their shifts based on physical cleanliness and start reviewing the operational data reports to correct their sales associates.</p><p>What You Will Learn:</p>The Cleanliness Illusion: Why a perfectly clean store does not mean your shift executed a financially successful operation.The Supervisory Shift: Why an employee's high register...
THE "DIVE" GRADUATION (IDENTIFYING YOUR REPLACEMENTS)
<p>SHOW NOTES (SURVIVE VERSION)</p><p>Episode Title: The "Dive" Graduation: Identifying Your Replacements (Episode 82) </p><p>Episode Description: "David did the physical work himself instead of explaining the process. Felip still does not know how to process a split payment." In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez explains how Assistant Managers must evaluate their senior sales associates and coach them to transition from individual task completion to active peer development.</p><p>What You Will Learn:</p>The Speed Illusion: Why highly proficient employees often fail as leaders by doing the work for new hires instead of training t...
Survive Resource Intro: Never Cap Your Growth
<p>Show Notes (Survive Version)</p><p>Episode 81 Title: Survive Resource Intro: Never Cap Your Growth (Episode 81) </p><p>Episode Description: "I don't believe in capping somebody's growth because I never wanted that, although I experienced that often." In this special episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez introduces the cstorethrive.com platform and explains how Assistant Managers can use audio articles and weekly challenges to document their operational skills and prepare for their own stores.</p><p>What You Will Learn:</p>Overcoming Knowledge Gaps: Why you must take control of your own development instead of waiting for a corporate training p...
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT (VERIFYING THE TRASH)
<p>Show Notes (Survive Version)</p><p>Episode Title: Waste Not, Want Not: Verifying the Trash (Episode 80) </p><p>Episode Description: You must visually inspect the trash cans and compare the contents to the written log. In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez explains how Assistant Managers must enforce the documentation process by physically auditing the waste and coaching employees who skip the log. </p><p>What You Will Learn:</p>The Trash Audit: How to compare the physical garbage to the daily written log to ensure inventory accuracy.Enforcing the Standard: The exact protocol for making employees document their wa...
S Ep 79: ASSISTANT MANAGER? THE HARDEST TRANSITION (C-STORE TRAINING)
<p>Show Notes (Survive Version)</p><p>Episode Title: Assistant Manager? The Hardest Transition (C-Store Training) (Episode 79) Episode Description: "You get the responsibility, but you don't always get the backing." In this special episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez shares the raw reality of getting promoted from the graveyard shift to Assistant Manager. Announcing the new @CStoreCenter YouTube channel, Mike breaks down why the assistant role is the hardest job in the store and how to navigate the lack of corporate support.</p><p>What You Will Learn:</p>The Peer Pushback: How to handle former coworkers who refuse to respect...
THE VENDOR DANCE (THE SUBSTITUTE REJECT)
<p>Show Notes (Survive Version)</p><p>Episode Title: The Vendor Dance: The Substitute Reject (Episode 78) </p><p>Episode Description: You cannot allow vendors to dictate your stock. In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez explains how Assistant Managers can enforce authorized product lists and stop unwanted deliveries. </p><p>What You Will Learn:</p>The Substitute Reject: How to stop vendors from dropping slow-moving products to meet their own quotas.Shelf Control: Why unapproved items damage your overall sales and ruin the automated ordering system.Seeing Opportunity: Mike shares his early career mindset regarding store ownership. Resources & Links:Download th...
SHIFT CHANGE WARFARE (THE GATEKEEPER)
<p>Show Notes (Survive Version)</p><p>Episode Title: Shift Change Warfare: The Gatekeeper (Episode 77)</p><p>Episode Description: "Once the team realizes that you will actually hold them accountable, the rushing stops."</p><p>The moment one shift ends and another begins is the most volatile time in a convenience store. In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez explains how Assistant Managers can stop employee arguments by enforcing strict accountability during the shift handoff.</p><p>What You Will Learn:</p><p>The Point of Friction: Why the 3:00 PM handoff is the number one cause of team arguments.</p><...
THE BATHROOM TEST (DELEGATING THE DIRT)
<p>Show Notes (Survive Version)</p><p>Episode Title: The Bathroom Test: Delegating the Dirt (Episode 76)</p><p>Episode Description: "If you just yell, 'Someone check the bathroom!', nobody will do it."</p><p>As an Assistant Manager, you can't abandon the register during a lunch rush to restock toilet paper, but you also can't afford to let the bathroom destroy your food sales. In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez explains how to transition from doing the cleaning to managing the cleaning through strict delegation and accountability.</p><p>What You Will Learn:</p><p>The Zone Defense...
THE STING (COMPLIANCE COACHING)
<p>Show Notes (Survive Version)</p><p>Episode Title: The Sting: Compliance Coaching (Episode 75)</p><p>Episode Description: "Telling them to check IDs is not training. You have to verify it."</p><p>When a clerk sells to a minor during a police sting, they get the fine, but the Assistant Manager gets the fallout. How do you ensure your team is carding every single time, even when you aren't looking?</p><p>In this episode of Survive, Mike Hernandez breaks down the difference between "telling" and "training." We discuss how to conduct a "Shadow Audit," how to coach clerks...
