Circle K has borrowed the restaurant convention of tiered prices. | Photograph courtesy of Circle K parent Alimentation Couche-Tard
Convenience stores aren’t sitting idle as the big fast-food brands play to consumers’ heightened desire for food and beverage deals.
Circle K, the nation’s second-largest c-store chain, lifted the napkin this week off a line of bargain meals priced as low as $3. Like a restaurant, the operation has grouped its come-ons for value hunters into three pricing tiers, starting at three bucks and extending up to $5.
It’s hardly alone in trying to pull in customers with what it terms irresistible pricing. Wawa, another giant in the field, is touting a $2 discount on its hoagies, a signature of the brand. With the price break, an Italian hero is selling for under $10 in Pennsylvania.
Sandwiches aren’t the only product being heavily discounted in convenience retailing. Market leader 7-Eleven is offering members of its loyalty program 10 bone-in chicken wings for the usual price of five. Earlier this week, the chain cut the price of the quesadillas sold through its Laredo Taco Co. in-store restaurants to $3 each on National Quesadilla Day, and revealed that it will cut the price of its Chicken Fajita Taco to $2 on National Taco Day, or Oct. 4.
Circle K doesn’t go that low with its new Meal Deals. In the lowest pricing tier, $3 gets patrons a hot dog or taquito off the roller grill, plus chips and a 20-ounce soda.
For another dollar, customers can choose one of the chain’s breakfast sandwiches, served with a hash-brown patty and either a 16-ounce energy drink or a coffee.
A meal of either two pizza slices or a personal-sized pie is priced at $5. Included in that option is a 20-ounce soda.
The bargain bundles sport “some of our most popular offerings for cost-conscious customers,” said Trey Powell, Circle K’s SVP of global merchandising.
The chain said the new line is a permanent addition to the menu.
Restaurant chains have been fly-casting all sorts of deals into the market as consumers cook more at home and dine out less. The conventional wisdom holds that households have fewer dollars to spend on restaurants because of historic levels of inflation over the last two or so years.
Much of that deal-making has come in the fast-food market. McDonald’s, for instance, has been featuring a $5 Meal Deal consisting of either a McChicken sandwich or a double cheeseburger served with four Chicken McNuggets, fries and a small soft drink.
KFC is offering its chicken sandwich at half price.
C-stores and fast-food restaurants contend they’re often courting the same convenience- and value-minded consumer, particularly at breakfast.
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