Megha Patel
Jon-Carlo Pabone
St. John's University
Charles Wankel
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Harmony Food Mart is a retail business that sells groceries, drinks, lottery tickets, gas, automotive supplies, and toiletries. They understand how important it is for their products and distribution methods to be environmentally friendly. They use recyclable garbage bags for their products and paper straws for their drinks. Harmony Food Mart understands that reducing energy consumption is necessary, especially in a business that is open all days of the week. They use energy-saving lightbulbs and offer charging stations for their electric vehicles now that many electric vehicles are on the road. Being located in a busy location helps them attract more customers and serve them with the best possible services to fulfill their needs.
The Innovation of EV charging station is a piece of charging equipment that supplies electric cars and trucks with electric power. Many cars are now electric and charging stations are not located in every convenience store/gas station. This new service can help customers stop at one location and get many things done at once. Harmony Food Mart offers charging stations, gas, other necessities, and Hunt Brothers Pizza so customers can stop for lunch and electric power all at once. Many customers came in to ask if the store offered charging stations for their vehicles due to the store's busy location and the many vehicles passing by from long distances. It seemed like a good incentive. The owner decided to add to the many services provided.
Harmony Food Mart’s purpose is to provide for the local community in every way so customers don’t have to travel long distances for their necessities. Providing customers with both gas and electric charging stations ensures customers have all services necessary to travel. Many supermarkets also have long lines and are further away, requiring more time on the customers' part. Having a nearby convenience store like Harmony Food Mart with shorter wait times in line and eco-friendly products can help customers use products wisely and make shopping more convenient for them. According to the business owner, “making it convenient for the customers to find everything they are looking for all in one place, will save them money, time, and travel.”
Electric Vehicle Charging Station
The idea of putting EV charging stations in the store was to enable trucks and cars that travel from long distances to charge their vehicle while getting lunch, restroom stops, or buying necessities. That way, customers just have to stop at one location to find everything they need. The purpose of the charging stations is to lower the cost of driving, reduce air pollution and help the business bring in additional revenue. It brings many benefits.
Now that technology is growing, adapting to electric charging stations gives customers the option to charge their vehicles. The owner of Harmony Food Mart understands that with constantly changing technology, being able to adapt to change is one of the best ways you can grow your business. One must understand what customers want and deliver as a small business, especially when customers ask if the business provides a service. It is the business's job to not simply reply with “no” because that may seem like the easy way out. Instead, they should look into the service or technology customers ask about and see if it is something that can be utilized in the business before adding it to the brand to serve customers. According to the owner of Harmony Food Mart, “technology is growing and it is our job as a business to utilize that technology for our growth and customers' needs.”
The overall impact of the business is creating a place for both eco friendly products and EV needs alike. The business seeks to help provide infrastructure for electric vehicles, and helps those who are trying to help the environment. Electric vehicles are being used more and more as individuals seek to be more sustainable, and more importantly to them, save money. Having an EV charging station on-site attracts a different type of customer and gives them the time, place, and opportunity to browse eco-friendly products while their vehicles charge. With the infrastructure still growing in the EV market, leaders in technological change make the business more environmentally friendly while satisfying the needs of customers presently and in the future.
This impact will also hopefully set the pace for other retail businesses. With Harmony Food Mart taking the initiative and working towards a healthier future, other businesses realize the importance of sustainability and the profitability of such a decision. A common trend now is that gas stations, and sometimes malls, provide EV charging stations. Retail stores largely do not have EV charging stations when they could be adding to the list of incentives, as well as increasing the number of customers that enter/visit the business.
Harmony Food Mart has benefited everyone who shops there. They began as a convenience store for people to restock their essentials fast and easily. One by one, the business added new services, benefits, and ideas. As these new services became known, they drew attention, earned a name, and most importantly, built relationships. Many families find comfort and happiness at Harmony Food Mart. They know who they can rely on and support the owners.
Harmony Food Mart understands that customers are what drives the business and how satisfying them will increase not only popularity but the likelihood of repeat customers. The additions have led to an increase in first-time shoppers and repeat customers who understand where quality and satisfaction meet. The business values consumer loyalty and has done a vast amount of work in building connections and looking to positively impact its consumers. This is a huge benefit to the business with such a consistent and constantly growing consumer base.
The environmental benefits are immediately apparent to both consumers and the business. By fueling cars that are more environmentally friendly, society as a whole can begin relying on the EV infrastructure more and more as time goes by. Harmony Food Mart is a leading business in this area, as many do not support EV loading stations, especially at the retail level. The electric vehicle stations they provide save consumers money in daily travel, lower CO2 in the air, and help incentivize buying an electric vehicle.
On the social level, it decreases the commute times of individuals who have an electric vehicle. As the infrastructure continues to grow, there will be more and more places that offer charging for electric vehicles and give individuals more options for choosing the route they take to ensure their car has energy for the trip. The addition of Hunt Brothers Pizza allows customers to fuel up their cars and themselves at the same time. Harmony Food Mart realized these benefits and was able to conclude how EV charging stations would benefit their business and those who stop there.
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Smit Patel and Nick Patel, Manager and Owner
Harmony Food Mart is a well-known small business in Dawsonville, Georgia. It was founded in 2015 and has since changed many of its processes to be more eco-friendly. Harmony Food Mart stays true to delivering the best quality to its customers and fulfilling all of their needs.