“The problem with a convenience store (a small store with a small inventory and few fixtures) is that it is hard to invest enough money to let the people be productive enough to justify high wages and benefits. I had put the cart—the high wages—before the horse—the convenience market. Perhaps, as the young lady from Stanford commented in 1986, I had done the right thing for the wrong reason. Much of my career was spent trying to find ways to pay the high wages to which I was totally committed. First we upped the investment ante by taking only prime locations, which could generate the most sales, even though the rents were higher.”