Let’s talk statistics really quickly. Thanks to NACS Online, I was able to dig up some interesting information.
In the United States alone, there are 152,794 convenience stores. This divvies up into one convenience store for every 2,095 people.
On average, a customer spends roughly between three and four minutes in a convenience store when making a purchase.
If the convenience store sells fuel, they see an average of 1,100 customers per day and that equals out to more than 400,000 customers per year.
High traffic facilities like this take a beating and the sheer volume of customers entering and leaving the building can wreak havoc on the doors and hardware. When hardware grades come into question nothing other than heavy duty grade one hardware can be used.
Hardware Grades: The Basics
Durability, application uses and life cycle expectancy are all factors that determine the grade of each hardware piece. Out of these three, application uses ranks the highest on the importance scale. This is the number of cycles, or “uses,” a product will withstand before needing replacement.
A grade one piece of hardware is going to withstand a much higher number of cycles—such as a convenience store would have—than a grade two or a grade three. This is because grade ones are specifically designed for commercial use in high traffic facilities, while grade twos can are designed for light-duty commercial usage and grade threes are for residential buildings.
Grade One Hardware Price
Grade one hardware is going to cost more upfront. There’s no escaping that reality, but the lifetime cost of the lock is going to be less than if you went with lower hardware grades because of replacement and repair costs.
While some contractors might substitute like-for-like with a lower grade hardware if they can get by with it and think they’re saving the owner money, they really couldn’t be more wrong. In an extremely high traffic facility that sees 1,100 customers a day, a grade two door closer wouldn’t stand a chance. In a matter of weeks, it would need repair or replacement.
Grade One Installation
Of course, proper installation is key in hardware performance. Performance issues throughout the entire lifetime of the door hardware are a possibility if there are underlying door issues to begin with. If the door is installed improperly, that mistake is definitely going to bleed over into your hardware. In order to achieve the best results, use a certified technician to install the properly graded hardware.
If you’re in the convenience store business and would like to discuss hardware grades, give us a call. We have professionals on hand and ready to answer any questions you might have.