By KIMBERLEY McGEE

When Monique Rijios took a cashier's job in 1966 at a local gas station for a summer job, she didn't realize she was stepping into a career that would define her future.

"It was one of the best decisions of my life," Rijios, now retired, said. "I met some of the best people; the company was great to me. And I almost didn't take it (the job)."

Her husband of one year at the time thought it was too dangerous for a woman to work the front-of-the-store counter position. Over her 40 years working in the convenience store, 15 as an assistant manager, Rijios didn't have one bad day, she said.

"You get your regulars and you know that they are always looking out for you," she said. "You have to be smart, but the company really took care of us and I loved my job. It was like my family, and I took care of my family because of the job bonuses and (management) opportunities. And the friendships. You gotta love what you do."

Because of the shaky economy, there are more candidates and resumes for owners of convenience and food chain stores to wade through than ever before.

Finding dependable, service-oriented employees takes more time, said Tamir Saham, president and owner of a franchised Chevron station in east Las Vegas.

Running a convenience store is more complex than in the past, with fresh food and gourmet product offerings expanding the usual stock of convenience stores, he said. Training is essential for clerks and managers to ensure the company's overall success. These days they also need to constantly improve their product knowledge and customer service in order to keep the doors open against competition in a tight market. The proper coaching and encouragement, as well as the proper skills, can help turn a cashier into an eventual store manager, Saham said.

"It happens all the time," he said. "There is a lot of opportunity (in the convenience store) business."

Saham came to Las Vegas in the early '90s to finish his business management degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His mother and father followed, opening a Texaco close to UNLV at the corner of Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway, where he learned the ropes working under his father.

Saham built his current store from the ground up, opening in 1999 at 5812 E. Sahara Ave. It has been with the Chevron gas company and branded as such for more than a decade.

Competition was light and he did well, until recently. Another nationally branded gas station has popped up across the street.

"That has definitely affected the income of the business," he said.

But he has a key ingredient the other gas station doesn't, he said. He has kept his store competitive and financially stable with his highly trained personnel behind the counter and allegiance to the clients who have returned year after year due to that positive experience.

"We have a good clientele base," Saham said. "We're trying to be more competitive without having to raise the prices. We're a lot cleaner and a lot friendlier than the competition. When you walk into my store you get greeted by the cashiers. We know everyone by name. They (the customer) know our people by name. We have seen their kids grow up in the last 11 years."

Another key factor is Chevron's dependability as a backer. Saham believes the quality of the gas as well as the in-store stock of coffees and gourmet packaged foods continue to keep his business able to compete with other local gas stations.

Saham and his family were in the automotive business for generations, which was lucrative up to a point.

"Things have changed over the years, gaming has gone down and competition with gas prices has been crazy, but we are still hanging in there," he said.

The station is currently hiring and recently acquired two new cashiers to the business family of nearly 10 employees.

Experience is preferred but the company conducts training for each employee, no matter the position, to ensure a steady customer service experience at all its Chevrons. Raise and bonus opportunities are plentiful, with a worker review conducted every three months to monitor the employee's work effort, management potential and weak areas.

Assistant management and management positions are always open, Saham said, as his managers tend to find positions with other, larger companies after going as far as they can with his store. However, he does maintain some longevity. The current store manager started as a cashier 11 years ago.

"We are one of a very few independent Chevrons," he said. "Chevron supplies the gasoline to us and that's the extent of the relationship pretty much. The rest is up to us."

And that's what makes a difference in his success story.

"In our daily operated business, our employees are not numbers," he said. "They are important to us to keep the customers happy. A few of our cashiers have been with us five-plus years."

The cashier positions tend to have the highest turnover in the industry; however Saham has not seen that as much in his store.

"It's really the job description," he said of the cashier position. "The only positive thing is that that person might have found a better job or made a career move and is moving on to something better when they leave us. But it's the industry. The turnover is high because the industry doesn't take care of their employees, whereas we do."

And he understands how vital that is to keeping his competitive edge razor sharp.

"I've been fortunate to have a very good crew and they get a bonus every Christmas for that," he said.

To apply, potential employees need a TAM (Technical Alcohol Management) card and a health card. A year or more experience as a cashier is a bonus, as is customer service training completed at other jobs, if any.

"The experience isn't as important as customer service," he said. "Customer service is number one for the job, because you are dealing with the customers the entire eight hours you are there."

Technically, the job also gives you experience in the local big business field as well, with the store's seven gaming machines.

Saham has hired five people locally in the last five years that have gone on to gaming positions in the valley. How has Saham stayed alive while gas prices have caused a stir among consumers and competition has closed in on many levels?

"I believe that it's due to how we run the business," he said. "It's operated by an individual and our customer service and competitiveness is what will get us through the hard times."

His Chevron store and Hollywood Automotive Repair shop next door have weathered the economy's bumps and bounty with little to no disruption in the number of people he employs or his overall bottom line.

This latest downturn has him wondering how the city itself will ride it out.

"A recession has never affected this town," Saham, a longtime local, said. "This is the first time since the beginning of Vegas that it has affected us as it has."

But he has unwavering faith in his city, and its consumers.

"The first time the economy turns around in the country, we'll be the first to show it," he said. "We're strong. We'll come out of this. We always do."

His convenience store has continued to stay afloat due to the constant support from the local community. He says that he is fortunate that his Chevron franchise is surrounded by schools, with the iconic Las Vegas High School's location just up the street. While he has donated monies to area schools throughout the years, that generosity has been returned with customer loyalty.

"That has been a big part of what keeps us going," he said. "People have a choice of where to go and they will pick one that is better than the other. We have to get service back into America and I think that is lacking in any field."

The customer service mantra is echoed throughout the franchise field.

"We are a customer-centric brand that understands to be competitive in today's market we need to have unparalleled hospitality," said Dina Mitchell, area developer for Tropical Smoothie Café's Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Ventura region. "We require that of our team members and treat them with the same standards."

Tropical Smoothie Café is a franchised corporation with stores nationwide and 20 store fronts locally. Each local store is owned and operated individually. Each employee is trained in the company's tried-and-true customer service model.

Tropical Smoothie is currently hiring for management and front-of-store positions, but it is very specific about its hiring needs: a good personality. It's what has kept the company going for more than 10 years, Mitchell said. The business model works well for customers as well as employees. There are many opportunities for cashiers who shine at the counter work to rise to management positions fairly quickly.

Most local stores are also in the process of hiring for holiday shifts, but it hasn't been easy.

"It really depends on the employee and their commitment to our brand," Mitchell said. "Las Vegas has its challenges in regards to finding employees that want to take the time, effort and training in order to move up when they have 'quick money' jobs on the Strip."

Night shifts are the most difficult to fill, she said. Tropical Smoothie Café is looking for potential employees who will maintain a consistent schedule during the night and closing shifts. Although flexibility is important for all shifts at Tropical Smoothie stores, it is concentrating its efforts on seeking out two main traits, Mitchell said.

"Friendly and outgoing," she said. "We would rather train a person with a great personality to make smoothies and food."

Managers are trained the Tropical Smoothie business model, and hiring requirements are made on a case-by-case basis, but previous restaurant experience is a plus.

Each store has bonus and incentive plans, however, many employees find the customer service training and other basic training that comes with any position within the company to help them in their career field as well as on their resumes.

"Most stores have great performance-based incentives," she said, "and with advancement comes delegated duties that employees find useful for a lifetime."