CONTRIBUTED BY PFMA member PA Lottery
Brad Gordner opened @YourConvenience in South Williamsport in Lycoming County nearly a decade ago on the strength of a single conviction: he saw an opportunity and he took it. This August 8 marks the store’s 10th anniversary, and the results speak for themselves. @YourConvenience has grown into one of the highest-volume Lottery retailers in District 4A — and by most accounts, the highest — drawing customers from across the region to a store that has made itself synonymous with winning.
A Destination Store
@YourConvenience serves a loyal local base, but its reputation extends well beyond the neighborhood. Customers travel from Lock Haven, Lewisburg and other communities specifically to play their numbers there. The store has sold a $1 million ScratchOff winner and a $500,000 Cash 5 with Quick Cash jackpot-prize. Gordner makes sure those moments stay visible — winning check photos line the walls, and P.O.S. materials are kept current and prominent throughout the store. “People see those big winners and ask if we’ve had any lately,” Gordner said. “We can point right to them. It makes it a lot easier to recommend an extra ticket.” A cornerstone of that reputation is his payout policy: @YourConvenience pays winning tickets up to $2,500 regardless of where they were originally purchased. “If we pay you, you’re going to buy here,” Gordner explained. “And you’re going to come back.” The store is open: • Weekdays 6 a.m. – midnight • Saturdays 7 a.m. – midnight • Sundays 8 a.m. – midnight These hours of operation give customers consistent access and plenty of reasons to make that destination their go-to-stop.
The Daily Second-Chance Drawing and the Lottery Signature Book
Gordner has run one of his most popular promotions for nearly the entire life of the business: a daily Second-Chance Drawing. It works like this. Customers drop their non-winning tickets into a barrel at the counter, and each day one ticket is drawn — the holder wins $10. It costs the store relatively little, but the return on repeat visits and customer loyalty is significant. “Everybody knows it,” Gordner said. “It’s always full. It’s just a given.” More recently he introduced a companion initiative: a Lottery Signature Book. Customers who purchase Lottery can sign the book once per day during the week. At the end of each week, all seven daily $10 drawings are announced together, giving customers a cumulative chance at $120 in prizes simply by visiting regularly. It draws on a traditional sign-in book familiar from social clubs and VFW halls, but applied to a Lottery retail environment in a way that is genuinely novel. As the book’s participant pool grows, Gordner envisions an annual grand prize drawing open to everyone who has signed it throughout the year — another layer of engagement that rewards consistency and keeps customers coming back.
Taking Lottery to YouTube
Gordner is also investing in a YouTube channel called “ScratchinLotto TV”, where he posts videos of ticket scratching and store activity to build an audience beyond the immediate community. The channel is still in its early stages, but his vision is clear: a growing subscriber base that translates into foot traffic, brand loyalty, and new customers who discover the store online and make the trip in person. To kick off growth, he is offering a $500 a Week for Life Lottery ticket to each of the first 1,000 in-store subscribers. “The goal is to market it broadly but keep it localized,” he said. “Get people to interact with it by coming in.”
A Partnership Built on Trust
Gordner credits his relationship with District Sales Representative Joshua Mont as an important part of the store’s success. “The Lottery team has always been very, very good to us,” he said. Mont returned the compliment: “People often talk about out of-the-box thinking as a key to success. With Brad, there really is no box. He does things that are so unique and different — and you can see that just by being here.” Gordner’s advice to other retailers on that relationship is simple: communicate openly, stay informed, and make sure every staff member knows the product well enough to deliver a seamless experience for every customer.
Advice for Fellow Retailers
Gordner’s philosophy comes down to three qualities: patience, persistence, and reinvention. “Patience when things go wrong. Persistence to keep going. And reinvention to stay fresh,” he said. “You can’t just stay the same. You have to keep reinventing.” As @YourConvenience approaches its 10th anniversary, that restless creativity — from a barrel full of non-winning tickets to a growing digital presence — is exactly what has kept it at the top of District 4A. ■