In my informational interview I decided to interview Vanessa Espinal who is the General Manager at Wawa. In my interview with her I was able to ask her important questions regarding her job as a manager. I found it very helpful to interview her because being a Leadership major I might someday be interested in obtaining an occupation in management.

Mrs. Espinal informed me that the typical hours for a General Manager at Wawa in 40 hours a week. She also informed that her current pay as a general manager ranges from 60,000-80,000 depending on the bonuses she receives based on how well the store she is currently running is doing. As a General Manager at Wawa they are not paid by the hour. In order to obtain a position as a General Manager at Wawa it is recommended to hold a bachelor’s degree in business but is not recommended. A person may be hired as a Manager in Training to be a General Manager or a person could work their way up starting as a shift manager. As experience is gained and skills taught a shift manager could apply to become a Fresh Foods Manager and in the future could be promoted to Assistant General Manager. To become a General Manager a person must go through a year or more of training and if ready could get the chance to be interviewed by the Area Manager of Wawa.

Mrs. Espinal informed me that the most satisfying part of her job is being able to accomplish goals for the store and to exceed the sales requirement for her stores. As a General Manager it is very important to be able to run the store and improve not only the working environment but the business aspect such as increasing sales, lowering spoilage and shrinkage, and promoting new products. Mrs. Espinal says that a good manager knows how to lead her team to success but also keep her employers happy at the same time.

She says that the most stressful part of her job however is the hectic schedules. As a General Manager she has to be fully dedicated to the store 24 hour a day and 7 days a week. If anything happens to the store they are to call her immediately. As a manager it is very important that the team knows to communicate with her so that conflicts are avoided.

The toughest problems as a General Manager she has to face is keeping track of the sales because the store she is currently running has the highest theft in the area which means that her store has a very high shrinkage rate. In order for her store to do well she must think of new ideas to ensure that shrinkage decreases. As a General Manager she is happy with her job and it is a very accomplishing job. She hopes that in the future she will be promoted to become an Area Manager.