Hunter’s Store Is About More Than the Convenience

Tucked off the highway on Pleasant Valley Road sits a neighbourhood convenience shop that’s been there for nearly 100 years. 

Hunter’s Store earned the Best of the Best award for 2021 in the category of Best Convenience Store. But those who know Hunter’s know it’s much more than a quick stop to grab a loaf of bread or litre of milk. It’s been a community gathering place for generations of Vernonites.

Hunter’s Skip Millan says “We have people who shopped there as kids and they bring their kids, and that’s a pretty neat experience, right? A mom or a dad can bring in their child and relive their childhood experiences that they had there, so that’s exciting for us.”

The popular screamers, ice cream, and slushies are some of the draw. The slushies have been a store staple for decades, but Hunter’s has recently added another machine and now offers kids and kids-at-heart 12 different slushie flavours. 

Along with sweet treats and salty snacks, Hunter’s is also the preferred lotto stop for many Vernonites. Several big-win tickets sold at the store have secured its unofficial “lucky” standing in many people’s minds.

Also celebrated is the annual Father’s Day Weekend barbeque tank fill. Hunter’s already has an aggressive price year-round for filling propane tanks, and customers save an extra $5 off for the whole weekend. (Vernon Matters caught wind of a special Mother’s Day promotion coming in 2022 as well, but our lips are sealed.)

Aside from annual promotions, Hunter’s is committed to finding ways to give back to customers all year. Like dropping the price of fuel at the pumps by 2 cents a litre every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.  

Perhaps part of the secret of Hunter’s success is the value they place on customer feedback. Staff and management are always open to hear people’s ideas on what they’d like to see in the store. The mini doughnut machine busily baking up irresistible little bites of deliciousness is a perfect example of how listening to customers is win-win. 

“We are very open to what products customers are looking for” says Skip. The result is a store stocked full of a wide variety of the things people want. “People who haven’t been into Hunter’s are always surprised at what there is. And those who maybe don’t shop there on a regular basis, when they do stop by they see that there’s always some sort of new products that they didn’t see here before.” 

Skip says it’s an inaccurate perception that a small local store has limited product or is overpriced. “People paying more because they’re paying for convenience isn’t the strategy at Hunter’s. We operate on a low margin so that we can be competitive with the majors, and we look for ways to provide value back to our community.”

Off the beaten path in a location where most visitors to Vernon will never be, Hunter’s customer base has never been tourists. Owners and staff know that it’s the community that supports them, and they in turn are here for the community. Money spent in the store or at the pumps stays in the Okanagan and gets reinvested here. 

When the conversation comes back to the Best of the Best award, Skip says “We’re honoured obviously to have the BOB award… We want to make sure that we uphold those standards so that we’re continuing to provide for the community. We’re thankful that people value the store, and we want them to know we also value them.”