Imagine for a moment…a gas station.
But instead of, say, 8-10 pumps, it has…150-250.
And instead of a handful of packed snacks and bottled sodas crammed into a thousand square feet…
It’s 50% bigger than your typical grocery store.
Welcome to Buc-ee’s.
(And if you’re a lucky resident of this state, you’re about to see THREE new Buc-ee’s!)
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The typical Buc-ee’s is around 50,000 square feet. (Although the newer builds are averaging closer to 74,000 square feet – so even bigger!)
Like I mentioned earlier, that’s about 50% bigger than your typical grocery store, at 38,000 square feet.
It’s more than 1/3 the size of a Costco (usually they’re around 148,000 square feet).
It’s BIG.
And that’s no accident.
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Step into a Buc-ee’s, and you’ll find a Mecca for road warriors.
Tons of snacks.
Barbecue made fresh at the store.
Flavored coffee bar.
Pecan clusters, Beaver nuggets, coconut pie in a cup.
And that’s not all…
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Buc-ee’s has a cult following – which is pretty amazing for a place that only has 60 stores in the world.
So Buc-ee’s also sells themed plushies.
Clothes. (Both Buc-ee’s branded and otherwise.)
Trinkets. Tchotchkes. Just about anything you can imagine.
(And beer and wine of course.)
And here’s why:
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If you look at Buc-ee’s placements, they’re all on major highways somewhere in between two big cities.
Austin and San Antonio.
Dallas and Houston.
You get the idea.
(They’re Texas-based, although they’ve been expanding rapidly over the last five years.)
And they’re focused on being THE destination along the way.
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If you’ve got a four-hour drive, chances are good you’re going to have to stop somewhere to stretch your legs.
Gas up the car. Go to the bathroom. Grab a bite to eat.
You know the drill.
Most gas stations focus on being super close to the highway so they’re the first place you see when you get off at the exit.
The thinking being that – all else equal, you’ll just go to the closest place.
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But all else isn’t equal.
Buc-ee’s is bigger and better than everything else around it – so they think they can vacuum up way more traffic than other places.
The idea is that, given the experience…and the aura…people will choose to go to Buc-ee’s over everyone else.
And the data backs them up.
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The Buc-ee’s in Daytona Beach attracts 5.4 million visitors per year, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
And according to a separate study, the average Buc-ee’s customer spends $58.03 in-store.
Multiply that by 5.4 million visitors, and you get $313 million in annual sales.
For one Buc-ee’s.
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• For fun lists, healthy living tips, and bar conversation topics, make sure to follow The Coconut Mama. Click here to access The Coconut Mama’s profile page and be sure to hit the Follow button here or at the top of this article!
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How much is over $300 million in sales?
A typical McDonald’s location sells $2 million to $3 million of Big Macs, fries, and what have you.
So that Daytona Beach Buc-ee’s is pulling in more money than 100 McDonald’s!
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I picked the Buc-ee’s in Daytona Beach because it’s the one I had the most data on…
But also because it’s just a typical Buc-ee’s.
It’s not the Buc-ee’s in Katy, Texas – which holds the world record for the longest car wash.
Or the Buc-ee’s in Luling, which holds the world record for the largest convenience store in the world.
Imagine how many people go to those just out of curiosity for what it’s like to be inside a world record holding store.
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The Luling Buc-ee’s, which opened earlier this year, is the fourth Buc-ee’s to hold the world record for largest convenience store on Earth.
(It’s over 75,000 square feet.)
And as you can see – the reason they get bigger is simple:
Bigger IS better.
At least where Buc-ee’s is concerned.
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Buc-ee’s is building out rapidly now – with three new Buc-ee’s planned in Virginia, another in Louisiana, plans for one each in western Ohio and Wisconsin…
Another Buc-ee’s for Florida…
Soon enough, Buc-ee’s will be everywhere.
To the convenience store industry: You’ve been warned!
Which brings me to an important question:
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Buc-ee’s keeps getting bigger and expanding its footprint – with several new stores planned over the next couple of years.
Where do YOU think Buc-ee’s should open next?
Sound off in the comments!
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