To say I was surprised would be an understatement.
The new American Customer Satisfaction Index study of convenience stores just came out – and Buc-ee’s ranked…
Third.
Third for customer satisfaction!
That just felt crazy to me.
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The study was based on a survey with over 5,000 respondents, so it’s a pretty robust dataset.
They looked at over a dozen brands – including Buc-ee’s – and broke out the responses into four regions – Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.
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In the Northeast – Wawa won, with Sheetz as the runner-up.
In the Midwest – QuikTrip won, with Kwik Trip as the runner-up. (Sort of wonder if people got them confused with each other.)
In the South – Buc-ee’s won, with Wawa as the runner-up.
And in the West – 7-Eleven won, with Circle K as the runner-up.
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When they added up all the scores and responses…
Buc-ee’s got third, tied with Murphy USA with an ASCI score of 80.
QuikTrip got second place, with a score of 81.
And Wawa won, with a score of 82.
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If you’re a big Buc-ee’s fan, I won’t be shocked if you’ve never heard of Wawa before now.
After all – while Buc-ee’s is primarily based in Texas and points nearby…
Wawas are mostly on the East Coast, with New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia having the highest concentrations.
There are about 1,100 Wawas overall, and you’ll find that most of them are just off the interstate (especially I-95).
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Wawa and Buc-ee’s have some big similarities.
For one, both have amazing food.
While Buc-ee’s is focused on barbecue, pie in a cup, beaver nuggets, fudge, and the like – Wawa’s is more balanced, with excellent made-to-order hot food from sandwiches (especially their famous hoagies), to mac ‘n cheese, pizza, burgers, and excellent fries.
Oh – and make sure to try Wawa’s amazing Sizzlis (their breakfast sandwiches) and burritos; both are excellent!
Both also have rabid fan bases. (I was once part of a Facebook group called “Cult of the Wawa” just as an example.)
And finally – both really focus on clean bathrooms.
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Well, I’ve already hinted at one – Wawa’s food menu is more balanced, and to be honest their coffee is better too (in my humble opinion).
For another, Wawa has a fantastic rewards program, while Buc-ee’s has none. Wawa gives you the option of picking one of three rewards for your birthday, plus you get 10 points per dollar spent inside the store and 5 points per gallon of fuel.
That’s a clear advantage, and the ASCI survey found that people who were part of a loyalty program liked their convenience store visits better.
Plus, let’s face it…
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Wawa is just a lot smaller than Buc-ee’s.
The average Wawa is less than 4,000 square feet. The average Buc-ee’s? More like 50,000.
Buc-ee’s is bigger than your average grocery store. (And the largest Buc-ee’s on Earth is half the size of a Costco!)
That means a lot of stuff to buy – but it also means that everything takes longer.
With Wawa, you can get in and get out super quickly. That’s valuable.
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This is the real question.
And I don’t know – what do YOU think? Is Wawa actually better than Buc-ee’s?
Let me know what you think in the comments!
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I can only comment on WaWa’s vs Buc-ee’s as I live in Florida (but originally from Texas…and go there often). Both stores are in Florida, with there being more WaWa’s near where I live. I agree that WaWa’s has a smaller footprint, but would not agree that there food is excellent. Also left out of the WaWa analysis is that their prices are higher on everything, food and gas – despite their discount program. Their food is ok to good and fairly consistent (I have had the subs and pizza). They are never the lowest gas prices around…again, even with their loyalty discount. That leaves me wishing that a Buc-ee’s was closer to me. Even with a large footprint and spread-out locations, I would drive within reason to a Buc-ee’s due to their always cheaper gas prices and what is offered at its “destination”. The food is very good. I can get my brisket and czech-style sausage fix), not to mention the confectionary, jerky, ice cream, and breakfast tacos available there versus any place else. In Texas, I have also bought western wear and a heavy-duty custom smoker/grill that were priced cheaper than all the specialty stores that carried comparable items. Again, WaWa’s is not bad, but I find no compelling reason to go there due to their gas prices and I can buy better/cheaper subs and pizza elsewhere.