Early next week, Buc-ee’s is opening its first store in Mississippi – a grand opening that has been over 600 days in the making after they first broke ground way back in 2023.
I think it’s fair to say that most stores would spend their last weekend before a grand opening – especially one that’s been THIS heavily anticipated – focusing on getting ready.
Instead, Buc-ee’s is taking the opportunity to honor first responders.
And here’s how…
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As I mentioned, the official grand opening is early next week – June 9th, to be precise – but Buc-ee’s gave first responders (police, firefighters, ambulance / EMT folks) an opportunity to have a partial Buc-ee’s experience earlier today.
They got the chance to grab soft drinks, coffees, ICEEs, Buc-ee’s famous brisket, beef jerky, and so much more…
And all for free.
Nothing was available for purchase today. The only stuff they could get was free, courtesy of Buc-ee’s, as thanks for their service.
What a treat.
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This brief opening (Buc-ee’s was open for three hours, far less than the 24/7 schedule they’ll keep after the official grand opening next week) was a great way to get the Buc-ee’s team used to working with customers under good testing conditions.
To start with – there were only a (comparative) few people there.
I mean, the Buc-ee’s was swarmed by first responders, but some Buc-ee’s clock as many as 4 million visitors a year! This was nothing like that size.
So that gave them the chance to quickly see where inventory was running low and make adjustments.
Plus…
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Since nothing was available for sale, they didn’t need to worry about processing payments or any of that.
Which isn’t a particularly complex thing, of course – but it is one extra thing to have on your checklists…and to staff for…and this soft opening gave Buc-ee’s the chance to just leave that little bit of complexity to the side for the moment.
So essentially, this was a soft opening – with a group that’s going to be VERY forgiving, as everything they get is free!
Plus…
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This is the 61st Buc-ee’s in the world. While that’s a relatively small number of stores – especially compared to many gas stations, which have thousands of locations – they’ve kept things small for a reason.
Namely – they want to make sure they nail the customer experience, every time.
There’s a reason Buc-ee’s is beloved.
And yes, the food is certainly a big part of it.
But more broadly, it’s just that it’s such a COOL experience.
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So if you’re near Pass Christian, Mississippi, get excited for next week – when Buc-ee’s officially opens the state of Mississippi!
(After skipping over it for years – literally they opened in Alabama first, leapfrogging over Mississippi from their home state of Texas.)
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You’ll find the nation’s newest Buc-ee’s at 8245 Firetower Road in Pass Christian, right off I-10.
Get excited.
And I’m curious – where do YOU think Buc-ee’s should open next?
Let us know in the comments!
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