Wawa announces major expansion into Central Pa, Tennessee , Florida Panhandle, South Alabama, North Carolina. Ultimately….the multi year national expansion will double the size of the current number of stores As they become more of a nationwide provider vs their current footprint.
FC: Wawa announces 40 store expansion in Sheetz Central Pa Turf
- Thread starter Whart
- Start date
Uh oh. Another convenience store war. Past battles severely damaged Uni-Mart and Turkey Hill although with the former, mismanagement had a lot to do with it.
Wawa is asking for help to find potential sites for stores. Those with ideas can submit them to Wawa via an online form.
3200 S Water St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203?
3200 S Water St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203?
Just to clarify, this was about nowadays it’s hard to find enough people to work for you. I just drove halfway across the country and at literally every place I stopped I saw a Help Wanted sign. I used to be a garbageman, cleaned toilets, and I don’t look down on anyone doing honest work.
Next door to me. Yes, they have my permission to raze the neighbor’s house.
My son described the difference between Sheetz and Wawa as Sheetz has more variety Wawa has better quality. I couldn't disagree from my personal experience.
Viva La Wawa!
Viva La Wawa!
Are Wawa’s mostly corporate? Or franchised? Sheetz is, or used to be IIRC, 100% corporate/family owned. That’s a big reason for their success. I have some experience in the convenience store industry and with a place like 7-Eleven, quality control is extremely difficult because they prefer to franchise when possible (and then you get days old hot dogs in the roller grill)….
A perfectly sane food to eat.
100% corporate. Wawa doesn't do franchises.
Sheetz are starting to pop up here in Fayetteville, NC. They’re expanding S pretty rapidly.
They've made a huge move into Columbus the last couple years. I'm thrilled with it, because we previously had nothing better than Speedway, which is absolute garbage.
Grew up in Sheetz territory. Now live in Wawa territory. Wawa is better and it isn’t close. Just my 2 cents.
Sheetz has fried pickle chips and mac and cheese bItes. Game over.
Both have their good days and bad days. But both come in very handy at times.
During the pandemic, I appreciated that every Sheetz seemed to stay open 24 hours whereas many Wawas did not.
During the pandemic, I appreciated that every Sheetz seemed to stay open 24 hours whereas many Wawas did not.
We have WaWa, Sheetz, Royal Farms and Rutter's. IMO WaWa and Sheetz are pretty much the same although I think WaWa subs are better. Royal Farms Chicken blows everyone including Chikfila away.
Wawa stores are all corporate owned, no franchises. I believe most of the controlling interest of the company is in the family that started the business/dairy farm in Wawa, Pa. They have no interest in going public and issuing stocks.
For a number of years, they only opened stores in strip centers or small convenience stores only. In the last 20 years, they have pushed for larger stores with fuel, as they saw the business model Exxon and others had with c-stores and fuel. Realizing they could outpace the oil companies in their food products and services, they generally use a lower price point at the pump to draw in the customer. I also believe Wawa buys on the spot market for fuel as opposed to the long range market that some distributors use to purchase fuel.
What y’all need in the Northeast and PA is “Buc-ees”. Everything is bigger in Texas!!!!
So happy Wawa is pounding south Florida with new stores. Have a Wawa in my little beach town now of Delray Beach. Place is jammed all the time 24/7. Treat their employees really well. Talking to the employees you get company stock, bonuses, they reimburse you money for college. Why they have so many people working for them and workers who stay there for a long time. Funny story... my friend works for Wawa at corporate. Every now and then he has to go out and manage a store while they train or hire a new manager. He noticed these people who had been there for decades, started working in high school and never left. He asked them do you get tired of making sandwiches, and stocking shelves and want to do something else? Their response was I have $1.5 million in company stock I can cash out whenever I want. I am retiring to Florida within a year a two and will still probably work at a Wawa in Florida... He was amazed how these people had saved up so much money and were smart about it.
The Wood family trust has controlling interest, with the remainder in an ESOP. I'm friends with some of the family.
Or maybe some Rudy's. Nothing like getting a tank of gas, a pound of brisket and some green chile stew
I think being family/corporate owned is what makes Sheetz and Wawa better then the rest. Uni-Marts, 7-eleven, Turkey Hills I avoid because they are usually poorly run, dirty, and with bargain type food I used to see in the bodegas in the inner cities. Rutters is a step below Sheetz and Wawa. Rutters has been invading Sheetz territory for a couple years now up here in Central PA(Happy Valley). Wawa has mashed potatoes on their menu and Sheetz does not, so Wawa > Sheetz
I would be soo there. I love me some brisket and Green Chile stew only thing better is if they had Pasole as well.
I like WaWa over Sheetz. I tell people, customers at WaWa are very courteous….hold the door for you, say thank you,etc. That is, until “free-coffee” days. Then its every man, woman and child for themselves.
I have been in some seriously “shady“ WaWa‘s near the Philly and Newark Airports. Armed security in store. Not real comfortable.
I have been in some seriously “shady“ WaWa‘s near the Philly and Newark Airports. Armed security in store. Not real comfortable.
I'm all in for Wawa, and after moving full-time to State College, have really missed Wawa. We sometimes got food from Wawa, but we really liked their dairy - the milks, the ice cream, and especially the coffee, which imo is the best coffee of all. Sheetz's coffee is Turrible (capital 'T' on purpose). Wegman's milks are the best available in State College, imo. I hope Wawa plants themselves in State College soon enough. Wasn't there some "gentlemen's agreement" at one time between Wawa and Sheetz to not intrude into each other's territory? Maybe that's just too old-fashioned, and we're now in a different time. Can we blame NIL and open xfers for this?
Interesting to hear that Rutter's is invading the State College area. There is one on the Benner Pike on the way to Bellefonte, but I'm not aware of others. I've never been in a Rutter's, but I have heard good things. We're not frequent fast foodies unless on the road, and we don't pass many Rutter's, it seems.
I heard yesterday that a new, big Rutter's is going to be built near the Blaise-Alexander dealership. I also heard that Rutter's put in a store across the street from Sheetz's CHQ in Altoona.
Shots fired. Let the best chain (i.e. Wawa) win!
Wait until big brother Buccees makes it up north......these 2 little guys won't be in the conversation.
As a 54 year-old male with BPH, the most important aspect of a convenience store is the men’s room. Typically, Wawa only has one urinal and one stall while Sheetz accommodates several patrons at once. Sheetz for the win!
It's funny how those gentlemen's agreements work. ~25 years ago I heard about such an agreement between Turkey Hill, which was doing somewhat well in eastern PA, and a fairly new kid on the block from western PA called Sheetz. If there ever was an agreement, it certainly didn't save Turkey Hill.
I'm not a fan of Turkey Hill (I like their ice cream) but their stores are sketchy. Avoid the one off the turnpike in Somerset, PA. The parking lot is basically a meth/heroin distribution center. And it sucks getting in and out of but the Dairy Queen next door is good.
Interesting.
Along the PA turnpike, there are no Sheetz's east of one close to the Lancaster area, I believe. No Sheetz in Bucks County, at least in south-central Bucks and south toward Phila, or even into NJ, where Wawa dominates. Not sure there are any Turkey Hills around there, either, although I never sought them out. They may have just lost ground no matter who they were up against in eastern PA.
Turkey Hill ice cream is pretty good, but no dedicated store needed for that.