How do gigantic buc-ee's gas stations make sense?
Posted by Bartimaus666@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 308 comments
Ok so traditionally gas stations work as stops to refule. Isn't it more efficient to have smaller gas stations all around? Bigger once make sense if you are on a major rout with a lot of throughput but we don't see gas stations that size anywhere else in the world. Is there eunique geography to consider? Like bigger cities but more uninhabited land in between? Higher population concentration but massive land distances between them? Where all the traffic gets funneled through massively wide highways? Is that the right idea?
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
Buccees doesn't make their money on fuel. They make it by selling retail products.
They get a massive customer base by being on major expressways and having an enticing retail and restroom space.
FieryXJoe@reddit
I just would feel wierd going onto like an interstate highways pitstop to buy groceries.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
Most people aren't buying their groceries there.
FieryXJoe@reddit
But they have a full grocery store they are paying to operate.
Parking_Abalone_1232@reddit
Even the smaller gas stations in cities didn't make their profit on gas sales. Why do you think so many of them have snacks, soda and other stuff for sale? The retail products are where they make their money.
plshelpcomputerissad@reddit
To add to that Buccees isn’t located in cities (which do have the “smaller gas stations all around”), they’re located along major highways, usually just outside of a small town. So if you’re on a road trip through Texas, the gas stations aren’t always that frequent. So you can stop at a typical nasty gas station bathroom to piss, or you can drive another 15min and hit buccees for a clean bathroom etc. if you’re not in a hurry, and especially if you want some snacks it’s worth waiting.
02K30C1@reddit
And it’s a familiar name, right off the highway, and easy to find and get to. If you’re on a road trip in an unfamiliar area, getting low on gas, with kids getting restless, it’s very comforting to see a sign for “Buc-ees 20 miles” and know exactly what you’re getting into, rather than take a chance on a smaller gas station you’ve never been to.
gmwdim@reddit
Many of those smaller gas stations are downright nasty, both the facilities and the people working there. And some of them also price gouge like crazy.
blah938@reddit
Yeah, anything with a Valero or a Shell sign is to be avoided. The big truck stops like Love's are good though. QuikTrip and Racetrack are also good.
yo_tengo_gato@reddit
I avoid marathons like the plague. Never been in a nice one and half the time the restrooms are out of order.
prfctblue@reddit
Yep, only stop at a Love’s or a Buc-ee’s.
Pimpdaddypepperjack@reddit
100%, not that long ago I would drive from Minneapolis to kc and back once every couple of months.
I found a Casey's gas station that's was a 5 minute drive off the highway about 10 to 15 miles south of des moines. Just a short detour and I wasn't price gouged and it was clean.
Kingsolomanhere@reddit
And for a quick snack you can't beat Casey's breakfast pizza and regular pizza.
Tripleberst@reddit
Some things just intuitively make sense when you're living in it for so long. As an American, imagine being asked about why so many small shops and corner stores died in America and small towns hollowed out. Well it's because you can make things much cheaper and more efficient by having one big store per town instead of a bunch of random mom and pop shops. Buc-ees is just the Walmart model applied to a gas station. Years from now, people will be nostalgic for the mom and pop gas station without ever mentioning the piss and shit in the bathrooms with no paper towels and tp made out of last week's newspaper, and sticky expired snacks.
Something tells me that buc-ees will degrade in quality over time as with any corporate entity but as it is right now, it's the king of pit stops.
lemon_pepper_trout@reddit
Especially with restless kids it's a great place to stretch your legs on long road trips. Can't exactly do laps around a tiny gas station store. But Buccees you can easily kill 20-30 minutes and recharge.
nuglasses@reddit
I went off an exit to get gas at some town. It was so far away (like 20 miles) that the car almost ran out of fuel trying to reach the station. This was in the 80's and signage has improved nowadays.
Budget-Attorney@reddit
Do people in small towns resent buccees?
If they are positioned alongside the highway outside a small town it seems like people would stop there instead of spending their money at shops inside the town
lolCLEMPSON@reddit
They are a massive source of well paid (relatively for the areas) jobs, so it's generally good for the towns.
ExternalHat6012@reddit
Absolutely not Bucky's is probably employing 40 or 50 people from that town. And if it's a real small town your choices for buying things are basically Dollar general or buc-ee's and a lot of people will go to the buc-ee's to buy it because it's probably better quality than the Dollar general
river-running@reddit
Buc-ees pays quite well and creates a good number of jobs, which I would imagine mitigates a lot of potential resentment.
Ok_Acanthocephala101@reddit
That was one of the things my grandpa was impressed by when when we stopped at one last year.
trs21219@reddit
Yup, I saw a "Car Wash manager" position posed a few years back starting at 100k
blah938@reddit
Man, if I get laid off, I know where I'm applying
AllAreStarStuff@reddit
In Texas, it feels like the small towns along major highways make their money off speed traps 😄. The speed limit might drop from 70 to 50 for maybe two “blocks” and they aren’t joking.
wbruce098@reddit
points angrily at I-35
I once got out of the ticket by showing my military ID, and he let me go with a stern warning. But yeah if you aren’t paying attention, it’s easy to miss, and it makes no goddamn sense except as an excuse to make money for the local town off of out of towners.
MakeStupidHurtAgain@reddit
When you stop for gas and snacks on your way to, say, Boston, do you get off the highway and go to Aunt Lola’s Lovely Boutique? I assume not. You get off and go to Shell or Texaco or whatever and get your snacks in the convenience store attached.
Buc-ee’s is the convenience store but enormous. It’s more like a truck stop but for cars.
Skylord_ah@reddit
Cumbies for new england but yeah
plshelpcomputerissad@reddit
I’m not from a small town but I’d hazard a guess that the townies shop and work there too lol. But really if it wasn’t buccees it’d be whatever other gas station on the side of the highway. If you’re on a road trip and not trying to sidetrack into a town, I don’t think buccees was making or breaking that decision. It’s for people who are trying to piss, gas up and keep moving. I guess maybe if they’re getting a brisket sandwich there instead of going to a restaurant in town, but my guess is anyone doing that was gonna stop at whataburger or Dairy Queen at best.
Rhine1906@reddit
And it’s one of the few reliable chains when it comes to having an EV charging station
ScuffedBalata@reddit
Interesting point.
EV charging with the 20 minute longer time instead of gas with the 5 minute linger time is ideal for the big convenience store model.
Looptydude@reddit
It's one of the reasons they have so many pumps. People can park there and screw around inside. Ev chargers just make sense for places like buc ees.
Hellament@reddit
It really is probably a pretty great place to stop with an EV. On long trips, with most EVs, you’re going to need at least 20 min to get a good top-up, so why not have a place you actually want to spend 20 minutes at.
I think the future of highway rest stops will change from “quick and convenient” to food/retail spaces that people want to be at for a while.
bass679@reddit
Yeah every year we drive to either Utah or Florida from Michigan. I cannot emphasize enough how much knowing the bathrooms will be clean influences where we stop. Also places like Love's or Bucee's give you a chance to wander around for 10 minutes and stretch your legs.
wbruce098@reddit
This. I’m in a city and I typically refuel at a tiny place with cheap gas, unless I need to go in (restroom, drink/snacks).
Usually all the things these shops provide are in abundance in cities. There’s like a dozen restaurants within a 10 minute walk of my house. I was just at one this morning.
But traveling? Especially with kids? Locate one along a major thoroughfare and it’s a godsend.
plshelpcomputerissad@reddit
Exactly, their target audience is people who are traveling/on a road trip, not just going for their normal weekly gas run or whatever. Maybe that’s where the confusion comes from, I’ve heard road trips are less of a thing in other places.
wbruce098@reddit
Let me give an example.
We used to live about 2 hours from a Costco. We used that as an excuse to take a road trip every couple months and fill up our chest freezer.
Halfway along the “trip” was a Buc-ee’s. The kids knew this and absolutely anticipated it every time. It made everyone happy and generally more docile for the remainder of the trip (Costco pizza also helped but that’s another story)
Inside-Run785@reddit
Similar idea as a Truck stop, or CostCo that has gas. They’re just outside of a city and along a major highway. If you’re stopping at these kinds of locations, it’s because you’re likely on a long road trip and need to refuel.
theniemeyer95@reddit
Also, it can be closer than the local grocery store for things like snacks or drinks.
PuzzleheadedPea6980@reddit
Im just going to add, most if not all gas stations break-even or just barely make profit on their gas. They make a 1.4% profit, and most of that is to the If you look at pricing they are all within a few pennies in price for same grade and quality. They make their money on convenience store items.
xczechr@reddit
OP likes waiting to fill up with gas.
Silly-Resist8306@reddit
I routinely make a round trip from my home in the Midwest to my condo in Florida; at least twice per year. This is a distance each way of 2200km. My car can go 900km on one tank of gas, so I need to stop several times on each trip.
A buc-ees provides everything I need at one stop: gas, food, restroom and walking around. And, it’s located very close to the highway. With everything in just one stop, I minimize my stopping time making a very long trip just a bit more manageable.
PhantomlelsIII@reddit
Bro why do you use km if ur from the Midwest 😭😭
Silly-Resist8306@reddit
Because OP most likely uses the metric system. I’m a polite American and conversant in both unit systems.
jamshid666@reddit
I just got a new doctor (as in he just graduated from medical school and I'm his very first patient). He told me to drink 2.5 liters of water per day. Since this is America, I'm inclined to have fun with it when I see him again next week. I'm either going to go with a mixed unit, like centigallons or decicups, or convert it to a mass equivalent of M16A2 rifle rounds worth of water. Although I'm conversant in both Imperial and metric, he needs to understand that most Americans are clueless about metric.
Spirited_Ingenuity89@reddit
But a 2 liter is a standard beverage measurement in the US.
jamshid666@reddit
Which is odd. Single-serve cans and bottles are sold in ounces, so why are the larger bottles sold in liters? I'm betting it has something to do with making it easier to export.
jamshid666@reddit
And for anyone wondering, the approximate equivalents for 2.5L of water are 66 centigallons, 105.7 decicups, and 210 rounds of M16A2 ammunition.
seafox77@reddit
This is the way.
BeefInGR@reddit
True Midwesterner
blah938@reddit
He's a europoor larping
Bartimaus666@reddit (OP)
I mean more efficient on the economic scale not the personal time scale.
RodeoBoss66@reddit
You’re German, aren’t you?
BeefInGR@reddit
Ironically, Germany gave us Aldi's and Trader Joe's.
RodeoBoss66@reddit
Not exactly. The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California. So it’s an American original.
However, in 1979, Theo Albrecht, the co-founder of Aldi, bought the chain. Today, ownership of Trader Joe's is structured so Aldi Nord is a sister company, with both directly belonging to three foundations (Markus-Stiftung, Jacobus-Stiftung and Lukas-Stiftung) of the Albrecht family.
So Aldi has certainly been involved in making Trader Joe’s more ubiquitous throughout the United States, but they didn’t create the business. They just bought it.
BeefInGR@reddit
Fair. My knowledge is a 20 minute video about the kidnapping of one of the Albrecht's, so that was a bit of a side quest to the main story.
hamisgoodhowareyou@reddit
You do have smaller gas stations all around, and buccees is just a huge version of that with a ton of products you don’t need.
Mega_Dragonzord@reddit
I dare anyone to try their beef jerky and claim that “you don’t need it.” Blasphemy sir!
IWantALargeFarva@reddit
I’m with you on that and their brisket. But who goes to a gas station and makes a gas grill their impulse buy? Buc-ees is basically a Walmart that happens to sell gas.
Mega_Dragonzord@reddit
Sadly, I have never been there at an hour where the brisket is ready. I will say I have had an insanely good breakfast burrito there.
gtne91@reddit
Walmart is a walmart that happens to sell gas. We already have that.
Bucees is a brisket restaurant that happens to sell gas.
BeefInGR@reddit
Because these tend to be in smaller towns, the market is also the people who live nearby.
CFBCoachGuy@reddit
Usually selling more stuff makes more money than selling less stuff
OldDude1391@reddit
More efficient for who? The retailer would rather have one centralized location. More efficient delivery of product, maintenance for one large location is easier than multiple locations( travel time between locations) etc. Buc-ee’s are along major routes and spaced out to be convenient stops for travelers.
YggdrasilBurning@reddit
Selling more stuff at high volume usually means more money not less
warrenjt@reddit
This is the case with all gas station convenience stores. Not sure OP gets that.
UJMRider1961@reddit
Very much this and also this applies to virtually all gas stations.
Gas stations don't make much on fuel sales. They get their money with vastly inflated prices on the other stuff people buy when they stop for fuel.
I call it "Pixie Sticks and Porno Mags" (Futurama fans will get the reference.) They sell coffee for $1.50 a cup that literally costs them pennies. They sell candy bars for $1.00 or more, bags of chips for $3, etc. That stuff costs them just a few cents.
If you're on Reddit you're probably too young to remember but many (if not most) "independent" (i.e. non-chain) gas stations went out of business in the 1970's because of fuel shortages.
The fuel shortages meant that only the big, chain-affiliated stations could get fuel (they had priority because they bought in larger quantities.) The small, independent stations got what was left and when the embargoes were on, there was nothing left for weeks at a time.
This absolutely killed the small stations. Because nobody is going to stop at a small, independent station to buy an overpriced soft drink or a quart of oil. They're going to go to the station that has fuel and buy their fuel, and while they're there, they'll buy other stuff they need.
Buc-Ees has branded itself as a kind of rest area with fuel, food, and restrooms. As someone who frequently travels with an RV (Travel trailer) I appreciate the large parking lots and easy access to fuel pumps even when pulling a trailer. It's also a way to minimize stops: I don't have to stop one place for fuel and another place for lunch, I can get everything in one stop.
Temporary_Pie2733@reddit
Better for the people who need to buy gas, but the actual sellers want to minimize fixed costs like infrastructure.
LonesomeBulldog@reddit
That’s pretty much true of every gas station. There’s not much money in marking up a gallon of gas 1-5 cents per gallon. That $2.50 bottle of Coke though is 50% profit.
wbruce098@reddit
This 100%.
If I’m on a road trip and see two gas stations, and one is a Buc-ee’s or similar with food and drinks and maybe a restaurant and some grass to let my dog do her thing, and the other one is… just a refueling station… I’m stopping at Buc-ee’s unless there’s a huge difference in the price of fuel.
These kind of shops typically have all the essentials one needs on a trip: large, clean restrooms, a massive selection of food and drinks, maybe some other stuff we might need for the road, maybe an attached restaurant, and competitive gas prices.
That’s also especially important when traveling with kids.
CraftFamiliar5243@reddit
They have capitalized on the fact that driving interstates is boring. They create a country fair atmosphere, have outstanding bathrooms and a reason to get out of the car and walk around. Plus, they have brisket.
Bartimaus666@reddit (OP)
The destinations of people differ. More dispersed gas stations means that you don't need to take as much of a detour.
Aspy17@reddit
I think it's likely that you simply don't understand our interstate highway system. We have built limited access highways that we can travel for thousands of miles. These highways may pass by small towns but you don't really see them. They usually go through major cities but you have to plan for your stop by taking one of the limited numbers of exits from the highway.
If you know a Bucees is coming up you can plan your exit and know what to expect, not just in the store but you know it will be easy to find the entrance and that returning to the highway will be quick and easy.
Stopping at a regular gas station you won't know how far off the highway it will be, if it will have public restrooms and if it will be clean and safe.
kingchik@reddit
People don’t take detours to get gas. The American interstate system is set up so that people take those routes; there are more than enough gas stations along the interstate for people to fill up without taking detours.
Bartimaus666@reddit (OP)
Yes I mean market pressures will distribute them in such a way that gas stations are convenient with little detours. But there is still an optimal density for gas station distribution. I was just wondering what market pressures lead to bigger gas stations which are spaced wider apart all else being equal.
dontdoxmebro@reddit
Buc-ee’s caters primarily to road trippers, especially women on vacation. They don’t allow truckers, and are always located along busy interstates. Locals are welcome to utilize their convenience, but they aren’t the primary customers. Buc-ee’s has cheap fuel, EV chargers, huge clean bathrooms, and tons of food and beverage options. They also sell apparel and souvenirs. Buc-ee’s business model works better if they are dispersed.
My biggest complaint with Buc-ee’s is that they intentionally provide little or no seating (whatever the local building code requires or none if none is required). Also, some locations are so busy they create a traffic jam.
The US has many, many, many other gas stations, and busy interstates will have frequent truck-stops, such as Love’s or Pilot. The existence of a Buc-ee’s doesn’t mean that that town has no other gas stations. If anyone makes a significant detour to go to a Buc-ee’s, it was purely for the experience.
kmosiman@reddit
Gas station math is a bit more complicated.
You would think that the ideal location is where another gas station is NOT located, but market and travel data will show that the best locations are often where other gas stations already are located.
For drug stores, Walgreens and CVS will often be across the street from each other. Gas stations are the same.
Fast food also tends to be in clusters.
The key point is that most gas stations don't make money or a significant amount of money on fuel. They make money on the store.
So Gasco will have a station and a Subway.
Fuelco will have a station with pizza and sandwiches
GasStop will have something else (taco bell, Wendy's, McDonald's)
The added options may actually mean added traffic.
Bucees is a bit of an outlier. They are more like Wal-Mart. They are big, have multiple food options, and draw their own crowd. But, they can't do that by being SMALL. They have to be BIG to be their own attraction.
christine-bitg@reddit
Everything you said is true.
There's an additional reason for clustering in many locations: zoning
In most cities and their suburbs, you can't just put that fast food place wherever you want. You have to put it where you're allowed to. Which happens to be where they all are.
Exception: Here in Houston, we don't have zoning, and we like it that way.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
There is? What is it?
Lefaid@reddit
Bucee's makes itself a destination. Giant signs advertise the next one more than 300 km away (though in Texas, they are more like 100-150 km apart). That gives enough time to plan the stop. One is going to pick Bucee's because it has clean restrooms and low gas prices. I chose them because they had giant 1 L fountain soda for less than $1 and it isn't easy to find fresh roasted nuts (which is how they make money on my visit.)
I also think their no trucker rules helps make the place feel safer for your average 500-1000 km roadtripping family. Truck stops are considered sketchy in the US
You don't stop at Buccee's because it is the only gas around. You stop at Buccee's because you want to stop at Buccee's to get your gas and food and drinks. So people will adjust their trips to make sure Buccee's makes sense and Buccee's builds their stops at obvious stopping points along the highway (as in right outside a huge exhausting city to drive through that you will NOT stop in on your road trip or at a half way point between 2 major cities. I can explain in more detail along I-35 if you want.
AlphaQueen3@reddit
You need to stop thinking of Buc-ees as a gas station. We have tons of regular small gas stations spread around with no detours needed. Buc-ees and similar type places are travel stops. It's a huge store that draws in long distance travellers because it has convenient gas, food, and clean bathrooms. People on longer trips are almost always following the interstate, which is where Buc-ees is located. This is not where you stop to get gas while you're running errands or on your way to work (for most people). This is where you stop when you're on a trip.
revolotus@reddit
I would guess two major markets. The trucking industry and individual family road trips. We do not have much rail infrastructure, and the majority of shipping and distribution is accomplished by truck over the highways. For large trucks, it is WAY more convenient to pull off the highway once and get everything needed than to do a bunch of short stops at stores with small parking lots. Same for families traveling with kids, WAY easier to stop once and let everyone get what they need all at once, even if they need totally different things (bathroom, coffee, lunch, gas, extra blanket, whatever). In general you need to understand we really live on our highways and do long drives A LOT.
tropicsandcaffeine@reddit
People like the name brand. They know what to expect. Generally if you see the Buc-ee's name you know what you are getting. In my area Kwik Trip/Kwik Star is the same thing. You know what you will get when you go there. No nasty surprises.
WerewolfCalm5178@reddit
The market pressure is that not all exits are equal. An exit for a suburb or farming community that is 10-20 miles from the city doesn't have the same traffic as the exit before, at or just after the intersection of 2 major highways.
Existing_Charity_818@reddit
Buc-ee’s aren’t the only gas stations. The vast majority of them are pretty much exactly as you describe - Buc-ee’s is just one company with a different business model, intentionally being different than most to try to stand out
Prize_Consequence568@reddit
You're overthinking this.
Limp_Dragonfly3868@reddit
The US has a major highway system. So I 95 running north / south from the tip of Florida is used by lots and lots and lots of people. It has a bunch of Buccees.
Even though I know Buc-ee’s is ridiculous, when I’m driving cross country and see a sign that there’s a Buc-ee’s in 60 miles, I have nearly an hour to think about and consider what I want at Buc-ees: candied nuts? Fudge? One of the sensible cheese and grape packets that fits in a cup holder? I need gas, I need a restroom, so I stop and spend $40 on nuts and fudge and cheese that fits in my cup holder.
Most people don’t go to them normally to buy gas. I have a second home very near a Buc-ee’s, and most of my neighbors don’t buy their gas there because it’s just too congested and crazy. They go to a regular gas station that is a few pennies higher.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
The point you're missing is that it's not an either-or. We have multiple small stations and a few honkin' big stations.
The trend, by the way, is to bigger stations. Anecdotally, two smaller "gas marts" near my house were just rebuilt as bigger "gas marts" with over twice the retail size.
You know we get our groceries at gas stations, right? ;-) (No, we don't, that's an r/AskAnAmerican meme.)
TsundereLoliDragon@reddit
Dude, there's only like 50 Buc-ees in the entire country out of like 150,000+ gas stations.
K9WorkingDog@reddit
Buc ee's exists on high volume interstates, are you under the impression that you won't be able to find a gas station at your destination?
Deolater@reddit
Wait, I'm confused
Do you think we don't have gas stations around everywhere? Because we do
sneezhousing@reddit
Those aren't meant for people that live in the area. They have a bunch 9f smaller gas station in and around town.
buc ee's are 24 hrs and sitting along the interstate. They are meant for traveller's. They are right off of exits
joemoore38@reddit
No detour needed for Bucc-ees as they're right next to the highway.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
Every town has a gas station or three.
Those aren't the customers or business model Buccees is pursuing.
hyooston@reddit
They are on main interstate highways and target road trippers. Also the gas is competitive or better on price.
superkt3@reddit
In the US the majority of interstate travel takes place on highways, and Buc-ees and other large gas stations are along those roads, and likely often at or near the intersection of two or more major highways. People will then branch off into smaller highways to get to their final destination.
Eric848448@reddit
Yup, gas stations generally make almost nothing on the gas itself.
UglyInThMorning@reddit
Yeah, this isn’t just a Buc-ee’s thing at all. If you buy a dollar cup of coffee at a gas station they probably made more off that than a thirty dollar fill up. Gas is like a 1-2 percent profit margin. The convenience store stuff is usually 20-40 percent, and the coffee is like 90.
paxrom2@reddit
Yup. I spent 90 bucks on 4 people just on Bucees snacks.
James_T_S@reddit
Second this. Bucees is a store that sales gas too.
giddenboy@reddit
Buc-ees and many other huge gas stations are so much more convenient than the little corner stations. They have gas pumps that actually work, they have (usually) clean available bathrooms and an array of groceries and most of the time a fast food restaurant. They can usually sell their fuel for a lower price as well, because of the volume of their sales.
batcaveroad@reddit
Buccee’s are usually 1) on a major highway and 2) in the middle of nowhere.
They’re from Texas, where there are 3-4 of the top 10 largest US cities within a 3-4 hour drive. I’d be surprised if there was anywhere else in the world with so many places as regular day car trips (because the only alternative here is flying).
CTALKR@reddit
Texan here, fucking hate bucees
G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit
Buc-ee's isn't about getting gas, thought the gas is usually some of the cheapest around but that is more of a "loss leader" for them.
Buc-ee's is more of a tourist destination - it sells the experience more than anything: popular because of it's impressive size. Their focus is on food and merch sales. 7 or 8 bucks for a brisket sandwich. Add in some fresh chips, some Beaver Nuggets, drinks, etc. for two people and you've spent close to 50 bucks inside the store.
Punisher-3-1@reddit
I think a lot of stop there because the bathrooms are clean. In the process we spend $200 on a single stop for a family of 5 and that is not even considering gas.
Ok-Temporary-8243@reddit
Yup, the clean bathroom is honedtly the biggest draw to me
ur_moms_chode@reddit
Just knowing that the bathrooms are clean, which I just learned, would make me stop there.
Most gas station bathrooms are some combination of a homeless shelter, fentanyl den, and a brothel
Punisher-3-1@reddit
Yea that was their whole value proposition for the business. “Hey, let’s build some giant bathrooms that are always clean” and then build a giant gas station around that.
SteelGemini@reddit
They're not only clean, they're gigantic. The few times I've been to a Buc-ee's I've never had to wait for anything in the bathroom. Not a urinal, not a stall, not a sink to wash my hands. There's more than enough.
Ok-Temporary-8243@reddit
Yep. If you drive around, esp with a family it's amazing how it feels to be able to pull in for a pit stop and know you can just go to the bathroom at whim and not get grossed out
Punisher-3-1@reddit
Yo. Seriously. Especially with my youngest kid. He will get very easily grossed out by bathrooms and will hold it for unphysiological amounts of time, stopping at the buc-ees is well worth it.
gmwdim@reddit
Don’t forget a Petri dish for every disease known to man (and probably a few others that scientists haven’t identified yet).
Ok-Temporary-8243@reddit
Yup, it makes for the perfect pit stop too since the bathrooms are huge so there's usually not a lot of wait
mdavis360@reddit
I could not believe how clean the bathrooms really were the first time I went. It was like a palace.
Crayshack@reddit
I don't live in the Buc-ee's region, but I drive a ton for work and definitely have a mental note for which gas station chains tend to have nice bathrooms.
battleofflowers@reddit
This was really the first gas station to consider what women would look for in a gas station. Women wanted clean, plentiful bathrooms and were willing to go a bit out of their way for that. They also figured many women would be traveling with kids, and would want to get food that wasn't just gas station snacks. Finally, women often aren't super comfortable with stopping at a "truck stop" and Buc-ees doesn't allow semis.
lemon_pepper_trout@reddit
I loooove that Buccees started using those toilet seat sanitizer things. And the stalls are way more private than normal gas stations.
kmosiman@reddit
Yup. Bucees is like going to a nice grocery store. Clean, well lit, family friendly.
Mr_Kittlesworth@reddit
Their biggest attraction is a clean bathroom, honestly. I f*cking hate walking in there. The last thing I want is a crowded noisy scrum when I’m getting out of my car after a long drive, but for my wife and kids, clean bathrooms are a major attraction.
No-Understanding-912@reddit
Yes. I hate how crowded they are, but my wife loves the clean bathrooms. There have been plenty of times we see a gas station sign, pull off for her to use the bathroom and she will take one look and say let's find somewhere else. With buckees, she knows it's clean.
G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit
Yeah it really does feel like you're in the concourse of an arena halftime.
Mr_Kittlesworth@reddit
Rey good comparison
TheDeaconAscended@reddit
Buc-ee's is definitely not losing money on gas, their economies of scale and the fact that they don't have to deal with middle men means that they can undercut many while keeping their margin healthy.
Hollocene13@reddit
I don’t live in that kind of area but last time we passed one on a work road trip, we all spent a ton on hats, snacks, stickers et c. It’s like a fun redneck Disney store.
username-generica@reddit
I agree. A friend of mine lives near one and did some of her Christmas shopping there last year. It's fun to take someone who's never been because it's so over the top nuts. You can get the beaver on just about anything you can think of. The first time I went my sister bought a tie dye shirt with Willie Nelson on it. A friend of mine got a yard inflatable of the beaver popping out of an Easter egg. It's hard to understand unless you've been there.
TsundereLoliDragon@reddit
A new one just opened in Virginia recently about 250 miles away from me. I've actually been considering taking a drive down to check it out.
WonOfKind@reddit
I have a theory that they are preparing for EVs. If you're on a road trip and have to charge midway to your destination for an hour+ then you are going to want a place where you can at least enjoy your down time. You would also need a LOT more stalls if each car needs an hour to "fill up"
sto_brohammed@reddit
Of course you do. You may not have seen them but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
Here's one in France
https://www.google.com/maps/search/l'aire+de+Montélimar/@44.5147529,4.7800753,785m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Also, think real hard about the population density in the western US. You can drive for hours and not see a goddamned thing. Places like that are the only reasonable place to get fuel, food and take a break to retain your sanity.
lolCLEMPSON@reddit
Bucees exist along major road trip routes so people stop there on them.
One of the big problems of road trips with families is gross bathrooms at gas stations with one stall and long lines, or just nasty. Often times pick up snacks and stuff as well.
Bucees bathrooms are outstanding and you know you are going to get an easy and quality experience, compared to small gas stations.
I can take my family in, everyone can get food to tide them over, I can get them all a quick bathroom stop, and fill up the car. Very efficient for it. They are like 75% full on stalls every time in the gas area, so the size is justified.
Toeffli@reddit
A Buc-ee's is more like a big rest stop on an European autobahn/autostrada which are rather rare along the US interstates. You get food, rinks, snacks, souvenirs/merchandise, and the kids can look forward to a break and something special.
Ok_Acanthocephala101@reddit
Your correct in that you have to take in account US geography. The US has a massive highway and interstate system. And keeping with that, most people in the US wouldn't blink at a 6-9 hour drive. Buc-ee's places themselves on major routes, so that it becomes a stopping point on a long drive. One of the biggest draws is the bathrooms, which while the us does have a system of rest stops, which aren't always manned and well cleaned as well has truckers. The store part acts as a nice airconditioned stretch break. And the majority of snacks are geared towards drives, outside the fresh meat, which is really a texas thing.
emmnowa@reddit
Bucc-ee's is a very special case. Bucc-ee's is a tourist shop that happens to sell gas (in my understanding, as an Illinoisian who has never been to a Bucc-ee's). Bucc-ee's will advertise its stores hundreds of miles away. The nonsensical marketing is part of the gimmick. It makes it memorable and iconic. To your question about why it makes sense economically, it's not about the gas at all. It's about getting merch with that silly little rodent on it. They're big because the store is uncommon. I just looked it up, and there are 54 Bucc-ee's in the country. That is not a lot, at all. There are over 10,000 Shell stations in the U.S., and thousands of locations of other gas stations. Bucc-ee's is a novelty and is the exception rather than the rule. And their business model isn't really about the gas, imo
Xann_Whitefire@reddit
Well it’s actually part of their business model. If your planning a road trip they want you to know that about the time you’ll be thinking of stopping for gas there will be this really big station with lots of pumps, clean bathrooms, and great food. It makes them not just a port in the storm but an actual destination on your larger trip. If it long enough you might even hit one or two more on your way to where your going as they are working to make sure no matter where that is there will be another Buc-ee’s waiting about the time you need gas again.
GSilky@reddit
They are setting up to be ready for the eventual change to EVs. It's going to take 30 minutes or so to recharge, so restaurant and mini-mall to kill time while a driver charges.
Abdelsauron@reddit
Good idea in theory but their target demographic is, for whatever reason, ideologically opposed to electric vehicles.
beenoc@reddit
Buc-ee's is very Texas, but it's not particularly MAGA or really ideological in any way. Their target demographic is "I like brisket and beef jerky and clean toilets," not "guns and Jesus and liberal tears." If anything, they appeal more to visitors from outside Texas - from when I asked some Texans, they said the novelty wears off pretty quickly (outside of the clean bathrooms.)
Mission-Carry-887@reddit
Their target demographic are militant leftists who fire bomb Tesla dealerships?
Buc-ee and Tesla are proudly head quartered in Texas.
QuercusSambucus@reddit
And Texas had more jobs in wind and solar than in fossil fuels last I checked, altho that may have changed since our current government is run by monkeys.
BisonMysterious8902@reddit
I plan my trips to stop at Buccee's for this reason -they typically have tons of Tesla superchargers, and they're way off to the side, so I can always get a charger. By the time I walk in, use a clean bathroom, and get back to my car, it's charged and ready to continue the trip (15-20mins). Bonus points if I need a snack.
kmosiman@reddit
Bucees type stations are PERFECT for EV charging.
I know it's their thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually start to build them with a 50-50 mix of pumps and chargers instead of having 100 pumps.
MaleficentExtent1777@reddit
Exactly.
They're definitely adding charging stations. By the time you use the restroom, decide what snacks you want, and pay for your items, the car can be charged and ready.
jpsoze@reddit
“Like bigger cities but more uninhabited land in between? Higher population concentration but massive land distances between them? Where all the traffic gets funneled through massively wide highways? Is that the right idea?”
You have just described the U.S. interstate highway system, so yes, that’s the idea. Add in some marketing making Buc-ee’s (and similar knock-offs; we have Wally’s starting up in the Midwest) a road trip/tourist attraction and you’ve got the formula.
Self-Comprehensive@reddit
They're more of a travel stop than a gas station, and as you said, their located along major travel routes. Only a few of them are in populated areas, although they are close enough to towns to be an easy commute for the employees.
deucesmcfadden@reddit
I couldn't tell you the last time I got gas at Bucees
albertnormandy@reddit
Gas stations barely make any profit on gas. Gas is just to get you to stop. The money is made on food and drinks.
AllAreStarStuff@reddit
Right? Americans (and Texans) like to complain about the price of gas because they haven’t traveled to Europe.
ur_moms_chode@reddit
You also haven't traveled to Washington State
TrenchDildo@reddit
The West Coast has high gas prices from their own doing with much of the price being taxes.
rabidsloth15@reddit
It's not taxes. There is only an $0.18 difference between gas tax in Oregon and Texas yet the difference per gallon right now is $1.44.
The biggest cost difference is access to gasoline. The PNW only has 2 refineries, both in WA, and OR only has one pipeline to it from those refineries. We also have to import all of our oil since we have none naturally.
Texas has lots of oil and lots of refineries (along with other areas of the Midwest and south). Pipelines are also significantly easier to build on the plains and over the low hills they call mountains in the eastern US.
gtne91@reddit
Same for Europe.
gmwdim@reddit
Or Hawaii. Anywhere along the Pacific Ocean, really.
ur_moms_chode@reddit
I'm from Hawaii and it's surprising to me that it's actually cheaper than Washington is at least around Seattle
AllAreStarStuff@reddit
Pretty much everywhere but Texas has it worse 😄
dadbodsupreme@reddit
Gah, just the urban pricing scheme versus the rural pricing scheme in Georgia is insane. When I worked in Atlanta and had to get gas downtown, I would always curse myself because I told myself the last time was the last time I was going to get gas in Atlanta. I'm talking to 70 Cent per gallon swing when I was working in atlanta.
wbruce098@reddit
That’s like the Baltimore to DC swing. By my house, there’s plenty places under $3/gal. Down where I work, most places are charging around $4/gal and it’s the same state!
HamRadio_73@reddit
Or California
htownmidtown1@reddit
Millions and millions of Texans knows how the price of gas works. There is one major oil field left here and Spindletop and the East Texas Oil Field are past their peak but still operate.
Houston is the energy capital.
We know.
AllAreStarStuff@reddit
Given how I’ve seen them complain mightily, I don’t think they do know how good we have it…
Showdown5618@reddit
LOL
So true.
Hot_Aside_4637@reddit
And cigarettes
JM3DlCl@reddit
Because it's more like a Wal-Mart than a gas station. The gas is just to get you to pull in. The store is there for you to spend money.
TheJokersChild@reddit
Don't forget, "everything's bigger in Texas." That's where Buc-EE's started. It's almost a spoof on smaller gas-station convenience stores like Sheetz or Rutter's. Truth is, a gas stop is not just a gas stop. Some of our trips are a lot longer than yours, so that requires us to refuel along with our cars. We'll get drinks and snacks along the way to tide us over to our next full meal. And we like variety, which Buc-EE's takes to the extreme. If you've heard of a Cracker Barrel and its combination of restaurant and general store, Buc-EE's is the convenience-store version of that. There's a novelty to it that no other gas station has.
Aggressive_Battle264@reddit
I've been to a Buc-ee's just once. We were on a road trip and I had to pee. I picked up a few road trip snacks (all reasonably priced and the brisket sandwich was decent) and the batteries I needed for a piece of camping gear (again reasonably priced). I also saw that they sold ice at several $ cheaper than what I had paid at a grocery store the night before.
It was efficient, people were helpful and the bathrooms were, indeed, quite nice with no lines. I'll take that any day vs an unknown/sketchy small station that I may or may not be able to (or want to) use the facilities at.
psychocabbage@reddit
The US has a higher number of people that drive all over not only from r work but pleasure as well. You won't find 12 lane mega freeways is most any other country but we have them.
Buees caters to the 50% of the population that demands a clean restroom and no truckers.
passisgullible@reddit
Your ideas are also true but primarily because gas prices fluctuate so much, it's really hard to consistently make profit on gas. Snacks and stuff. On the other hand you do and by making a huge destination off of a bunch of major highways, you can have a ton of people come in and buy food.
TheDeaconAscended@reddit
I live in NJ, we do not allow self serve and until a tax hike by Christie and Co. we had some of the lowest gas prices in the US and definitely on the east coast. Because the franchise model is so strong here until 7-11 and Wawa came around, you could make money on gas. Wawa and 7-11 made it tougher but you still have franchise 4 pump and 6 pump stations that have next to zero retail doing brisk business. I think people who say you can't make profit on gas are looking at propaganda from groups like NACS who are looking for tax breaks and other handouts for their members.
passisgullible@reddit
Yeah I mean you guys don't tax gas nearly as much. Because gas taxes are so damn high in the rest of the country places have to subsidize what they charge so drivers stop.
knockatize@reddit
So naturally our state took some serviceable-if-drab Thruway rest areas and replaced them, at spectacular cost, with smaller facilities, with bathrooms that reach capacity when a church van pulls in, then topped it off by contracting with a food vendor that’s closed on Sundays.
passisgullible@reddit
Of course. They are nice tho...
raechuu@reddit
It’s a nice roadtrip stop. You don’t usually have to wait for gas, plenty of clean bathrooms, and the food is pretty decent. Most people don’t use it as their regular gas station because you don’t need bathrooms and snacks on a normal gas run.
Mission-Carry-887@reddit
Buc-ee is not part of journey. It is the destination.
flippythemaster@reddit
I do think you’re misunderstanding how the company operates.
Buc-Ee’s locations aren’t located inside city limits typically (there are one or two exceptions). They’re on interstates on the edges of or between major cities.
They’re catering to people on road trips. Not people getting their weekly (biweekly? I work from home so I don’t know how often people who commute get gas lol) tank of gas.
Educational-Ad-385@reddit
I've not been on a road trip to see one. I know for me it would be fun to gas up, go to the restroom, eat and do some fun shopping for snacks, etc. It'd be a fun break on a long drive. When my husband sees a Cracker Barrel restaurant he always stops so I can check out the gift shop. He usually finds something that he chooses to buy for me for the backyard. Some of us Americans enjoy such breaks.
Hungry-Treacle8493@reddit
Buc ees is just the latest version of the truck stop where the de-prioritize the trucks! There’s also not that many of these big places in relative terms. Maybe a few thousand truck stops and buc ees type spots across the entire U.S. but tens of thousands of normal small gas stations.
Hefty-Squirrel-6800@reddit
It is more than a place to refuel. They actually do not make any money from selling fuel. They make their money on the high-margin items they sell inside. The gasoline is to get you to stop.
Livid_Till9229@reddit
Buc-ee’s is always full, the one near me is about 30 miles away on I-10 I think it has 124 gas pumps, people stop for $50 worth of gas and end up spending-$250 on food, T-shirt’s, etc
Hoosier_Jedi@reddit
OP failed economics. 🤣
TakingItPeasy@reddit
Variety - It's a different offering. If I'm on the highway looking for a quick in and out gas without needing to use the restroom or get something to eat then I stop at the usual gas station - that's faster. If I'm with my family / been on the road for a long time and need a real break, then Buccees is great on a roadtrip. Tons and tons of different snack / food options, and giant clean bathrooms.
woodwork16@reddit
They are like the giant truck stops but just for cars.
You won’t find giant truck stops in a city either.
TheDeaconAscended@reddit
For many drivers they are like rest stops or scenic overlooks, something to do while you take a break and use the bathroom. Considering they have extremely clean bathrooms with privacy, they are amazing.
Siddakid0812@reddit
Yes, which is why Bucc-ee’s only exist on major roads. It’s not like all gas stations are like that. Bucc-ee’s was just the first to realize that, on roads large enough to justify such size, if you make your gas station an all-in-one rest and refuel area, people will extend their drives to reach you specifically.
BoysenberryKind5599@reddit
Buc-eee's isn't a gas station, it's a travel station.
TheDeaconAscended@reddit
I know some people mention that gas stations do not have a high profit on gas but that is most related to franchise owners. Wawa and Buc-ees work on a scale that allows them to make a healthy profit on gas sales. In NJ we do not have self serve gas and require attendants, gas stations with minimal retail that sell mostly fuel have no problem staying in business even when paying someone to pump gas and have 4 or 6 pumps at most.
CaptSkinny@reddit
There may be value to the community in having more gas stations distributed over a larger area, but for the business it's more profitable to have a single location that offers enough products and services to draw people in from further away.
And yes, these are typically located where lots of traffic is funneled through massive highways.
pikkdogs@reddit
Yeah. Buc-ee’s are rare in the US. I’m 38 years old and I’ve never seen one once in my life. I have traveled a decent amount of the country as well. So, to say that these stores are everywhere is false. They are kind of just in the south east. They are fairly rare, there are only 50 of them in the whole country.
Everyone in the south east pretty much has a car, so if you put these big stores on a big highway, you should be able to get a fair amount of people.
Truck stops as a whole are fairly popular in the US, so it makes sense that you could make a pretty big one.
shers719@reddit
Except Buc-ee's isn't a truck stop. They explicitly refuse to allow trucks on their property.
pikkdogs@reddit
It’s a truck stop, even if they don’t allow trucks.
kbivs@reddit
We just saw and visited our first one ever. It was in Missouri (we're from NJ). Honestly, I'd never even heard of them. It was over the top huge. They did have an extensive snack and food inventory and the bathrooms were top notch. We couldn't help but giggle and laugh at how much STUFF they had. Seasonal decorations, camping gear, clothing, etc, etc. It was kinda wild.
joemoore38@reddit
Great to hear they have EV charging. It's the perfect spot to stop and waste 30 minutes while your car is juiced up.
troycalm@reddit
There are people that tour the country just to site-see these gas stations.
Thespis1962@reddit
I find it interesting that, around the Lake Jackson, TX area (where Buc-ee's started) there are several stores that are "normal" sized with far less merchandise. They have the lowest gas prices in town, usually lower than their own mega stores on the expressway.
Saraisnotreal@reddit
What would make a small gas station more efficient? Just that the walk to pay inside is a little shorter? Yeah ig technically it might take 1 minute to walk inside instead of 15 seconds….?
Buccees always has several cashiers open at all hours. I’ve never had to wait more than like 3 minutes in line. I have had to wait for 15 minutes in line at a normal “faster” gas station with only one register though. And if the choice is shitty single gas station bathroom with broken lock and cracks on the toilet seat….or the immaculately clean buc-res down the road that has about 40 stalls with doors that go all the way down, lights above the doors to show which one os empty, a dedicated bathroom attendant whose ONLY job is to clean the bathroom as people use it all day, and on top of that they have real food and drinks not just hours old hotdogs on dirty rollers. There’s literally no benefit to going to smaller gas station unless you have like a membership with circle K or something.
beardiac@reddit
There aren't Buc-ee's around me yet, but I live in a suburban area where Wawa & Royal Farms are competing for territory and Sheetz isn't far from treading into this area as well. And these places are very common stopping points on commutes for being a one-stop-shop for gas, coffee, snacks, breakfast, etc.
My wife only has a 20-minute commute in the morning, but any day that she doesn't have time to make a pot of coffee, Wawa is a given stop on route, and she drives an EV. My daughter works in retail while going to college and is often ending her shift late at night, so Wawa is often her de facto stop on the way home for something better than fast food for the dinner she missed.
So while I agree that the appeal is clearly there for long road trips in lieu of more expensive service stations and exits where you have to hit 3 places to service your needs. They are also finding a niche for regular commuters and as a convenience store / sandwich shop that also happens to have fuel.
bearcatdragon@reddit
The really, really big ones are on major interstate routes and are often very busy. They also have smaller ones. I live in a Texas suburb and we have a Buccees that is much smaller in our neighborhood.
CocoaAlmondsRock@reddit
Buccees are WILDLY successful. They are a DESTINATION -- as in, they're building one FOUR HOURS from my house, and my best friend and I have plans to go.
There are lots of smaller gas stations around. A million of them. Buccees is something different that just happens to sell gas too.
SabresBills69@reddit
Bucees are built along major interstates.
Marginally adding gas stations spots isn't much more cost if you expand on a 16 pump gas station.
The profit on gas is very small. Where most profit is made is when gas stations rause prices the next day after oil prices rise.
The convince store is where the money is made.
If you have too many small gas stations some will fail anf it takes B ip more space.
Particular_Bet_5466@reddit
I live about 10 mins from a Buccees. Based on the comments saying it’s a nice stop on a road trip, maybe that’s why I don’t understand it at all. To me it’s just a big gas station with a bunch of crap I’m not interested in buying. I can go to my local Walmart or sandwich shop for that.
2quila@reddit
Wife and I traveling thru Texas, stopped at a Buc-ee's and we really liked it. Nice place to stop. Made it a point to stop in on the way home as well. Got traveling supplies.
Funky_ButtLuvin@reddit
Buc-ee’s evolved over the last 25-30 years or so. I remember early on it was a slightly nicer gas station with a clean restroom. The restrooms didn’t have a door but a snaking hallway path, and it had automatic soap dispensers which were new at the time. This made it the ideal stop right in-between the cities I was traveling between. They had a little bit of merch like some hats and sunglasses, and maybe a bigger supply of trail mix type of stuff. Then they started having more merchandise like stuff you would put out in your garden and whatnot. They started to get bigger, and made it so it was the gas station you wanted to stop at because it was clean, had the best snacks, and had a bunch of crap to look at. Then it started to become like a phenomenon with the new locations built, and they were mega stores. They have bar-b-que, all kinds of stuff. There are Buc-ee’s t-shirts. Guests from out of town wanted to see it for themselves because it blows their minds.
BusyBeinBorn@reddit
It’s what we call a truck stop, just without the trucks at this particular one. Not really the same thing as a gas station/convenience store.
cavalier78@reddit
Buccees are located on major interstates between huge cities. There is a giant butt-ton of traffic that goes by there. And as other people have said, they offer clean bathrooms and decent snacks, plus a bunch of souvenir crap.
Jaymac720@reddit
They’re placed on major travel corridors. When you have a lot of people going through on their way across the gulf coast, they’re gonna wanna stop for gas and food and the bathroom. Buc-ee’s has all those along with better service than you’ll ever find in any smaller gas station
Former-Ad9272@reddit
The foreign mind cannot comprehend the majesty and power of the American super gas station.
Demented-Alpaca@reddit
They're not really gas stations. They're "rest stops" where you can spend a bunch of time stretching and getting a break from the car. (Or spend a bunch of time spending a bunch of money)
Truth is, in the US, most gas stations make very little money from gasoline. Most of their profits come from the stuff they sell inside. The $2 travel tube of sun screen that costs $13 for example.
So a large rest area that sells gas makes sense when you realize that a lot of people go in and buy lunch, snacks for the road, souvenirs etc. And if they make it an "experience" you're more likely to go do exactly those things!
r2k398@reddit
Every one I have seen is on a major interstate and they are packed with people. Their whole thing was that they have plenty of restrooms and they are always clean, something that is still seriously lacking in other gas stations.
Straight_Cherry996@reddit
Designed and planned based on a total national infrastructure plan
roads. distances speed size type of vehicle its engine and mileage etc are so standardized to get best bang for the dollar that it is far more expensive to have smaller units as opposed to larger ones - also scale of economics plays a role
snyderman3000@reddit
I once stopped at a Buc-ee’s and it was one of the most miserable experiences of my life. There were literally people directing traffic into and out of the gas station. It took probably 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot. It felt like a nightmare that had been custom made just for me.
Im_Not_Nick_Fisher@reddit
They are not just a place to stop and get gas. The ones they have built in Florida are all off the major interstates. More people likely stop there for the store itself than actually just getting gas. The novelty alone has people going there just to see it all. I’ll stop by just to get some brisket. Take a little break from my drive, and I’m on my way again.
DocLego@reddit
I was on a work trip last year and we stopped at a Buc-ee’s. We didn’t even need gas: the guys I was with just wanted to go there.
Im_Not_Nick_Fisher@reddit
Lol exactly! I’ve gone probably a dozen times and I only remember getting gas once. Took my friends kids there because they watched a few videos and they don’t have them in their state. They were really excited to go just to see it all. Met a friend at one just because it was a good meeting point.
Rude_Ad1214@reddit
Confused, the two open Bucees are right off I95.
Nugasaki@reddit
The Bucc-Ees by me got a sweetheart tax deal so they are able to undercut the competition. They got a deal worth an estimated $8.1 million to them. This included a 100% sales rebate for the first $2,000,000 and a 50% sales tax rebate for TWENTY YEARS. I imagine it may end up costing Denton, TX even more in the end.
Complex_Solutions_20@reddit
IMO they don't.
I also have a hate for how many people at Sheetz or WaWa abandon their cars blocking up the pumps for ages to go inside and get food or whatever instead of parking in an actual parking space. Especially when they block up pumps that only have that grade of fuel in 1 or 2 pumps (e.g. Ethanol-Free or Diesel) so you can't just "go to another pump".
Kauffman67@reddit
Bucee's is not a gas station that's how. It's a retail store that uses gas pumps and super clean restrooms to attract customers.
rexeditrex@reddit
Nothing like being able to take one stop and get everything you need in one place. Plus the gas is cheap, the bathrooms are clean and it's well run. They tend to be placed in the middle of long stretches of highway too so they're the only place to stop around those areas.
Duque_de_Osuna@reddit
We do not have those near where I live, are they a regional thing?
NickyUpstairsandDown@reddit
I’m assuming we won’t see them in PA, where people already have strong loyalties to Wawa and Sheetz.
Apocalyptic0n3@reddit
Buc-ee's doesn't target locals. They target travelers on the interstate. I only know Wawa and Sheetz exist because they occasionally get mentioned on this sub, but I know Buc-ee's purely from the network effect and would likely stop there before considering a Wawa or Sheetz if I was traveling through Pennsylvania. Buc-ee's as a brand can likely work anywhere.
Comfortable-Dish1236@reddit
WaWa, Sheetz and Royal Farms are huge in the Mid-Atlantic. Having said that, I’ve seen more folks wearing Buc-ees attire in one day then I’ve seen all three of the others together in my lifetime.
Theycallmesupa@reddit
Started in Texas and is spreading through the south towards the east coast.
StrawberryKiss2559@reddit
People love the novelty of it.
I personally think they’re fun for like one time, especially if you’ve never been in a Buccee’s.
But I’m from Texas. I only stop at the small sized Buccee’s (regular sized gas stations). The main reason is that I’m trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. The bathrooms are all the way in the middle of the huge Buccee’s. Such a huge time sucker!
But I can get in and out of a small Buccee’s very quickly, they’re always clean, and they have great snacks and sodas.
NonspecificGravity@reddit
They also have decent coffee 24/7. (I live in Texas, too.)
RonMcKelvey@reddit
They’ve become a destination in their own right and have spread outside of Texas, but for 20 years of going to Buc-ees regularly - it’s because they exist in convenient stops on long road trips in a state. Giddings is halfway between Austin and Houston. Or Bastrop or Waller for that drive. Temple is between Dallas and Austin - make a stop there on the Friday before the Texas OU game and it is a zoo. New Braunfels or Luling between Austin and Corpus. If you’re on a long drive, which is frequently the case in Texas, there is a Buc-ee’s at some point along the way and it will have a clean toilet and good snacks. The conversation along the drive was always which Buc-ees are we going to stop at.
Tarentum566@reddit
They don’t make money with efficiency they make money by being so over the top that they’re a destination. And the profits come from selling a lot of snacks etc as part of the “experience,” not because they’re really the most practical choice for everyday refueling.
Imaginary_Smile_7896@reddit
Buccees is really just the same concept as the rest stops along the German Autobahn, albeit quite a bit larger.
PowerfulFunny5@reddit
I have the impression that Buc-ees catered to both the roadtrip and the “going to the boat or cabin for the weekend” crowd (or based on the ice machines and outdoors gear). And for the latter crowd that means they don’t have to stop at a Walmart or something to gather supplies.
kmosiman@reddit
YES.
If you have a camper you will understand but:
Hauling a travel trailer into a normal gas station can be a bit of a crap shoot. You know that you can probably get in and out without too much trouble, but you might get screwed with traffic and tight turns. Then you're stuck trying a 20-point turn to get out of the damn place.
If you KNOW that a Bucees is going to have wide turn lanes, then you are going to plan to hit one to save on the hassle.
Also, you might be rushed for time packing and knowing that you can hit one for missed items is huge.
browneod@reddit
Long drives on the highway and you just have to stop and there is food all around you and of course you end up buying something.
Dark_Web_Duck@reddit
I guess when you don't understand how big the country is...
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
Hype, novelty and they do have good service
arcteryx17@reddit
When you don't know the area when traveling, bathroom stops are a huge gamble for cleanliness and snacks. Buc-ees offer a known clean bathroom and snack/food selection.
Small gas stations typically are locally owned and honestly tend to be Indian or Middle Eastern owned. They only offer bathrooms because its a law for paying customers. The bathrooms are not taken care of. Hate this comment all you want it's true. I travel a lot via vehicle and just stating facts.
Athrynne@reddit
I've never been to a Buc-ees myself, but they sound like a private version of the thruway travel plazas that we have in the northeast. NY recently redid theirs and they will have several different food options (shake shack, chick fil-a, Starbucks) clean bathrooms, and a lot of gas pumps and charging stations. NY ones also often have farm stands on the weekends and sometimes vending machines with local products. I got a nice hunk of local cheese from a climate controlled vending machine the last time I stopped at one!
0iljug@reddit
Nah buccees got big by putting something somewhat interesting inside a sea of very uninteresting surroundings.
yellowrose04@reddit
lol You don’t understand the cult and it shows. I literally drove two hours to go to Buc-ee’s. That’s it that was the trip. I didn’t pass by on the highway and like may as well stop. I’m not like oh hey if I do this I can go to Buc-ees and get back on track. Nope I went there because it just opened and I wanted to see it.
captainstormy@reddit
In addition to what everyone saying about gas not being how places like Buc-ee's makes money. There is another aspect.
When you are on the interstate for a long time, sometimes you just wanna stretch your legs. If I'm visiting my mother it's a 6 hour drive without any traffic. It's nice to stop somewhere and walk around for 30 minutes or so to stretch my legs. With a regular small gas station I'd have to be doing laps around the parking lot or something to do that.
_WillCAD_@reddit
Buc-ees and several other similar companies (Flying J and TA are the only ones I can recall at the moment) are not just gas stations, they're travel plazas.
A travel plaza is a place on a major highway, typically in rural areas, which combine a lot of services into a single location. Gas, food, temp lodging, mechanical assistance, showers, and retail are all available in a travel plaza, giving weary travelers - both consumer and commercial - a place to rest, refuel their vehicles, stock up on supplies, get a hot meal, and take a shower. I've heard that some of the really big plazas in the midwest are more like shopping malls and include things like dental offices and urgent care clinics.
Travel plazas tend to include large truck-specific parking and fueling areas that cater to semis, keeping them segregated from the passenger cars for both convenience and safety. Some of the parking areas even include utility hookups, so a semi can pull in for the night, and the driver can get electrical power and an internet connection to keep the cab cozy for the duration of their stop, check their email, and enjoy a streaming show or two before turning in.
Meanwhile, passenger vehicles can stop in other areas of the plaza so non-commercial travelers can avail themselves of the plaza's many services and get back on the road. Most plazas include small dog runs, and some even include playgrounds for restless kids - all separate from the truck areas for both safety and convenience. A trucker trying to get a couple of hours rest doesn't need screaming kids running around, nor do kids need to be running through parking lots near big, dangerous trucks.
Those travel plazas are a vital component in the US supply chain infrastructure.
TrickWrap@reddit
Bucees revenue is approx. $830,000 daily, Per Store! That's with gas and the store combined. Now, you tell me if it's worth it.
donkey-kong-grandjr@reddit
Op.. please go back to school, your spelling and grammar is horrendous.
Rhubarb_and_bouys@reddit
*Op, please go back to school. Your spelling and grammar are horrendous.
MoonieNine@reddit
One of our Town Pumps has a full BAR with an outdoor patio.
JohnnyCoolbreeze@reddit
There are Buc-ee’s with multiple service stations right next to them. There were also massive truck stops/travel plazas well before Buc-ee’s such as Flying J, Loves, and many others. They are a strictly American phenomenon.
Buc-ee’s have become tourist destinations in and of themselves. They are over-the-top temples to mass consumerism. One was built about 20 miles from my home in a rural area. I live overseas and it’s a great hangout for 3am jetlag boredom.
shers719@reddit
The difference is Flying J, Loves, and a lot of the others allowed trucks. There's a major parking shortage for our truck drivers so those plazas are doing them a huge solid. Buc-ee's on the other hand refuses to allow trucks - all that space and refuses to help ease the parking issue.
JohnnyCoolbreeze@reddit
That’s probably why they have become so popular. The vast majority of truckers are considerate, upstanding people but there’s no denying that wherever trucks congregate problems follow.
Avery_Thorn@reddit
It is very important to remember that Buc-ees is a massive exception. They are notable for their size, they are notable for their excess - but there are not really that many of them, and there are no other gas stations of that size. They are not, in any way, "normal".
What is normal are the smaller gas stations that are all over the place. There are a bunch of these near me. It's 6 hours to the nearest Buc-ees. It's just that the Loves and Flying Js and 7/11s and Sheets are so mundane that no one really cares about them, no one makes videos of them, no one really celebrates them.
hobokobo1028@reddit
It’s basically a store that also sells gas.
freeze45@reddit
Truckers need to go to big gas stations to fuel up, smaller ones won't be able to fit a tractor trailer. Plus, some truckers will stop at truck stops to shower and have a quality meal, not just grab a sandwich.
mads_61@reddit
Buc-ee’s does not allow trucks.
freeze45@reddit
Really? I assumed they were truck stops. We don't have them up here in PA. So, it's more for road trippers?
GMHGeorge@reddit
Yes, known for their clean restrooms is their real draw
ATLien_3000@reddit
The US is big.
And sparsely populated.
And as you hint we have a robust highway system that tends to funnel long distance traffic along certain corridors.
It makes a lot more sense to have these big stations.
For a while local governments tended to fight them.
Now they realize that these places pay tons of taxes (a Buc-ee's is frequently the largest taxpayer in counties it's in), and there's little downside since they're right on a highway that's already there.
Rich-Contribution-84@reddit
I say with all due respect to my fellow Americans - but the answer is “because ‘Merica.”
Seriously though - they are pretty absurd but it’s kind of like an all in one place for people to load up on tons of stuff on road trips. It’s also just like this weird novelty that people enjoy. And it’s an “everything is bigger in Texas” trope too.
But to your question, OP, their purpose is not efficiency and I would never stop in one if I was in a hurry. Actually, I wouldn’t probably stop in one anyway.
Mega_Dragonzord@reddit
Buc-ees is a clean bathroom and food shop that also sells gas.
AndrastesDimples@reddit
First, road tripping is a major thing in the US.
Second, geography. Yes, you can absolutely go a very long time before a populated center. We post signs on the interstate for how many miles between rest stops. Food, gas, and lodging will pay for billboards telling you what exit to take.
Buccees has done great advertising but they generally build outside the major population centers. They have incredibly clean bathrooms (which can be hit or miss elsewhere). They also sell a ridiculous amount of retail goods. We like the food, we pick up drinks and snacks, and head on our way.
In other words, they are a reliable place with a decent quality of food and amenities on a stretch of road that doesn’t really have a lot to choose from to begin with.
Awdayshus@reddit
A lot of comments here are variations on "they don't make money on gas" or "gas is just to get you to stop."
While it's true that the margin on gas is terrible, the volume on gas can't be overstated. I was an area supervisor for a chain of convenience stores in the Midwest and was able to see a lot of profit and loss numbers for my stores and the company as a whole while I worked for them.
That company had between a 1% and 1½% on gas. Most stuff in the store was around 20% margin, and food from the kitchen was around 40%. But across over 2,000 locations, they made over a billion dollars a year on fuel with that 1% margin, and it was the biggest category of profit for the company.
So while the margins on fuel are terrible, it is a huge source of profit. Yes, they want you to go inside and buy other stuff too. But they absolutely do make money on the gas.
AdTemporary7651@reddit
They don’t make sense. I visited my first one last month. I’ve seen it. I don’t need to experience it again.
GlobalTapeHead@reddit
Buc-ee’s is a destination more than a gas station. Have you ever been to one? There is a line all the way back to the highway just to get in the parking lot at peak times of the day. They make sense because they make money.
Apocalyptic0n3@reddit
You're thinking of it wrong. You're thinking of Buc-ee's as a giant gas station with a store. Instead, you need to think of it as a giant store with a gas station. It's a tourist destination more than it's a gas station.
Also... the bathrooms are clean. Don't underestimate just how valuable that is to a traveler 7 hours into their drive that day.
Beneficial-Horse8503@reddit
Buc-ee’s doesn’t make its money off gas. It’s big. It’s clean. It’s got a bunch of shit you can buy. Yes it’s a gas station. But they get you to go inside to use their super clean restrooms and then you end up buying a bunch of shit. I’ve been to Buc-ee’s a million times. I’ve gotten gas there once. 😂
witchitieto@reddit
They are the Trader Joe’s of convenience stores
Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit
There are small gas stations everywhere. But Buc-ee's is actually a convenience store that also sells gas.
The clean bathrooms are 100% the draw here. You choose this place for gas because of those bathrooms, then you spend $200 for a family on food and merchandise.
Horizontal_Bob@reddit
Think of Buc-ee’s as big box retailer that happens to sell gas
It’s not a gas station
Into-Imagination@reddit
The business model in the US for fuel is that it (barely) breaks even; the profit margin is from the convenience store, restaurant, auto shop / service, and any other ancillary services offered.
Fuel is the incentive to stop and spend on the other things.
Factoring that in, along with the fact that many of these massive stations are not in ultra expensive city centers (where land is at a very costly premium making it challenging to go big), it makes alot of sense to build a very large footprint, and maximize the ability to service alot of customers.
Of course demand factors in: the presence of large quantities of consumers who want fuel, but also want somewhere clean, and convenient to eat/hydrate/use a bathroom and so on, is quite high given the distances many Americans drive on highways: it’s significantly more distance driven than many other countries (as many other countries have alternatives to driving that residents prefer. In the US your choice is to drive, or if it’s far enough, fly. Trains are not anywhere near as common - especially in the Southern states.)
Bartimaus666@reddit (OP)
Nice very interesting. Very helpful comment.
Prize_Consequence568@reddit
"How do gigantic buc-ee's gas stations make sense?"
Because Merica that's why!
They-Call-Me-Taylor@reddit
I have no idea, but they are always packed to the gills when I go to one, so they are making a bunch of money. Guessing they make the bulk of their profits in the store vs fuel profits. It is a major draw for travelers though. Any time we are driving somewhere in TX for a local vacation, we always look out for the Buckee's signs and try to stop there. You can always bet that the restrooms will be very clean and it is a "fun" place for the kids to shop, grab a snack and drink, refuel, then head on our way. We just took a little beach trip this weekend (3.5 hours drive) and stopped at one.
used-to-have-a-name@reddit
The business model for Buc-ee’s isn’t exclusively tied to fuel sales. The really big ones are indeed on major routes, where they also serve as truck stops and roadside attractions.
FivebyFive@reddit
We DO have smaller has stations around.
There's only one Buccee's in my state.
There are 8,952 small gas stations.
StinkyCheeseWomxn@reddit
In Texas, it is very common to travel hundreds of miles for a quick visit with family, a concert, and nearly every week for student sports or academic competition. When you pull in to Buccees they are teeming with people using the restroom, buying BBQ, shopping for hoodies, stocking up on specialty snacks and often literally buying holiday gifts. There is almost always a busload of high school kids on their way to a tournament just loading up on candy. People stop for fuel and clean bathrooms but stay for an hour to buy t shirts and lunch. I know it is weird but people are throwing those road trip Monopoly money funds at them.
Fae-SailorStupider@reddit
Buccees is essentially a restaurant and retail store that also has gas. Most people go there for the food and stuff, and dont even fuel up.
cavall1215@reddit
Buc-ee's and similar large gas stations are trying to attract the high-volume of travelers on our interstates. Most travelers don't want to wait for a pump to refill, and so these gas stations make sure they have a lot of available pumps. These businesses are planning that the customers will enter their building while refilling and purchase their food/snack and retail products that are marked up pretty heavily.
I would say this model exists due to a combination of:
1) Most Americans being wealthy enough to afford a vehicle capable of interstate travel.
2) America's infrastructure allows relatively easy travel by car for vacations/business.
3) The only realistic alternative for traveling long distance here is plane, since Amtrak isn't a robust option. This leads to higher volumes of travelers opting for auto travel.
4) The road trip has a cultural appeal to many Americans.
phred_666@reddit
I have been to a Buc-ee’s once. It was on a major interstate that had lots of traffic. There were lots of gas pumps and a huge parking lot. Inside there was just about every imaginable item you could find. Drinks, a mind blowing wide variety of snacks, a bakery, souvenirs, T-shirts, hats, and incredibly large, and clean, restrooms.
Thund3rCh1k3n@reddit
It's like a truck stop that doesn't allow 18-wheelers. It's a one-stop shop. You get gas, go to the bathroom, grab a meal and some souvenirs all in one place. With plenty of toys and stuffed knickknacks right at kids' eye level to encourage splurge spending.
pinniped90@reddit
I don't get the hype either.
There are already plenty of large-ish truck stops. The only thing that matters to me is can I quickly get gas, use the restroom, and get back on the road.
I worry that Buccee's will have so much traffic that getting in and out won't be fast but maybe I'm wrong. I know they have a lot of pumps but getting to and from them is what would concern me.
Love's seems to have this about right. Big enough that there's always an available pump. Not so big that they're hard to use.
Salty_Dog2917@reddit
Gas stations make their money off the inside products.
Standard_Nothing_268@reddit
Especially the fountain drinks. Believe I saw a number one time to the extent that a large chain such as circle K spends $.11 to do a polar pop all in and you buy it for like $.75 so they make $.64 in profit on each one and it’s by far their biggest seller.
Also happy cake day.
Chemical-Mix-6206@reddit
Most gas stations sell, what $30 of gas that they make about a dollar on, and they sell you a bottle of coke and some stale peanut butter crackers? They have 4 pumps so you have to wait, and the bathrooms are disgusting.
Buccees has an excellent business model. 100 fuel pumps so you never have to wait. Clean bathrooms. Reliably good array of freshly prepared food and snacks. A huge store to walk around and stretch your legs that's full of branded merch to tempt customers into making impulse purchases. They are located on interstate highways for the convenience of drivers. I always stop at the one on the way to my mom's. Haven't bought any merch yet, but their food is decent and I always appreciate a clean bathroom.
AllAreStarStuff@reddit
We used to stop at Buc-ee’s to get car snacks if we were starting out on a long car trip. But they stopped carrying all the flavors of candied popcorn (like macadamia nut) and beef jerky. They just have the same boring, plain flavor as anywhere else. All of the snacks lost some of their uniqueness. So now we only stop there if it happens to be closest or we want reliably clean restrooms, but will also go anywhere else.
westslexander@reddit
Bucees was the biggest let down of my life. They built the biggest oneca couple of hours away at one of my favorite destinations. Everyone talked about how great it was. I know people that drive 3 hours just to go to bucees. I stop on my way to my destination and was like what the hell is the hype. It's a glorified gas station. I dont get it. I didn't buy a single thing. I was expecting the equivalent to an adult amusement park they way it was talked about.
joemoore38@reddit
Yes! Same here. Overpriced food and a lot of stupid merch with that stupid beaver on it. Restrooms were immaculate though.
OutrageousQuantity12@reddit
“It’s a glorified gas station”
Yeah… it’s literally just a really nice gas station. That’s the entire point lol
Ok_Gas5386@reddit
burn 20 gallons of gas driving to Buccees
tank on E
get gas at Buccees
get food at Buccees
get drinks at Buccees
get clothes at Buccees
burn 20 gallons driving home
tank on 1/2
repeat tomorrow
Texas lifestyle
AllAreStarStuff@reddit
What are you talking about?
ShipComprehensive543@reddit
Like any other business. Supply and demand. It is also very much a destination place (get out of car, go inside and shop and or eat) vs. stop by and get gas and go. They literally sell everything there and average people likely spend at least $20-100 minimum, many spend a lot more.
hyooston@reddit
The average spend per stop at buccees is over $150.
HippieJed@reddit
They don’t make sense. They are one of the greatest wonders of the world. I would love to have a breakfast burrito right now
quiltingsarah@reddit
I'd rather stop at a big place then a small gas station. Bathrooms are cleaner. You can grab a meal or snack walk around a look at interesting local stuff for sale.
idontknowlikeapuma@reddit
Are you asking about truck stops? Truckers need to shower, shit, shave, and eat. And maybe their bluetooth headset just died.
Bootmacher@reddit
It's a fast food restaurant and gift shop, which just so happens to sell gas.
ShowScene5@reddit
If you aren't from the states, you may not be imagining just how big our country is. A road trip can easily cover a thousand plus miles. Places like Bucees serve as an oasis on a long journey. A reliable place to stop, eat, fuel, use the restroom etc... the American Interstate Highway System is also dotted with modern truck stops that also offer a similar, if not as outlandishly consumer, function.
I may drive at 70+MPH for hours and hours. When I step foot out of my car I dont want it to be at a 4 pump BP with microwaved burritos and a single stall bathroom that hasn't been attended to in days.
Bucees (and similarly modeled places), and truck stops (Loves, Flying J, Pilot, etc..) serve as a one stop shop for road trippers. They are spaced out to make them special and a "must stop" for most motorists on long journeys. They have all the amenities one needs (bathrooms, fuel, food) and some fun extras they make loads of money on. Its a winning business model.
BleachedUnicornBHole@reddit
Even the big pick-up trucks can go +400 km on a single tank of gas, which means locations may not be as close together as you think. Buc-ee’s tend to be just off the Interstate network or other major highways, so they have the throughput. They also have more than just gas. The restrooms are famously clean, the fresh food isn’t awful, and they have a wide assortment of snacks that you can take on the road. It’s basically a one-stop shop for your travel needs.
machagogo@reddit
Buc-ees are all on Interstates and for the most part positioned where land is abundant. Plus, there aren't many relatively speaking. These aren't city stations. They make their money on people getting food and other bullshit they sell.
jurassicbond@reddit
I find Bucees to be the best one stop shop when traveling. Wide variety of snacks. Good filling food for a meal. Gas. Some of the cleanest restrooms you'll find on the interstate. If one is on my way, there's a good chance I'll stop there and get lunch, gas, drinks, and jerky instead of going to both a gas station and a restaurant
Tron_35@reddit
My town just got a bucees, and we are very very tiny. But they do a lot of business, they have cheap gas and cheap sodas. Part of it has to be that there aren't many bucees around, so people are willing to drive all over to go to one. There are literally signs advertising our bucees an hour away in another state, they have a large reach.
leeloocal@reddit
They’re also truck stops.
shers719@reddit
Buc-ee's does not allow trucks. It says so at the entrance. One of the reasons I refuse to go. There's a parking shortage for our truckers and they're taking up land that could be perfect to ease that.
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
They are explicitly not a truck stop.
wise_hampster@reddit
Mega consumption vs sense. It's the dream, doncha know.
Thereelgerg@reddit
Because people go there to buy fuel and stuff.
cbbutle@reddit
You don’t understand. It needs to be bigger
kacheow@reddit
I’m assuming with their hundred pumps they meet either 50% of revenue from fuel sales or 50% of floor space dedicated to fuel sales. If they do, they can depreciate the entire thing in year 1, which helps speed up break even
NoContextCarl@reddit
It would likely be more costly in the long run to have more smaller stations versus fewer larger stations for a single business entity. They aren't making a profit on gas, rather the items inside. So relying on smaller stations with gas, but fewer items inside would turn less of a profit.
Buc-ees isn't traditionally the norm due to the sheer size, but it's found it's niche as sort of a tourist attraction/gas station.
Sirhc978@reddit
This video isn't about Buc-Ee's but The Chubby Electron Man explains why Casey's general store is a successful mega gas station.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfKC_aQ6IOg
Joliet-Jake@reddit
Buc-ee‘s makes a lot of sense from a money making perspective. It’s not uncommon for people to go in there and spend upward of $100 on various stuff like logo merch in addition to the normal snacks and drinks that people usually buy at interstate gas stations. In places where they are new, like Georgia, stopping at Buc-ee’s ends up being a side quest on people’s road trips.
w4559@reddit
Buccees thrives because you stop in to use the bathroom and end up buying $150 of brisket, jerky and tee shirts.
crushedrancor@reddit
These gas stations are built on land that is extremely cheap and wouldn’t otherwise be used, therefore the scale makes more sense
RyouIshtar@reddit
I'm just casually waiting for something bigger than buc-ees to come around.
zedazeni@reddit
Their stores are where they make most of their money, and well over half of their products are their own brand.
soap---poisoning@reddit
There are a lot of little gas stations all around, but some people will pass by those little gas stations to stop at Buc-ee’s instead. If you’re on a long trip, it can be nice to take a little break somewhere that has clean restrooms, a variety of food options, and a large gift shop.
FunImprovement166@reddit
Gas stations are like movie theaters. They make a majority of their money from concessions.