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Wawa

Started by PHLBOS, September 15, 2014, 10:29:11 AM

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cpzilliacus

Quote from: wphiii on October 13, 2014, 05:42:58 PM
I'm genuinely curious as to how you all can possibly discern enough of a difference between various convenience store chains to be able to formulate concrete rankings of them. You can get the same crap at all of them, from where I'm standing the only major dividing line is "does it serve made to order food or not?" (and even amongst those that do, you can't tell me that there's anywhere near enough of a gulf in quality between them to have a definitive opinion one way or the other).

Cleaner, and better overall service at Wawa, Sheetz and Royal Farm, as compared with the dominant chain in the Md./Va./D.C. area, 7-11.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.


1995hoo

Quote from: jeffandnicole on November 23, 2014, 05:06:23 PM
Since cars that require premium gas want 91, or at most, 92 octane, the savings is a good trade-off for the insignificant difference in performance.

I don't think it was cheaper because of the lower octane. Sunoco used to offer 87, 89, 91, and 93. The 91 was usually 2¢ a gallon cheaper. I think the difference in price was due to the Wawa being in the next county over where gas is usually cheaper. But I still won't drive down there solely to buy gas because, of course, I have to burn gas in both directions. If the price difference is 30¢ a gallon and I put in 15 gallons, I save $4.50, but it's about 30 miles roundtrip, so in normal traffic I'll use a bit over a gallon roundtrip, reducing the savings to a little over a dollar. Simply not worth it unless I have another reason to be down there.

The only car in which I've noticed a notable difference in performance from the different octane ratings for super unleaded is my brother's 1974 Beetle. Sunoco used to offer a 94 octane (since phased out due to MTBE regulations) and the Beetle loved that gas for some reason, ran far better on that stuff than anything else. I've used all grades from 91 to 94 in my Acura and have never noticed a difference in performance (I usually buy 93 because that's what's available).

BTW, returning to Wawa, the pay-at-the-pump thing didn't print a receipt so I went inside. WAY more cashiers than most other gas station convenience stores I've visited. I quite liked that. (The pay-at-the-pump also took Apple Pay. It didn't say so, but I tried it and it worked just fine.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

oscar

I lean mildly to Wawas when I can find them.  One tipping factor is they have recycle bins, so I can hope all the aluminum cans I go through get recycled, rather than get mixed in with the regular trash.  Same goes for most Tim Hortons.

I also like Sheetz, which like Wawa usually has made-to-order food (I prefer the Sheetz menu, but like Wawa's chicken and corn chowder on the days it's available).  Royal Farms, often seen in Maryland, also works for me when I'm not hungry.  As for 7-11s, I like their hot dogs, but otherwise the food isn't great, and restroom availability is uneven even at the stores that have gas pumps.

When I went to school in Connecticut in the late 70s/early 80s, a Wawa C-store (no gas pumps) was the closest one to my part of campus.  I don't recall seeing it on later visits.

The name does remind me of "Black Lassie", a song on Cheech and Chong's "Wedding album" from the 1970s.  That includes a passage where the lead singer lashed out at the guitarist overdoing it on the wah-wah -- "don't you EVER play with your wah-wah, when we're talking about a great American dog, Black Lassie...half dog, half rat" -- as if he were masturbating.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

PHLBOS

Thread Bump:

En lieu of starting a new thread.  Today, the largest Wawa, in terms of floor space, just opened as of 8 AM this morning (Dec. 14, 2018) across the street from Independence Hall in Philadelphia (corner of Chestnut & 6th Streets).

World's Largest Wawa Opens in Old City

Opening Day = Standing Room Only to buy or order something.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

jeffandnicole

Quote from: PHLBOS on December 14, 2018, 01:11:26 PM
Thread Bump:

En lieu of starting a new thread.  Today, the largest Wawa, in terms of floor space, just opened as of 8 AM this morning (Dec. 14, 2018) across the street from Independence Hall in Philadelphia (corner of Chestnut & 6th Streets).

World's Largest Wawa Opens in Old City

Opening Day = Standing Room Only to buy or order something.

The story from the Philly Inquirer:

http://www2.philly.com/news/wawa-independence-hall-opening-flagship-store-philadelphia-center-city-20181214.html

And this sums up how much Wawa is loved around here...

QuoteA group of friends from Drexel University were first in line at the store in the old Public Ledger Building at Sixth and Chestnut Streets, arriving at 5:52 a.m....By 10 minutes before opening, hundreds of people had flooded the line. Curious tourists visiting nearby Independence Hall looked on in amazement when informed that the line was, indeed, for the opening of a convenience store.



hbelkins

And it still won't be as good as Sheetz.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

74/171FAN

Quote from: hbelkins on December 14, 2018, 04:05:57 PM
And it still won't be as good as Sheetz.

I think Wawa's food is actually better even though Sheetz is the better overall.
I am now a PennDOT employee.  My opinions/views do not necessarily reflect the opinions/views of PennDOT.

Brandon

Quote from: hbelkins on December 14, 2018, 04:05:57 PM
And it still won't be as good as Sheetz.

And they're still both just convenience stores with filling stations.  I fail to see why either creates all that much excitement.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

US71

Quote from: Brandon on December 14, 2018, 04:35:02 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on December 14, 2018, 04:05:57 PM
And it still won't be as good as Sheetz.

And they're still both just convenience stores with filling stations.  I fail to see why either creates all that much excitement.

I'm inclined to concur. It's mostly hype IMO. Like 90 percent of all gasoline is the same.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

jeffandnicole

Wawa has decided to enter the burger contest, a la Sheetz, and competing against the monster burger chains.  Right now, they're test marketing the burgers in 6 locations.

So far, based on the reviews of two newspapers that tend to have glowing articles about Wawa, the burger experiment needs to be put to rest real quick.

https://www.inquirer.com/food/wawa-burger-chicken-sandwich-waffle-fries-fast-food-phht-20200213.html

https://www.nj.com/food/2020/02/wawa-has-burgers-now-and-they-are-beyond-awful.html

jeffandnicole

https://www.inquirer.com/news/wawa-sheetz-partnership-special-olympics-pennsylvania-polar-pop-20210203.html

Quote
Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens and Sheetz CEO Joe Sheetz teamed up "in a show of unification"  to take Special Olympic Pennsylvania's virtual Polar Pop challenge this month to raise money for the nonprofit.

It's long been known the 2 CEOs are good friends.

D-Dey65

Who here has had some of their spicy Macaroni and Cheese dinners? Evidently I'm one of the few customers at my local Wawa franchise who can handle the siracha flavored mac & cheese.


jeffandnicole

While a lot of people love Wawa, some don't want to see them built, especially near their homes.  But a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, about a proposed store, may take the cake of some of the lamest excuses, including they don't want a 24/7 store and all of its overnight lighting, even though it's going into a shopping center with a 24 hour business already there (Planet Fitness), and loss of "Open Space"...which consists of small, 16 foot wide median with 1 tree to be removed in exchange for an additional left turn lane.

The store's location would be within an existing shopping center.  They're tearing down two closed businesses, one of which they try using the sentimental groveling of the 'former' Community Theatre, which closed over 35 years ago and was converted into the existing strip mall.  It currently operates as a pet food store.

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/wawa-rejected-cherry-hill-barclay-farm-20210912.html

Links to other, related stories are included within the article.

NJRoadfan

Wawa's biggest problem right now seems to be staffing their stores. They keep expanding without much regards to having anyone run the new locations! I know the labor shortages are a universal problem right now, but how many other chains are aggressively expanding at the same level as Wawa?

Locally we had a Wawa plan rejected because it was legit too close to a residential area (in Scotch Plains NJ). To complicate matters, part of the planned site needed to be rezoned from residential.

US71

Quote from: NJRoadfan on September 13, 2021, 04:49:30 PM
Wawa's biggest problem right now seems to be staffing their stores. They keep expanding without much regards to having anyone run the new locations! I know the labor shortages are a universal problem right now, but how many other chains are aggressively expanding at the same level as Wawa?

Locally we had a Wawa plan rejected because it was legit too close to a residential area (in Scotch Plains NJ). To complicate matters, part of the planned site needed to be rezoned from residential.

Casey's General Store has the same problem: not enough able bodies willing to work.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

SSOWorld

Quote from: Brandon on December 14, 2018, 04:35:02 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on December 14, 2018, 04:05:57 PM
And it still won't be as good as Sheetz.

And they're still both just convenience stores with filling stations.  I fail to see why either creates all that much excitement.
Just like Buc-ee's. 🙄
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

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NJRoadfan

Rumor has it that Wawa is looking to expand into the Carolinas and Georgia, closing the gap between their Florida stores and the Northeast.

https://www.wral.com/wawa-to-open-stores-in-nc-by-end-of-2024/20182662/

oscar

#92
Quote from: Brandon on December 14, 2018, 04:35:02 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on December 14, 2018, 04:05:57 PM
And it still won't be as good as Sheetz.

And they're still both just convenience stores with filling stations.  I fail to see why either creates all that much excitement.

Both have good customized made-to-order food, not just "grab and go" like at a 7-11.  Some Wawa offerings I particularly like include made-to-order pita bread sandwiches (hard to find elsewhere), and grab and go bagel and egg breakfast sandwiches, as well as chicken bites in non-breakfast hours. Sheetz has made-to-order bagel, egg, and cheese sandwiches I order with ham, and not just during breakfast hours.

Also, Wawa stores with gas pumps usually have recycle bins, so I can dispose of all the aluminum cans I go through with a fair chance they won't end up in a landfill. Some Sheetz stores also have recycle bins, including the one off I-70 in Wheeling WV. West of there, aluminum can recycling is harder to come by, so I usually stop there even if I don't need gas.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

skluth

I just discovered this thread. One of the things I missed when I left Tidewater in 2007 was Wawa. One opened near the Navy Base while I was working nearby at the now defunct JFCOM. It was very popular for many, including me, for grabbing a quick lunch. I often got gas there as I thought the price was competitive. The closest equivalent I had when I moved back to St Louis was QuikTrip.

I didn't know wawa was the Ojibwa word for goose. I did, however, know about this huge goose statue alongside the Trans-Canada Highway in Wawa and was surprised nobody mentioned it. I got to see this giant piece of kitsch on a vacation around Lake Superior when I was in junior high.


KeithE4Phx

Quote from: skluth on March 11, 2022, 09:19:51 PM
I just discovered this thread. One of the things I missed when I left Tidewater in 2007 was Wawa. One opened near the Navy Base while I was working nearby at the now defunct JFCOM. It was very popular for many, including me, for grabbing a quick lunch. I often got gas there as I thought the price was competitive. The closest equivalent I had when I moved back to St Louis was QuikTrip.

I didn't know wawa was the Ojibwa word for goose. I did, however, know about this huge goose statue alongside the Trans-Canada Highway in Wawa and was surprised nobody mentioned it. I got to see this giant piece of kitsch on a vacation around Lake Superior when I was in junior high.


My family did a trip around Lake Superior back in 1968, and stayed overnight in Wawa.  I think I have a picture of that goose somewhere in my storage locker.
"Oh, so you hate your job? Well, why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called "EVERYBODY!" They meet at the bar." -- Drew Carey

tolbs17

Quote from: NJRoadfan on March 11, 2022, 06:58:26 PM
Rumor has it that Wawa is looking to expand into the Carolinas and Georgia, closing the gap between their Florida stores and the Northeast.

https://www.wral.com/wawa-to-open-stores-in-nc-by-end-of-2024/20182662/
There's a perfect location for it on the NC 11 Bypass and NC 102 in Ayden. - https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4759444,-77.4442469,1821m/data=!3m1!1e3

Another good candidate is US-264 and NC-43 here - https://www.google.com/maps/@35.629992,-77.4359279,2802m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here could use a convenience store as well - https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5629327,-77.4599062,2359m/data=!3m1!1e3


7/8

Quote from: skluth on March 11, 2022, 09:19:51 PM
I just discovered this thread. One of the things I missed when I left Tidewater in 2007 was Wawa. One opened near the Navy Base while I was working nearby at the now defunct JFCOM. It was very popular for many, including me, for grabbing a quick lunch. I often got gas there as I thought the price was competitive. The closest equivalent I had when I moved back to St Louis was QuikTrip.

I didn't know wawa was the Ojibwa word for goose. I did, however, know about this huge goose statue alongside the Trans-Canada Highway in Wawa and was surprised nobody mentioned it. I got to see this giant piece of kitsch on a vacation around Lake Superior when I was in junior high.

Lol when I saw this thread pop up my first thought was "should I post the Wawa Goose to be funny?", but you beat me to it. :-D As an Ontarian, Wawa will always be the town first and the gas station second. :colorful:

SectorZ

Quote from: NJRoadfan on September 13, 2021, 04:49:30 PM
Wawa's biggest problem right now seems to be staffing their stores. They keep expanding without much regards to having anyone run the new locations! I know the labor shortages are a universal problem right now, but how many other chains are aggressively expanding at the same level as Wawa?

It's a problem in parts of New England as well. There are two Cumberland Farms locations in close proximity in Reading and Wakefield (each of MA 129 on opposing sides of I-95). The Wakefield one reduced its hours last fall, and recently outright closed temporarily due to the staffing issues for a couple of weeks.

Takumi

Quote from: 7/8 on March 11, 2022, 11:39:45 PM
Quote from: skluth on March 11, 2022, 09:19:51 PM
I just discovered this thread. One of the things I missed when I left Tidewater in 2007 was Wawa. One opened near the Navy Base while I was working nearby at the now defunct JFCOM. It was very popular for many, including me, for grabbing a quick lunch. I often got gas there as I thought the price was competitive. The closest equivalent I had when I moved back to St Louis was QuikTrip.

I didn't know wawa was the Ojibwa word for goose. I did, however, know about this huge goose statue alongside the Trans-Canada Highway in Wawa and was surprised nobody mentioned it. I got to see this giant piece of kitsch on a vacation around Lake Superior when I was in junior high.

Lol when I saw this thread pop up my first thought was "should I post the Wawa Goose to be funny?", but you beat me to it. :-D As an Ontarian, Wawa will always be the town first and the gas station second. :colorful:

Heh, to South Africans "Wawa"  is a slang term for a vagina. My girlfriend always giggles when the store comes up.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

1995hoo

When I see "Wawa" I think of George Harrison's song "Wah-Wah."
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.