By Mark Baratelli
Owner
They're just gas stations to us. We resent having to go to them every time we need to fill up. We're grateful they have snacks when we're hungry. But behind the scenes, they're part of a giant industry and each player wants our money. Its fun to see how they morph and grow, add stores, sell stores, buy competitors' stores, offer new items and try to compete with each other.
Wawa has made its presence known with 5 openings and differentiating itself with fresh coffee & bread and a sandwich bar. They're here, they make sammiches and they like geese. Woo woo for Wawa. Racetrac opened a giant store around the same time, too, that features the 2010 froyo trend with their 24-hour 40+ toppings "Swirl World" frozen yogurt shop, walk-in beer cooler, free Wi-Fi and, um, outdoor seating.
Now Circle K is buying up 29 BP stations and turning them into Circle Ks according to the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal.
What I want to know is, why can't these places offer innovation and creativity like this? Every one of them looks and feels the same, and pretty much offer the same things, with a few minor exceptions. Big deal Wawa bakes the bread before you eat their sammich: its plain bread. There's nothing special about it. Thats like patting Subway on the back for baking theirs. And so what if the coffee is fresh- it should be. And free wifi inside a gas station? What? And why no crazy stuff like a cupcake vending machine or pizza vending machine? Something new, fun, different. Where's the Apple of gas stations? When will someone do something so creative and fun, we all just *have* to go there for our gas?
