There's excitement throughout the South right now. As we've mentioned before, Buc-ee's is expanding beyond Texas with stores opening up in places like Georgia and Florida.
One such lucky place is Leeds, Alabama. Its first Buc-ee's opened up on January 25, 2021. Mayor David Miller is beaming with joy. Like any mayor, he's concerned about economic development and fostering bountiful amenities for his constituents. While speaking with WIAT CBS 42 about Buc-ee's, he said: "If you're looking for super grocery stores and you don't get one, you can go after another one. But there is only one Buc-ee's... And there's nothing like it."
Boy, did he land a great store. With 120 pumps, numerous cash registers, furniture, and brisket worth risking it for in a 53,250 square foot space, Leeds has landed a cash cow -- make that a cash beaver. On top of that, all of those gas pumps, potties, grub, and merch don't just appear on their own 24/7/365 -- let alone keeping themselves clean and stocked, too. On top of that a male reporter from WRBC Fox 6 counted the number of urinals and stalls in the men's squeaky clean bathroom; there were so many that he appeared to lose count. Bathrooms do not clean themselves! WVTM NBC 13 reports that the Buc-ee's location employs more than 200 employees. That's a lot of folk. Further, Buc-ee's is also known for paying its front-line people well. The majority of the positions pay $15/hour, which is likely much more than many other convenience stores pay their customer facing employees.
It took a long time for this store to take shape. NBC 13 reports that they broke ground back during the summer of 2019. Expansion Manager Josh Smith explains that Buc-ee's cares deeply about training its employees to be prepared and helpful from day one. So, the company took its time to find the perfect peeps and trained them well. CBS 42 reports that the employees trained for 60 days. Good things are worth waiting for.
Leeds isn't the only lucky spot to snag a Buc-ee’s locale. WKMG CBS 6 in Orlando, Florida reports that the forthcoming Daytona Beach store is already hiring. Like in Leeds, these employees will be trained thoroughly so that when those lucky folk get a chance to step in the store for the first time, they'll be taken care of well. Now, that's southern hospitality.
Until a store is built near you, you can rely upon Texas Snax to ship a little bit of Buc-ee's your way.