Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

[Alpha8472]

A 75,000 square foot Buc-ee's opened in Luling, Texas replacing the first Buc-ee's store. It is now the largest in the chain. It has 120 gas pumps.

Isn't it a little excessive? Do people just park and shop while occupying the pumps while other people are waiting?

https://csnews.com/buc-ees-cuts-ribbon- ... t-location

[storewanderer]

Very excessive and a huge time suck. I'm willing to spend more time for a quality facility and experience but this just isn't worth it.

May be great for some people but not for me.

[Super S]

75,000 square feet? That's bigger than many supermarkets.

[storewanderer]

75,000 square feet? That's bigger than many supermarkets.

Lots of square feet to restrooms, food preparation areas, storage, walk in coolers...

[wnetmacman]

Having been to several of these behemoths, they do serve a purpose.

The huge stores are a mecca to travelers, though they can often clog streets and exits nearby. They offer impeccably clean restrooms, which are often hard to find while traveling. They also offer a large amount of overpriced food and many MANY choices in that category.

Additionally, about half of the store is always geared toward gifts - it's huge.

When you add in 60-120 gas pumps and no trucks - they aren't allowed except for deliveries - it's a nice family environment.

Buc-ee's is the Stuckey's of today - although in a far larger format.

(Also, it was just announced this week plans for another big store in Lafayette, LA near where I live.)

[Alpha8472]

I am curious to see what the hype is about. Do they sell a lot of souvenirs like stuffed animals or random items with beaver themes?

I know convenience stores have high prices, but it is sort of like a giant supermarket at convenience store prices? Is the hot food any good?

[Brian Lutz]

From the couple of visits I've made to the Buc-ee's in Crossville TN, the non-food side of the store tends to be mostly clothing and housewares (plenty of it is Buc-ee's themed but most of it is more generic), plus a lot of souvenir-type merchandise and a decent amount of toys. They also have some outdoor and pet merchandise and a section for grilling (they sell a number of grills, smokers and firepits as well, but most of these are located outside the store.) Clearly most of the focus is on the food side of the store, but on both occasions I've been to that particular store the place was incredibly crowded so I imagine they're doing plenty of volume.

From what I've heard the Mebane NC Buc-ee's is supposed to be breaking ground some time this Summer which would probably put them on track for a late 2025 or early 2026 opening, but when I've passed there I've already seen earthmoving happening on the site (which was previously farmland.) There are a number of traffic improvements that the city and NCDOT want to make to the road before the store opens though, so that could delay the process. As is, there are already two truck stops (a Love's and a Flying J) at this exit so it already gets a lot of traffic, and a Buc-ee's certainly won't make traffic volumes any lighter.

[pseudo3d]

75,000 square feet? That's bigger than many supermarkets.

A lot of that is open space to get around. Restrooms also take up a lot of space. In the case of Texas City's Buc-ee's, the women's room has 28 toilets (though only a few are ADA compliant) and eight sinks. Mens restroom has 12 toilets and 30 urinals. During peak activity (like holiday weekends) there will be lines, but usually not.

Generally, looking at it straight on, the restrooms are in the back, and the right side of the store is the typical convenience store items with snacks, including repackaged "old fashioned" candies (peach rings, taffies, etc.) and other items (nuts, pretzels) in Buc-ee's packaging. There's some less-common items but don't go expecting a bunch of stuff you won't find in a large Circle K or 7-Eleven (usually converted from Corner Store Market or Stripes, respectively).

The left side of the store is where the kitchens are. There's a large island with barbecue, fudge, hot nuts, and other stuff. Further back and the back left corner is where the Buc-ee's souvenirs are. Some of the stuff to the front left are more expensive gift items.

[BatteryMill]

I wonder how much larger it is than the last Buc-ee's record holder? Doesn't seem like the size makes a huge difference in features inside the store.

[mbz321]

I am curious to see what the hype is about. Do they sell a lot of souvenirs like stuffed animals or random items with beaver themes?

I know convenience stores have high prices, but it is sort of like a giant supermarket at convenience store prices? Is the hot food any good?

I've stopped at Bucees a few times on roadtrips to Florida (Stopped at Daytona and St. Augustine). It's a bit overhyped, but it's worth checking out at least once just for the oddity factor. If you in any way claustrophobic, stay away as the stores at the times of my visits were insanely busy...like a Costco on a busy Sunday except worse (they even have a few smallish shopping carts you can use!). They were definitely the cheapest places for fuel in Florida, at least at the time. (Daytona was matching Sam's across the highway). There is an enormous amount of souvenir/decorative gift 'crap' that IMO, is a bit overkill especially for those on roadtrips that probably have limited space as it is, but likely much higher margins than the food items, which I thought were overall very reasonably priced for a convenience store, and I'm a tightwad and rarely purchase soda or snacks at such places. The selection is pretty incredible (for instance, there is an enormous area dedicated just to beef jerky!) The brisket sandwiches are very good! They have ordering kiosks for a few select made-to-order items, but it was not as extensive as you would expect (coming from Wawa country, a bit underwhelming, but I can understand that staffing that sort of setup would be a nightmare) I think it was maybe french fries and a wrap or two as an option.