Buc-ee’s Supersized Convenience Store: Is It Worth It?

Having traversed this great country as full-time RVers for about five years, we had heard about a gas station/store chain called Buc-ee’s but had never visited one. We just hadn’t happened upon a store on any of our journeys east, where most of them are located at the time of this writing (although they’re expanding west). 

That changed on a trip from Virginia to Charleston, South Carolina, for a cruise with friends Jim and Jenny, sans Tagalong. Our I-95 route passed right by a Buc-ee’s, so we decided to check it out for ourselves. What an experience!

Fascinating Attraction

As we pulled into the Buc-ee’s in Florence, South Carolina, myriad gas pumps (120) stretched across the property, attracting loads of people. With Tagalong temporarily out of the picture, we had no trouble weaving through the throngs of vehicles to make our way to a diesel fuel pump. That would have been much more challenging, but still doable, if we had been towing. 

Despite the mammoth size of Buc-ee’s locations, the chain doesn’t allow truckers to take advantage of its offerings. 

Jenny and I climbed out of Gulliver to work our way to the store. Our jaws dropped as our eyes scanned the massive amount of fuel pumps, cars, and people. The Buc-ee’s beaver mascot graced pool noodles and other merchandise lining the way to the door of the store, where visitors stood eating various delectables they had acquired inside. 

Nothing could have prepared us for what we’d find as we entered. The expanse of the 53,000-square-foot store took our breath away. We were at a loss for where to look, inundated by the noise of customers talking and cash registers ringing, and forced to navigate the labyrinth of humans and product displays.

On a mission, we dashed around hordes of people to get in the long and quickly growing line for the women’s restroom, afraid we might not make it to a stall in time. To our pleasant surprise, the line moved almost as rapidly as it grew. 

Buc-ee’s employs restroom attendants to point people to empty stalls for efficiency. Thanks to those attendants, the chain has also earned a reputation for having the country’s cleanest restrooms, according to Cintas.

Plentiful Offerings

With our bladders empty, we moved on to more important matters: filling our bellies. Bob and Jim joined us, and before we knew it, Bob and I had lost Jim and Jenny. We continued on, undeterred, to explore the seemingly countless hot food options: burritos, tacos, BBQ sandwiches, sausage on a stick, hot dogs, Buc-ee’s chips, and much more. We even found a beef jerky counter and a wall dedicated to prepackaged jerky.

Bob wanted to get a T-shirt, so we wormed our way to the clothing and merchandise area, where a plethora of T-shirt options, blankets, shoes, stuffed animals, and a whole lot more filled shelves practically up to the ceiling. Bob snagged a shirt he liked, and we headed back to the food. 

By this point, the din of the many visitors and the explosive variety of goods and food choices overwhelmed my senses. I just wanted to hurry and get my food and get out. 

After setting on a BBQ sandwich for Bob and a sausage on a stick for me, we maneuvered to the convenience store part of the establishment in search of a drink. We made our selections, and a nice young gal rang up our purchases, confirming that our experience was normal every day for her. 

We exited the building, thankful for relief from the cacophony, and stood outside to ingest our food while watching others enter the store to start their Buc-ee’s experiences. 

Monumental Destination

Despite the overload to the senses, Buc-ee’s does a lot of things right. Unlike most of the truck stops we’ve visited across the country, Buc-ee’s has much cleaner restrooms and much better food options, both hot and healthy. For those reasons, we’d consider stopping again. 

Buc-ee’s also holds a couple of world records: one for the world’s largest convenience store, at 75,593 square feet in Luling, Texas, and one for the world’s longest car wash, at 225 feet in Katy, Texas. 

We recommend checking out Buc-ee’s for yourself if you ever get the chance. If you find it too overwhelming, you never have to go back again. But with the myriad food and product options, the fast-moving lines to the restrooms, and the numerous fuel pumps, you just might get in and out of it faster than you would at another stop. Buc-ee’s is sure to be an experience you won’t likely soon forget. 

You might also like What It’s Like to Stay in a Truck Stop at an RV.