Many people prefer nice versus naughty especially when it comes to customer service during the holiday season. That’s why we’ve revealed the gas station convenience store brands with the highest ratings for customer service, putting them on the “nice list” when it comes to assisting consumers and creating a pleasant experience for guests.
Lake Jackson Tex.-based Buc-ee’s captured the highest ratings in the nation for the best gas station customer service. On the state level, Tulsa Okla.-based QuikTrip and Wawa, Penn.-based Wawa both were the top-rated customer service brands in six states. Followed closely behind by Chevron of San Ramon, Calif. capturing five states and Framingham,Mass-based Cumberland Farms leading in four states.
According to a recent GasBuddy survey(1), 69 percent of respondents said they would not visit a store with a rating of less than 3 stars, with customer service being one of the top considerations for choosing a station. In the 2017 GasBuddy Holiday Travel Forecast (2), 20 percent of respondents said they will be traveling more this holiday season, therefore visiting more gas stations.
“Long gone are the days where guests will accept mediocre service or a surly cashier behind the counter,” said Frank Beard, convenience store and retail trends analyst at GasBuddy. “In many markets, consumer have numerous options to choose from as well as the resources to research prices and ratings by simply tapping their phone. If a gas station has a reputation for poor customer service, a consumer will know about it before they arrive and may just keep on driving to avoid the hassle.”
The rankings are based on the more than 2.2 million reviews (10.8 million individual ratings) submitted by GasBuddies since the launch of the feature in September 2016, covering more than 140,000 retail locations where gasoline is sold. Consumers can rate and review gas stations in multiple categories, including overall, customer service, lighting, cleanliness, coffee and restrooms with the free GasBuddy app.
FULL LIST OF BEST C-STORE CUSTOMER SERVICE BY STATE
Alabama: MAPCO
Alaska: Holiday
Arkansas: Casey’s
Arizona: QuikTrip
California: Chevron
Colorado: Kum & Go
Connecticut: Cumberland Farms
Washington D.C.: Shell
Delaware: Wawa
Florida: Wawa
Georgia: QuikTrip
Hawaii: Chevron
Idaho: Chevron
Illinois: Kelley’s Market
Indiana: Casey’s
Iowa: Kwik Trip
Kansas: QuikTrip
Kentucky: Thorntons
Louisiana: RaceTrac
Maine: Irving
Maryland: Wawa
Massachusetts: Cumberland Farms
Michigan: Holiday
Minnesota: Kwik Trip
Mississippi: Murphy USA
Missouri: Hy-Vee
Montana: Sinclair
North Carolina: QuikTrip
North Dakota: Casey’s
Nebraska: Kum & Go
New Hampshire: Irving
New Jersey: Wawa
New Mexico: Chevron
Nevada: Maverik
New York: NOCO Express
Ohio: Sheetz
Oklahoma: QuikTrip
Oregon: Chevron
Pennsylvania: Wawa
Rhode Island: Cumberland Farms
South Carolina: QuikTrip
South Dakota: Shell
Tennessee: Speedway
Texas: Buc-ee’s
Utah: Holiday Oil (UT)
Virginia: Wawa
Vermont: Irving
Washington State: Cenex
Wisconsin: Kwik Trip
West Virginia: Sheetz
Wyoming: Maverik
[1] GasBuddy’s Station Ratings and Reviews survey
[2] GasBuddy’s Annual Holiday Travel Survey 2017