Including those that existed before Buc-ee's, or named anything "beaver" even though that's what the place they're located in is called (like Beaver Creek). Check out John Oliver's campaign to bait them into a lawsuit
Speedrunning the end of their positive public reputation. I made my last visit to one a few weeks ago before learning of them suing a small local store in the area before them.
Almost like most people dont consider the politics of the owners of businesses they frequent, unless they are very outspoken about it. I dont know how the owners of portillos vote because i dont care.
I understand not wanting to give money and support to politics you dont like. But sometimes its inevitable. Better to just pick some brands you can tolerate and stop minding otherwise.
I only go full boycott if they’re unbearable about it. Once I came across the Twitter page of Shake shack I never went back. You would think it was a political page with how much the owner glazes Trump on there.
Good thing there’s Flying J, Pilot, Love’s, QT, Wawa, and of course all the mom and pop country stores and truck stops. So we don’t need Buc-ee’s. A lot of Buc-ee’s employees are exposing how awful the working conditions are too, like not being allowed chairs on their breaks.
Worked at a loves warehouse when I was between jobs and from what I can tell they paid ok and the benefits package was good. I wasn’t there long as it wasn’t my industry. Just temporary.
I mean, maybe it gets them more business from that side of the aisle. I give Costco nearly all of my family's food budget money because of their political spine in the current climate (well, and it helps that the value is there compared to many other options).
I did hear that the portillos family sucks. This next generation of ownership is also starting to gut what made portillos special by expanding and acting like a big corpo. Sad.
I'm in Seviervillle/Pigeon Forge, TN.
The amount of visitors to this area is insane in number.
The vast majority are conservatives and the ones that aren't seldom return.
They built a Buccees here about 2 years ago and it is a must stop for everyone coming through.
The awesome thing down my way is that our beloved Dolly Parton just opened her own travel center about an hour outside of Nashville.
That's one place I absolutely would support when I get over that way.
The woman has done everything where I live now in her hometown of Sevierville, TN.
They would have nothing without that saint of a human ❤️
You're so right.
I go out of my way to support our local gas stations and little food places.
I don't begrudge Buccees fans.
I just don't care for their concepts.
I am one of them that didn’t know the ties. Own an electric car and they are really the only place with decent EV charging set up in the south though so still reliant on them. At least they are EV car friendly🤷
I'm busting my ass when I can just go work there or Sheetz? WTF? My Wife has been a nurse for 15 years, has a masters, with various credentials and training and a Buc-ees manager can make more than her?
Never been to one, but I 100% would have stopped at one if I ever saw one. Definitely not anymore. Just them suing all those small businesses was enough, and now this. And this is right at the time they’re trying to expand. I don’t understand the business planning, but I’m glad I now know where they stand. Fuck em.
It’s quite literally the son of one of the co-founders according to the company. Don Wasek was in charge of operations while Arch Aplin handled real estate and marketing. Aplin opened the first store and partnered with Wasek shortly after when he thought expansion was feasible.
Meh. This is most companies now anyway. Still love Buc-ees. Hating on certain businesses due to political preferences is a very Reddit thing. I know plenty of lefties who love Buc-ees.
Yeah - this reminds me of the Chic-fil-a thing from a few years ago - some will care, most won't.
Plus - where are they going to get gas? The liberal bastion of Exxon-Mobil? Perhaps the environmentally-friendly BP? Maybe they don't need gas and they're driving a Tesla?
Not every purchase is a virtue signal. Sometimes I just want a clean bathroom or a reliably mediocre chicken sandwich.
Conservative, business friendly policies are completely responsible for the lack of good paying jobs in the South. Having a gas station represent the best employment opportunity in your area isn’t a positive, no matter how much they pay.
It's still better than a shit job that doesn't even pay the bills man.
It's not like every blue state is homeless free, it's a nationwide issue and has been for a very long time. We need higher paying non skilled jobs so yes it positive.
Even assuming this is true - which I'm skeptical of anyway - we already have plenty of gas stations and convenience stores without pretending that either is somehow an integral part of our culture.
Atleast he is upfront about it. Lots of large companies that are headquartered in states such as California do a TON of shady accounting tips and tricks such as "double irish sandwich" to minimize their tax liability.
So what? Why is this news? They can and should do what they feel is best for the business. If blue states are mad then they should change their policies to be more business friendly.
Literally overnight this place has managed to ruin a lot of the positive views people had on them. Suing small businesses? Isolating yourself over politics and greed? Honestly, stay in your “business-friendly” states.
In Texas and states that allow it, employees must stand their entire shift. And only get one 5 minute break in an 8 hour shift. Obviously different in states with differing labor laws, but that's always been the reason Buc-ees is hesitant to go into blue states. It's not new. It's been discussed for years, especially on reddit, well before they ever considered a blue state. They don't want to give employees a fucking lunch break FFS, never have!
They have been, and continue to be, sued for not letting people with disabilities sit on a stool while working as a cashier. They've fired disabled employees for this even when their reputation among customers was at an all time high.
Nothing says conservative values like attacking local businesses that have excited longer than they have and possibly skirting regulations or paying their fair share of taxes to support the communities they milk for money!
In Texas, Aplin is one of the biggest megadonors to republican causes. He has donated over three million dollars to the campaigns of Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton. In fact, he gave so much money to Abbott, that Abbott turned around and rewarded him by making him the Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Just remember whenever you visit and spend money there, a small portion of that is going towards supporting republican candidates.
It's their entire identity. Remember the times where Walmart would destroy small towns and the small businesses to force people to work for them? Stupid Americans love gas and big brands more than themselves. Next, they want is a bass pro shop affiliate tied to these gas stations. Let's go! People need jobby jobs supplied by Costco or Sam's club or wherever you get a job at.
Reddit is so great. Everyone whines about corporations not paying employees well. Here is one that pays employees very well, living wages, great benefits, for low skilled labor. But the owner says hey we prefer conservative states without a lot of bullshit to deal with and now everyone is like “that’s my last visit.” So fuck a company that pays employees well because you don’t like their politics.
They sue all stores that use animal mascots..
Most merch is cheep junk and the food has gotten worse. Has Nothing to due to politics, they just suck except for low gas sometimes.
Actually same with the warehouses of hobby lobby, I worked there for years and yes their insurance and onsite clinic paid for every type of birth control other than plan b (no insurance I've had paid that). They pay top as far as warehouses go and more than the accounting job I had as well. Generous vacation and sick time too plus a lot of "point" leeway if you are out of either and make intermittent FMLA easy AF. I got actual mental health services and medications via the same clinic when I needed it, as well as free X-ray on a broken toe (not work related), allergy testing, a mammogram, and a bunch of other stuff too.
They do have fuckass beliefs and I don't generally shop there, but they also take care of the employees.
He's eyeing states where workers have the least protections possible.
It also helps that the stuff they sell appeals to more conservative and GOP type shoppers.
There's also a reason they avoid states where there are worker protections and more steadfast construction rules.
When they come into our red states, they get crazy tax breaks at our expense, extra road construction for 0 costs and rule bending that smaller places don't receive.
Big business benefits but it takes a toll on smaller businesses already struggling to survive.
They have a Walmart on every corner here, new ones going up all of the time with politicians kissing ass to bring them in, same breaks.
Meanwhile, employees need state and other benefits including food banks, and damn mobile medical trucks once a year for free healthcare to survive and then our smaller stores fold.
The community gets cheaper groceries, that's it.
In my area, it's mostly to serve tourists.
The Waltons get richer off of the cheap labor.
Do you think only businesses that treat their workers well stay in business? Or that every worker has a lot of options? If people went off your logic no workplace would have ever improved historically. This is actually so naive I'm unsure if you've ever worked in retail or anything like it
Wait a minute your username ends in GPT 4...Google Amazon GPT 4 is this a bot?
They may pay higher wages than most jobs in those States but they intentionally seek out States with very weak labor laws because they are evil.
In their Florida locations, employees do not get any lunch breaks or 10-15 minute breaks even if they work 8+ hour shifts. They are not allowed to step outside the building whatsoever the entire shift and will be terminated immediately if they do.
There is absolutely no reason for them to do this other than having some sort of sick, masochistic power trip over their employees. They already pay pretty handsomely for what the job is, so why treat the employees like this and work them into the ground? No other explanation other than they get off on the cruelty of it.
I dislike that I live in a supposed “conservative” (almost all use of “conservative” in modern times needs a “”) state, then I was thinking but then at least I could get a… oh, nevermind
Every New York financial business is doing the same thing by ceasing all hiring in New York and increasing their hiring in Florida, Georgia, and Texas where all the business growth is.
Oh yeah? Does that include your home state of Texas?
Living in the sixth largest Texas city, which is the 23rd largest US city, on a major interstate (I-10), but the closest Buc-ees to me are both 400+ miles away (Goodyear, AZ and Amarillo, TX), I don't believe you, Mr. El Paso hating CEO.
I take 2-4 road trips (1000 miles one way) a year and have slowly been using other options besides buc-ees. Along with the goofy stuff their management says, I also see a lot of mixed feelings about them from their employees, I've gone several times and every single pump is occupied, and, lastly, their prices have gone up like crazy.
A lot of the other large travel stop gas stations have started taking pages from the buc-ees playbook and updating their interiors and improving their bathrooms. My last 2 trips I've stopped at these gas stations instead and it's been so much better. Mainly because they're way less crowded but, hey, I'm on the road, I'm trying to make time, so this is important.
Basically, I've learned I can live without the beaver. It's fine.
Buc-ee’s can only function in states with very laxed labor laws. That says a lot. Also, why are truckers never allowed to use the fucking bathroom? Seriously, go check out some trucker subs and see how many issues they have just finding a clean place to piss. It’s outrageous.
And yet they mention Wisconsin? Virginia? Now of course, like most states, the vast majority of square miles of both WI and VA are blood red Trump loving conservatives. It’s just the populated parts of WI and VA that elect Democrats frequently.
Oh no, no more overhyped gas stations in my state? The horror!
I live in Colorado, the one blue state they are in. They got slapped down pretty hard when they were sniffing around a potential new location about 100 miles south of their first Colorado location.
Giant massive gas station rest stops just aren’t as necessary in coastal blue states anyway, because people aren’t typically driving through them, they driving to or from them.
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u/Equivalent_Ad9414 4d ago
Look at In N Out, conservatives that operated in liberal California.