OT: What's up with Sheetz?

[thebadby2]

I've been reading posts ridiculing Sheetz for years on this board, but living in metro Detroit most of my life, I had never heard of Sheetz and I didn't have any context for the joke. I've never even seen one, but somehow my favorite board Sheetz jokes were the ones involving ex-Pitt players' jerseys on the clearance rack at the Breezewood Sheetz.

So now, literally every day in the local news here, there's a new story about Sheetz trying to expand into a different densely populated metro Detroit city, and getting roundly rejected by city officials and angry citizens at public hearings. Concerns I've heard have ranged from traffic congestion, to a blight on communities, to putting local gas station/convenience store operators out of business, to increased crime. My sense is it's really econimic protectionism driving the oppositon as opposed to all of those other pretextual reasons.

So I assume PA went through this same kind of process. What's the controversy here? I couldn't give a $hit less one way or another if another crappy chain operation opens up around here, I'll never see the inside of one, but I mean Sheetz is taking an absolute beating just about every where they're trying to go in metro D. I believe only one site, near the airport, has been approved and is going forward. What the big deal about these joints?

 

[JD1976]

If you aren’t from PA it’s hard to understand Sheetz (or Wawa on the Eastern side of the state), but if the argument against is a “blight on the neighborhood” then that’s just wrong. Say what you want about Sheetz, but every one is clean and inviting and they have no problem knocking a profitable store down and building a brand new one when it’s time. Plus, most of us who grew up with Sheetz will tell you that there is no comparison between them and say a 7 Eleven or some other corner gas station. The food is fresh, the shelves are always stocked and the employees are respectable. We don’t even think of them as gas stations. It’s more like they are a place to eat lunch and grab a drink or snack that just so happens to have gas pumps. I never had this epiphany until I lived in Texas for 4 years. Now, I have an appreciation for Sheetz and Wawa and how they operate.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If you aren’t from PA it’s hard to understand Sheetz (or Wawa on the Eastern side of the state), but if the argument against is a “blight on the neighborhood” then that’s just wrong. Say what you want about Sheetz, but every one is clean and inviting and they have no problem knocking a profitable store down and building a brand new one when it’s time. Plus, most of us who grew up with Sheetz will tell you that there is no comparison between them and say a 7 Eleven or some other corner gas station. The food is fresh, the shelves are always stocked and the employees are respectable. We don’t even think of them as gas stations. It’s more like they are a place to eat lunch and grab a drink or snack that just so happens to have gas pumps.

Do they not have these type of restaurants/gas stations in Michigan or other states. Obviously, Eastern PA and NJ have Wawa and the south has Bucees but I can't really remember eating at some other Sheetz equivalent.

I love Sheetz. I would say it's a higher quality, clean, fast food restaurant combined with a gas station and convenient store. Their 2 hot dog deal for $1 is crazy.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

these multi purpose gas station/ convenience stores will put out of business the crappy old gas stations and quite honestly, im fine with that. i go to these or a get go or even a coens over a 7-11 or a sunoco any day. Do independent gas stations still exist? If so, i havent seen one..

these crappy depressing gas stations need to go away. they are a blight on the community. There is still a 7-11 in existence not too far from me and i dont think i've ever seen anyone in it..

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Sheetz is in places besides PA and is thriving. They're also in OH, WV, VA, NC, SC. There is no basis for the hate or objections that some regions have for Sheetz. They do well wherever they go and people love having this option.

 

[thebadby2]

Do they not have these type of restaurants/gas stations in Michigan or other states. Obviously, Eastern PA and NJ have Wawa and the south has Bucees but I can't really remember eating at some other Sheetz equivalent.

I love Sheetz. I would say it's a higher quality, clean, fast food restaurant combined with a gas station and convenient store. Their 2 hot dog deal for $1 is crazy.

No, nothing quite like this in Michigan. We have plenty of independently owned/operated gas stations with food service, beer/wine/liquor liquor sales, etc., but nothing quite like this or on this scale.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Buccees or GTFO

 

[joefromlancaster]

Refuse to support a sheetz. They donate to ups.
That alone is enough for me to not spend money their. My support goes to Rutgers or locals.

 

[thebadby2]

Just pulled this article from our local metro Detroit business journal. For the most part the nicer suburban communities have rejected Sheetz, some of the more working class, light industrial and semi-rural communities have approved it.

This is some bullSheetz

 

[happjack]

I live in the Detroit area, Sheetz is being blocked in certain towns by the borderline gangsters that own Mobil, BP and Speedway gas stations/convenience stores, they basically have a monopoly in the places Sheetz wants to expand into. These places make their money from selling cigarettes, beer, lottery tickets, drug paraphernalia, gas that's 50 cents more expensive than Costco/Sam' Club, 25 cents more expensive than the grocery store stations and skimmers on the credit card readers, now your thinking these stations are in the hood, they're not, almost every suburban community has one of each and they're usually owned by the same people, a Sheetz in one of these towns would put them out of business within a year.

 

[BIGPanther]

I took for granted having Sheetz-like stores around until I moved to the deep south. All we have here are one-off, independent gas stations that are typically dirty with not many desirable food options. There was one chain that seemed like it was trying hard to be a Sheetz (Mapco) but failed here and sold most of its properties to Circle K.

But...we have a Buc-ee's 15 min from my house now so I don't care anymore!

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I know there are Sheetz/Speedway turf wars around here, but I've never heard anyone equate Sheetz to some sort of blight on the community or increased crime. I mean, I guess you're always going to get some sketchy characters at a place that's open 24/7 and sells food, but I love Sheetz. They're always clean and have a pretty good selection. I was just in a new Cohen and thought to myself, "Uh, where is the rest of the inventory?" Completely sucked compared to Sheetz.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I know there are Sheetz/Speedway turf wars around here, but I've never heard anyone equate Sheetz to some sort of blight on the community or increased crime. I mean, I guess you're always going to get some sketchy characters at a place that's open 24/7 and sells food, but I love Sheetz. They're always clean and have a pretty good selection. I was just in a new Cohen and thought to myself, "Uh, where is the rest of the inventory?" Completely sucked compared to Sheetz.

yeah, the sheetz and get gos around here are still a step up from coens, for sure. i just despise the old crappy gas stations, like the sunocos around the south hills, the 7-11 places that are still clinging on to relevancy.

just put the final nail in those coffins, even walking into those places is depressing.. seeing the old crusty piece of pizza that's been under that heat lamp for 12 hours makes me sick even looking at it.. having to buy a crappy cup of coffee from the angry indian dude behind a bullet proof window is enough to make you not go back.

 

[BigChungus90210]

I miss CoGo's

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

yeah, the sheetz and get gos around here are still a step up from coens, for sure. i just despise the old crappy gas stations, like the sunocos around the south hills, the 7-11 places that are still clinging on to relevancy.

just put the final nail in those coffins, even walking into those places is depressing.. seeing the old crusty piece of pizza that's been under that heat lamp for 12 hours makes me sick even looking at it.. having to buy a crappy cup of coffee from the angry indian dude behind a bullet proof window is enough to make you not go back.

Yeah, the old gas stations are the height of depression, lol. And if the inside isn't bad enough, their gas is usually more expensive, their air usually isn't free (who carries quarters around in 2025?), etc.

It's kind of sad, though, to watch everything in society standardize. But... do I want a selection of food that's akin to a mini grocery store, or do I want to limit myself to a flat Pepsi and a bag of peanuts that expired in May of 2021? And let's not even get started on the differences in bathrooms. Do I want a clean facility, or do I want to talk the worker into reluctantly giving me a key so I can go in and find a homeless guy covered in his own vomit sleeping while hunched over the commode?

 

[pittchagg]

I know Sheetz expanded into Toledo over the past year or so, so it makes sense that they’d look to Detroit next.

Honestly, penetrating into a new market is a lot harder than expanding in your existing market. PA hasn’t really had this problem because Sheetz has always been pretty ubiquitous everywhere west of Lancaster. They had a few issues when alcohol sales rolled out, but otherwise Sheetz has basically been able to expand where they’ve wanted to expand. My prior firm played a big part in navigating that regulatory landscape, and the accompanying fights with the various alcohol trade groups who were threatened by Sheetz selling alcohol, on top of some local pushback in certain areas like college towns.

Your post sounds like pretty garden-variety NIMBY sort of issues, some economic protectionism, and unfamiliarity with Sheetz and the way that they operate compared to whatever convenience stores they have out there. I wasn’t impressed with the convenience stores for our annual trips to Toledo in the past, so I was personally very pleased to see the expansion into that market.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Sheetz pretty much controls gas prices in PA which are at $3.59 this morning. They certainly aren’t undercutting the market.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I know Sheetz expanded into Toledo over the past year or so, so it makes sense that they’d look to Detroit next.

Honestly, penetrating into a new market is a lot harder than expanding in your existing market. PA hasn’t really had this problem because Sheetz has always been pretty ubiquitous everywhere west of Lancaster. They had a few issues when alcohol sales rolled out, but otherwise Sheetz has basically been able to expand where they’ve wanted to expand. My prior firm played a big part in navigating that regulatory landscape, and the accompanying fights with the various alcohol trade groups who were threatened by Sheetz selling alcohol, on top of some local pushback in certain areas like college towns.

Your post sounds like pretty garden-variety NIMBY sort of issues, some economic protectionism, and unfamiliarity with Sheetz and the way that they operate compared to whatever convenience stores they have out there. I wasn’t impressed with the convenience stores for our annual trips to Toledo in the past, so I was personally very pleased to see the expansion into that market.

I can think of a few places where there are Sheetz on either side of the road probably less than a quarter of a mile from each other. Just crazy. The ones in Irwin on 30 is one example, but then there is also an instance of it on 22 (can't think of what town that would be). As I sit here at work, there are at least three Sheetz I can think of that are within two miles from me. Not sure how the 7/11s, Sunocos, etc. are still in business, although I think at least some of them are funded by some pretty wealthy foreigners.

 

[pittdan77]

I took for granted having Sheetz-like stores around until I moved to the deep south.

If you travel up into Michigan, it's pretty much the same thing. Just dank old gas stations and corner convenience stores. Finding a clean place to drop a deuce is nearly impossible. I think I understand the fear that these places have because Sheetz will destroy them just for being clean and easily accessible.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

I miss CoGo's

I believe they have been rebranded as Coen's

 

[jmcst5]

My wife is a purchasing agent for Sheetz and has told me about their plans to expand into different territories.

Obviously everyone has an opinion on the stores and if you like Sheetz or not, but I can say they are a pretty well run company that treats their employees very well. From top to bottom the employees at Sheetz are treated excellent. The list of extra gifts and perks we have received over the years is too long to list.

I also find most of them to be very well kept and they frequently remodel and update the stores so you won’t find one that is run down.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

My wife is a purchasing agent for Sheetz and has told me about their plans to expand into different territories.

Obviously everyone has an opinion on the stores and if you like Sheetz or not, but I can say they are a pretty well run company that treats their employees very well. From top to bottom the employees at Sheetz are treated excellent. The list of extra gifts and perks we have received over the years is too long to list.

I also find most of them to be very well kept and they frequently remodel and update the stores so you won’t find one that is run down.

I'm lucky Sheetz wasn't paying $20+/hour when I graduated high school, because I would have probably skipped college and just did that.

If a husband and wife both worked at Sheetz, that could seriously be a career. Wouldn't be living large or anything, but that's a combined salary of $83,200 assuming they were at $20.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Just pulled this article from our local metro Detroit business journal. For the most part the nicer suburban communities have rejected Sheetz, some of the more working class, light industrial and semi-rural communities have approved it.

This is some bullSheetz

This is the first I have ever thought of Sheetz as being undesirable for the wealthier communities. They are very clean and the clientele that you see are normal, everyday folks. I can sort of understand the concern these towns have with bringing in a Wal Mart because some of the folks who shop there look like they just got out of prison but Sheetz isn't like that. Part of the concern is the open 24/7 thing I'm sure as that could potentially lead to crime but they are overthinking that. Having said all of this, I can't think of any Sheetz's in the wealthier WPA communities. None in Peters, USC, Lebo but they have them in the nearby middle class communities of Pleasant Hills, Canonsburg, Bethel Park, Bridgeville, etc. So maybe there is something to that?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I'm lucky Sheetz wasn't paying $20+/hour when I graduated high school, because I would have probably skipped college and just did that.

If a husband and wife both worked at Sheetz, that could seriously be a career. Wouldn't be living large or anything, but that's a combined salary of $83,200 assuming they were at $20.

One of the reason restaurant prices are so high are because no one wants to work at those jobs so they have to pay a premium. I wished we would bring in immigrants (relax folks, Eastern Europeans, I know what you were thinking) to work at these places much cheaper. OBX and OC bring in Eastern Europeans to work the summers but that's mostly just a summer gig for college kids. We definitely have a labor shortage for these types of jobs.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

This is the first I have ever thought of Sheetz as being undesirable for the wealthier communities. They are very clean and the clientele that you see are normal, everyday folks. I can sort of understand the concern these towns have with bringing in a Wal Mart because some of the folks who shop there look like they just got out of prison but Sheetz isn't like that. Part of the concern is the open 24/7 thing I'm sure as that could potentially lead to crime but they are overthinking that. Having said all of this, I can't think of any Sheetz's in the wealthier WPA communities. None in Peters, USC, Lebo but they have them in the nearby middle class communities of Pleasant Hills, Canonsburg, Bethel Park, Bridgeville, etc. So maybe there is something to that?

Sheetz used to have a loitering reputation back when kids still went outside. Like, the goths/skaters would dress up in black and hang out/smoke cigarettes there. But we're talking like 15 years ago, at least. Other than that, yeah - the 24/7 thing attracts some drunks. But you'd think the worst that could lead to is a few fights. Not like they're all conglomerating there before dispensing to rob the neighborhood houses.

 

[pittchagg]

This is the first I have ever thought of Sheetz as being undesirable for the wealthier communities. They are very clean and the clientele that you see are normal, everyday folks. I can sort of understand the concern these towns have with bringing in a Wal Mart because some of the folks who shop there look like they just got out of prison but Sheetz isn't like that. Part of the concern is the open 24/7 thing I'm sure as that could potentially lead to crime but they are overthinking that. Having said all of this, I can't think of any Sheetz's in the wealthier WPA communities. None in Peters, USC, Lebo but they have them in the nearby middle class communities of Pleasant Hills, Canonsburg, Bethel Park, Bridgeville, etc. So maybe there is something to that?

I think they think it’s like Bucees, rather than just a slightly larger and nicer version of the gas stations that they’re used to.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Sheetz used to have a loitering reputation back when kids still went outside. Like, the goths/skaters would dress up in black and hang out/smoke cigarettes there. But we're talking like 15 years ago, at least. Other than that, yeah - the 24/7 thing attracts some drunks. But you'd think the worst that could lead to is a few fights. Not like they're all conglomerating there before dispensing to rob the neighborhood houses.

I think some of them are still neighborhood teen hangouts. Sometimes I'll be in one at like 10PM on a school night and half the HS is in there. It doesn't make sense.

 

[pittbb80]

I live in the Detroit area, Sheetz is being blocked in certain towns by the borderline gangsters/ corrupt politicians that have sold out to Mobil , BP Soeedway gas stations and convenience stores

FIXED it’s how almost all local state and federal government officials operate