OT: What's up with Sheetz?

[pittdan77]

Sheetz took out a small ma and pa store called Carpenter's in Sidman back in the day. Wouldn't have been so bad except for the stale gobs you could get there were among the greatest things I've ever tasted. Straight no respect for expiration dates, and it was awesome. The hardness made them unique.

https://www.gobs.shop/gobs

There's a list of places where you can still buy them. A trip to the Everett Foodliner is always an adventure.

 

[Atilla Cosby]

https://www.gobs.shop/gobs

There's a list of places where you can still buy them. A trip to the Everett Foodliner is always an adventure.

My friend's parents lived in Lancaster and they would pick up a dozen or 2 of the gobs from bird in hand bakery and bring them to the Pitt tailgates. Those were always good.

On a tangent to that, my brother played ball at Lafayette in Easton. They had a bakery there that sold chocolate covered cinnamon rolls that were amazingly badass.

All that was before I found out I had a gluten sensitivity! Thankfully so, because avoiding wheat keeps the weight off.

 

[joefromlancaster]

https://www.gobs.shop/gobs

There's a list of places where you can still buy them. A trip to the Everett Foodliner is always an adventure.

Thank you!

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

https://www.gobs.shop/gobs

There's a list of places where you can still buy them. A trip to the Everett Foodliner is always an adventure.

I'd probably die if I ate one now, due to Celiac, but it might not be a bad way to go out!

Em's Subs, lol. There's another blast from the past. My grandparents lived a stone's throw away from Scalp Avenue, and there would always be a few of those suckers sitting around wrapped up in the white paper.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

re they still around?
I really like the gobs.
Who made them?

See Pittdan's post, but I want to say I also saw them in a Sheetz in Somerset in 2019 on my way back to check out my old town. By then I already couldn't eat them, but I was kind of shocked they were still around. Didn't know if they still would be, but apparently they are.

If you're used to the bakery gobs, you may or may not like these. Nothing about them screams "homemade," haha.

 

[pittdan77]

I'd probably die if I ate one now, due to Celiac, but it might not be a bad way to go out!

Em's Subs, lol. There's another blast from the past. My grandparents lived a stone's throw away from Scalp Avenue, and there would always be a few of those suckers sitting around wrapped up in the white paper.

This thread made me want to try them. We usually buy them off of a local Mennonite and they're really good.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I don't recall them lowering prices drastically in the east suburbs, and they didn't seem to push anyone out of business. I live close to the 2 Irwin stores and every other gas station around there is still open, except the one right before the Turnpike that had extreme markups, they've been gone for awhile now.

There are literally five other gas stations (including a Get Go) that I can think of off the top of my head within about a mile of those two Sheetz stores, so if their goal was to put everyone else out of business they failed. Miserably.

 

[happjack]

Here’s the locations of the Sheetz in Metro Detroit that just got approved. Novi and Farmington Hills are middle/upper middle class subdivisions and office parks, the Warren location is right across the street from the GM Tech Center, they’re going to make bank at those locations.

Sheetz announces 4 new Metro Detroit stores

Despite pushback from some communities, Sheetz announced plans to open four new locations in Metro Detroit.

www.clickondetroit.com

 

[thebadby2]

Here’s the locations of the Sheetz in Metro Detroit that just got approved. Novi and Farmington Hills are middle/upper middle class subdivisions and office parks, the Warren location is right across the street from the GM Tech Center, they’re going to make bank at those locations.

Sheetz announces 4 new Metro Detroit stores

Despite pushback from some communities, Sheetz announced plans to open four new locations in Metro Detroit.

www.clickondetroit.com

Farmington approval is a little misleading because Sheetz wanted to be at the corner of 12 and Middlebelt, a much nicer and more residential area than the super congested commercial strip 3 miles south on Grand River where it will go now. The residents around 12 and Middlebelt weren’t having it. As for the Grand River location they settled for, the city’s mindset is what’s one more generic chain $hithole among a hundred of them down there.

Novi is a far outer ring suburb with a broad mix of uses-huge commercial epicenter, lots of light industrial, lots of medical, some newer multimillion dollar gated communities, some older middle class subdivisions, some multi family, and tons of empty space to build or develop. The part of Novi where Sheetz is going is medical and light industrial. Lots of space, lots of large businesses with lots of employees, no residents to bother.

Warren is a huge, inner ring, blue collar industrial suburb more in line with the list of the 9 locations that have been approved in the article. Eminem grew up in a trailer park on 8 mile road in south Warren. It’s a heavily industrialized area. None of those 9 or Warren are what many people would consider to be desirable places to live. And by many people, I mean nobody. Those are places you only live in if you have to.

I can’t see the location on the Royal Oak-Birmingham border happening. That’s a very different kind of area than the others. I’d be very surprised if it does.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Wait, you think there's a giant conspiracy to fleece PA motorist with high gas prices and it's led by Sheetz?

The only people fleecing PA motorists is the state.

Yes.

Again, the gas tax in SC is 28 cents per gallon. The gas tax in PA is 58 cents per gallon. The average price of gas in SC is $2.89 per gallon. It’s $3.59 at Sheetz in Western PA. Explain the 70 cent per gallon difference.

As for fleecing, our annual vehicle registration in PA is $45. In VA you pay property tax on your vehicle which could be ten times higher or more.

 

[happjack]

Farmington approval is a little misleading because Sheetz wanted to be at the corner of 12 and Middlebelt, a much nicer and more residential area than the super congested commercial strip 3 miles south on Grand River where it will go now. The residents around 12 and Middlebelt weren’t having it. As for the Grand River location they settled for, the city’s mindset is what’s one more generic chain $hithole among a hundred of them down there.

Novi is a far outer ring suburb with a broad mix of uses-huge commercial epicenter, lots of light industrial, lots of medical, some newer multimillion dollar gated communities, some older middle class subdivisions, some multi family, and tons of empty space to build or develop. The part of Novi where Sheetz is going is medical and light industrial. Lots of space, lots of large businesses with lots of employees, no residents to bother.

Warren is a huge, inner ring, blue collar industrial suburb more in line with the list of the 9 locations that have been approved in the article. Eminem grew up in a trailer park on 8 mile road in south Warren. It’s a heavily industrialized area. None of those 9 or Warren are what many people would consider to be desirable places to live. And by many people, I mean nobody. Those are places you only live in if you have to.

I can’t see the location on the Royal Oak-Birmingham border happening. That’s a very different kind of area than the others. I’d be very surprised if it does.

Novi is no longer a far outer ring suburb, that’s basically South Lyon and Brighton now, the intersection the Sheetz will be has tons of traffic passing by, it’s a great location.

The Warren location is right across the street from the GM Tech Center, it going there has nothing to do with being in a desirable community, it’s going there because 70% of the vehicles going into the Tech Center will pass it in the morning.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Yes.

Again, the gas tax in SC is 28 cents per gallon. The gas tax in PA is 58 cents per gallon. The average price of gas in SC is $2.89 per gallon. It’s $3.59 at Sheetz in Western PA. Explain the 70 cent per gallon difference.

As for fleecing, our annual vehicle registration in PA is $45. In VA you pay property tax on your vehicle which could be ten times higher or more.

Pennsylvania has over 9,000 gas stations. There are 310 Sheetz stores in PA. The notion that the 300 Sheetz's are dictating prices to the other 9,000 state-wide gas stations is one of the, ah, let's say more interesting takes ever on this board.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Yes.

Again, the gas tax in SC is 28 cents per gallon. The gas tax in PA is 58 cents per gallon. The average price of gas in SC is $2.89 per gallon. It’s $3.59 at Sheetz in Western PA. Explain the 70 cent per gallon difference.

As for fleecing, our annual vehicle registration in PA is $45. In VA you pay property tax on your vehicle which could be ten times higher or more.

Average gas price in PA is $3.36. I filled up the other day for $3.34 in northern Allegheny county. Sheetz isn't controlling any gas pricing in PA.

 

[FireballZ]

I somehow have managed to get to know members of the Sheetz workforce at just about every level of its hierarchy. It's a fascinating company and definitely has its quirks. Like, if you called that number in the bathroom, it used to ring on the desk of Steve Sheetz.

That one above that round hole in the stall?

 

[jtownknowitall]

Average gas price in PA is $3.36. I filled up the other day for $3.34 in northern Allegheny county. Sheetz isn't controlling any gas pricing in PA.

That’s still 15-17 cents too high

 

[Jeffburgh]

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

Its actually Sheetz that stays out of urban areas, know that for a long time talking to people in both ownership and development. Not sure where else, but in their primary states msnu suburban areas are literred w them.

I did my undergrad at IUP in the 80s, one of the stores that were the first to do MTO sandwiches were in town, when you were drunk out if your mind 3 in the morning the sandwiches w super fresh lettuce were food of the gods, Id nub my fingers wolfing them down.

As I've aged I've lost my taste for their food, but as others noted few better places you will find a decent toilet if you need a duece on the road, always clean, staff decent or friendly.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Wait, you think there's a giant conspiracy to fleece PA motorist with high gas prices and it's led by Sheetz?

The only people fleecing PA motorists is the state.

You think they are selling gas at cost?!?

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

That’s still 15-17 cents too high

Says who? Please provide a breakdown of costs for fuel in both states, including transportation costs and any blend/additive differences, etc.. I don't know the answer to this, but apparently you do.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

ask any gas station owner, they are making pennies on a gallon of gas sold, literally pennies.

of course they have to mark it up to make something, it's not a free service. but again, the profit is made by getting you into the store to buy meat under a heat lamp and really bad coffee..

im just happy to see most of these mickey mouse little gas stations with terrible tiny stores going away, it's long past due.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

You think they are selling gas at cost?!?

Huh? Who said they are selling at cost.

 

[thebadby2]

ask any gas station owner, they are making pennies on a gallon of gas sold, literally pennies.

of course they have to mark it up to make something, it's not a free service. but again, the profit is made by getting you into the store to buy meat under a heat lamp and really bad coffee..

im just happy to see most of these mickey mouse little gas stations with terrible tiny stores going away, it's long past due.

ask any gas station owner, they are making pennies on a gallon of gas sold, literally pennies.

I know a couple of these guys well and this is 100% true. The independent operators/franchisees used to make their money on the service side by having a couple mechanics and repair bays, but the oil companies forced almost all of them to convert to convenience stores, and to stock those stores with products they have to buy from distributors that are owned and controlled by the oil companies.

This is why the independent owners sell anything that they can get that they don't have to buy from distributors. I have seen them at Costco with 3 shopping carts full of bulk stuff that they will resell in their stores because it's cheaper than buying it from the captive distributor.

Any gas station owner will also tell you the guys making the real money are the jobbers, the middlemen who buy the gas from the refiners and sell it to the gas stations.

 

[PittPharm2002]

ask any gas station owner, they are making pennies on a gallon of gas sold, literally pennies.

I know a couple of these guys well and this is 100% true. The independent operators/franchisees used to make their money on the service side by having a couple mechanics and repair bays, but the oil companies forced almost all of them to convert to convenience stores, and to stock those stores with products they have to buy from distributors that are owned and controlled by the oil companies.

This is why the independent owners sell anything that they can get that they don't have to buy from distributors. I have seen them at Costco with 3 shopping carts full of bulk stuff that they will resell in their stores because it's cheaper than buying it from the captive distributor.

Any gas station owner will also tell you the guys making the real money are the jobbers, the middlemen who buy the gas from the refiners and sell it to the gas stations.

Transportation carries far more liability, so that makes sense .
If they are making Pennies that’s a business decision they are making to attract volume of traffic .
The price certainly isn’t capped

There is a Sunoco near me on highland that’s always 30-40 cents more a gallon than others a couple miles away .

 

[HailToPitt725]

Since we’re on the subject of Sheetz, I’ve never understood why they won’t open a convenience store-only location in downtown Pittsburgh. If it’s anything like the Wawa in Philly’s Center City, it’d be a huge success.

Edit: Better yet, why not a Sheetz convenience store in Oakland? That’d be a huge hit.

 

[S.R.M.]

Since we’re on the subject of Sheetz, I’ve never understood why they won’t open a convenience store-only location in downtown Pittsburgh. If it’s anything like the Wawa in Philly’s Center City, it’d be a huge success.

Edit: Better yet, why not a Sheetz convenience store in Oakland? That’d be a huge hit.

My guess is that they don't want to deal with some of the undesirable clientele that would congregate at the store. The 7-11 on Liberty and 7th is the epicenter of trouble downtown. I do agree that a convenience store only Sheetz would kill it in Downtown, Oakland, or the Southside if they are willing to deal with some of the problems that come along with those locations at 2 or 3 in the morning.

 

[Atilla Cosby]

My guess is that they don't want to deal with some of the undesirable clientele that would congregate at the store. The 7-11 on Liberty and 7th is the epicenter of trouble downtown. I do agree that a convenience store only Sheetz would kill it in Downtown, Oakland, or the Southside if they are willing to deal with some of the problems that come along with those locations at 2 or 3 in the morning.

Yes I'd think they don't want their name associated with all the extracurricular activities in those areas, plus the large amount of theft.

South Side is a disaster waiting to happen for any convenience store. Sheetz doesn't want a steeler player getting stabbed there and the related publicity, for example.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Yes I'd think they don't want their name associated with all the extracurricular activities in those areas, plus the large amount of theft.

South Side is a disaster waiting to happen for any convenience store. Sheetz doesn't want a steeler player getting stabbed there and the related publicity, for example.

This is more-or-less exactly what I was going to comment- it’d become very infamous around the city!

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Sheetz doesn't want a steeler player getting stabbed there and the related publicity, for example.

Or beating up a paper towel dispenser.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Yes I'd think they don't want their name associated with all the extracurricular activities in those areas, plus the large amount of theft.

South Side is a disaster waiting to happen for any convenience store. Sheetz doesn't want a steeler player getting stabbed there and the related publicity, for example.

There is a GetGo there , doesn’t seem to have a problem
Literally across from the practice facility .
Ate lunch there frequently when I worked on the southside for a couple years

 

[CrazyPaco]

Since we’re on the subject of Sheetz, I’ve never understood why they won’t open a convenience store-only location in downtown Pittsburgh. If it’s anything like the Wawa in Philly’s Center City, it’d be a huge success.

Edit: Better yet, why not a Sheetz convenience store in Oakland? That’d be a huge hit.

My understanding is that they pulled out of major urban areas many decades ago due to shop lifting and other problems. It was a corporate decision not to place stores directly in urban areas of major cities made long ago...and I mean, like 40 years ago. At one point, prior to that, they may have had stores in Pittsburgh that were pulled although I can't confirm, but that was told to me previously many years ago. As far as I am aware, there also are no longer stand alone stores without any gas pumps, either (although in earlier days, I think back in the earlier 80s, there definitely were). That current gas model of their business makes it more difficult to go into cities. I just don't think stand alone stores in cities fits their long standing and current business model.

Wawa, on the other hand, has been aggressive in opening urban locations within major cities.

 

[upj87]

See Pittdan's post, but I want to say I also saw them in a Sheetz in Somerset in 2019 on my way back to check out my old town. By then I already couldn't eat them, but I was kind of shocked they were still around. Didn't know if they still would be, but apparently they are.

If you're used to the bakery gobs, you may or may not like these. Nothing about them screams "homemade," haha.

no such thing as bakery gobs...Only one "gob" (trademark to prove it). Johnstown PA...Harris-Boyer bakery originally and then sold rights to Dutch Maid. ..

Whoopie pies are cheap imitations which I liken to lame communities who try to have groundhogs other that Phil...

 

[S.R.M.]

There is a GetGo there , doesn’t seem to have a problem
Literally across from the practice facility .
Ate lunch there frequently when I worked on the southside for a couple years

Yeah, that Get Go is further down Carson toward Homestead. It is right at the end of business district and not in the 10th-18th street stretch that has all the bars and clubs and problems that go with it.

I personally love the Southside. It is probably the most complete neighborhood in the city. It pretty much has everything that you need in walking distance and is great Monday - Thursday and anytime before 10 PM on the weekends. Also it is right across the river from Downtown and convenient to the Northside and Oakland. If I ever moved back to the city it is the neighborhood I would want to live in .

 

[Atilla Cosby]

There is a GetGo there , doesn’t seem to have a problem
Literally across from the practice facility .
Ate lunch there frequently when I worked on the southside for a couple years

This is true, I forgot about that. It's much, much quieter at that end of Carson. I'm talking about between 13th and 20th or so. It gets real crazy at night.

When I worked down there I loved Thai Me Up. I still go sometimes. Also used to love the real Mccoy. I spent an extensive amount of time in Big Dog Coffee. I also used to like eating at Double Wide.

I never tried that weird French place that used to be there but now feel like I should have.

If I go down there now I beeline straight to the Colombian Spot.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

South Side is a disaster waiting to happen for any convenience store. Sheetz doesn't want a steeler player getting stabbed there and the related publicity, for example.

unfortunately it would more than likely be a steeler player (or coach) doing the stabbing in the south side..

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Yeah, that Get Go is further down Carson toward Homestead. It is right at the end of business district and not in the 10th-18th street stretch that has all the bars and clubs and problems that go with it.

I personally love the Southside. It is probably the most complete neighborhood in the city. It pretty much has everything that you need in walking distance and is great Monday - Thursday and anytime before 10 PM on the weekends. Also it is right across the river from Downtown and convenient to the Northside and Oakland. If I ever moved back to the city it is the neighborhood I would want to live in .

this would be a good post if it was 1991. when is the last time you've been down there? I am friends with a bar owner in the south side, trust me, you dont want to live anywhere near the flats..

not dangerous, just an absolute cess pool.. down by the works is still OK i guess. anything from 10th street to the birmingham bridg though, if you are over 22 years old, just avoid..

my buddy has a rental down by 27th, goes down there, hits up nadines, says it's still a pretty good time..

 

[S.R.M.]

I ro

this would be a good post if it was 1991. when is the last time you've been down there? I am friends with a bar owner in the south side, trust me, you dont want to live anywhere near the flats..

not dangerous, just an absolute cess pool.. down by the works is still OK i guess. anything from 10th street to the birmingham bridg though, if you are over 22 years old, just avoid..

my buddy has a rental down by 27th, goes down there, hits up nadines, says it's still a pretty good time..

I routinely go to the Southside. I go to Fatheads a few times a month. I lived in the Southside from 04-06 and it feels the exact same to me now as it did then. I don't hangout on Carson at 2 AM (I don't hangout anywhere after about 9 PM nowadays because im middle aged) so I don't experience any of the issues that come along with that

 

[Pidoublet]

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.

It is like that in Morgantown as well. On 19, there is one on either side of the Star City bridge.