It’ll be fun, they said.
Buc-ee’s opened their first Arizona location in Goodyear a couple of weeks ago. For those unfamiliar, Goodyear is a suburb of Phoenix located a little West of the city.
I’ve got a new (to me) truck and I hadn’t taken it on a road trip, so I thought “What the hell” and decided to drive up and see what it was all about. One hundred twenty-four miles. Three vehicular accidents on I-10 headed North. Road construction. The trip up took over two hours, so I arrived at right at noon, Saturday.
The owner’s of Buc-ee’s have learned how to print money. Buc-ee’s is not a gas station. While there may be 120 pumps, there’s not even a sign showing the prices at the pump. It’s not a convenience mart, even though they sell all the stuff a convenience mart sells.
Buc-ee’s is a goddamned amusement park without rides.
The line to get into the PARKING LOT was 20 cars deep. There are more parking spots than at a shopping mall. And they were ALL FULL. People were parking along nearby streets. I managed to find a spot. I went in.
It was a zoo:
You can’t see it, but the line for checkout goes from the registers all the way back to the center of the store.
My senses were overloaded. Too peoply. I had to flee. A two-hour drive and I didn’t even buy any beaver nuggets. I didn’t want to stand in line for an hour. But hey, if you’re looking for a new career, Buc-ee’s is paying well!
I think they’ve already paid off what it cost to build the thing.
My first words stepping into the KY Buc-ees was “This place is a madhouse!”
I’ve only stopped there twice on the trip to Liberty Con. Last time was not too bad, early afternoon on a Monday, and no line to get the Brisket Burrito.
Basically I’m only stopping if it’s close to lunch time and if the congestion is not too bad as I get to it when I happen to be driving by. Not making a special trip
The larger Buc-ees usually have a check-out counter at the end of the store, as well as the main entrance. Possibly at both ends, though I’ve only ever gone in the front and the one at the end to the left of the front.
Weekends are probably not the best time to visit if you don’t want to be overwhelmed.