The votes have been cast, and the people have spoken. No, not about the 2016 Presidential Election; I'm talking about another extremely important distinction: The best convenient store in the United States. According to a new poll, Wawa is America's favorite convenient store — and as a Wawa devotee myself, I can't say I'm surprised. Wawa is the best. Just sayin'.
Market Force Information conducts a survey every year geared towards ranking convenience stores across the United States. This year's survey consisted of 7,000 people, and the results gave Wawa a 68 percent approval rating. According to NBC 10 in Philadelphia, Wawa swooped in to steal the top slot from last year's winner, QuikTrip. Although QuikTrip scored the highest with a ranking of 79 percent in 2014 (Wawa scored 74 percent), it dropped down to second place with 62 percent this year. Other top winners include Sheetz, Speedway, and Phillips 66, most of which I've never heard of before; the lowest rankings included BP, Mobil, and 7-Eleven. I think it's kind of interesting that the stores people are happiest with are smaller, more local chains — it looks like the lesson here might be that bigger isn't always better.
If you've never encountered a Wawa before, imagine the best bodega or convenience store you've ever been to… and then imagine something approximately eighty million times better. I only discovered Wawa after I started dating someone who lived near one, and you guys? Now that I, too, live near one, I can't imagine life without it. Or least, I can't imagine life in the 'burbs without. If you, like me, are also a fervent Wawa lover, then you know these 12 things are definitely true.
1. It's terrific for awkward people.
I am awkward. This is an indisputable fact. I am so awkward that whether or not I can order takeout online, as opposed to having to call up a place and talk to someone on the phone, is frequently the deciding factor of where I go for said takeout. Happily, though, Wawa's deli counter has these wonderful little kiosks that allow you to order your sandwich or flatbread or whatever just the way you like it, all without having to speak to another human being. For people like myself who have trouble talking to strangers, it is a godsend.
Speaking of those sandwiches…
2. A Wawa sub is a way better option than fast food.
Seriously, you guys. They're fully customizable thanks to that kiosk thing, and they're always fresh.
3. It's always there for you.
Tons of Wawas are open 24 hours a day. This means that on, say, those days when your flight from LAX back to the East Coast is delayed by a million hours, resulting in you landing at 2 a.m. without having eaten anything for a substantial amount of time and with a two-hour drive from the airport back home ahead of you, you can still fuel up — both your car and yourself. Not that that's happened to me or anything before. (Yes. Yes, it has.)
4. Nothing is better than a late-night impromptu smoothie party.
Another benefit of the whole open-24-hours thing. Even if it's a party for one. Plus an ostrich.
5. It's easily accessible
You know how I'm always moaning about the fact that I live in the middle of nowhere? That the nearest Starbucks is several towns away? That there isn't much within walking distance of my apartment besides the library, and even that is half an hour away on foot? Well, there's one other thing that's easy to get to from where I live: The nearest Wawa. It's maybe 10 minutes away on foot. And if you're driving around New Jersey or Pennsylvania (and presumably Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida), you're never too far from at least one Wawa.
6. Its milk is pretty darn good for convenience store milk.
But maybe that's because it isn't really convenience store milk. Fun fact: Wawa was begun as a dairy farm in in the late 19th century. Like most other dairy suppliers back in the days of the milkman, the farm sold its products via home delivery — but when people started to shift over to buying their milk in stores, Wawa found itself needing to adjust to the change as well. The very first Wawa Market was subsequently opened in 1964. The dairy farm is still in operation, and all Wawa locations still sell the milk produced by it. That's right: Wawa as we know it today exists purely because the farm needed a new way to sell its product. It can be a little more expensive, but no wonder it's so dang good, right?
7. A wawa is a bird.
A Canadian Goose, to be precise. That's why store's logo features one.
8. Also, “Wawa” is a really fun word to say.
Sometimes it is difficult to say with a straight face… but that's what makes it so fun.
9. Hoagiefest is one of the best parts of the summer.
Sure, the ad campaign is kind of tacky, but that's part of its charm.
10. The coffee selection. Oh, the coffee selection.
It is magnificent if you are a fan of flavored coffee. I'm still not totally sure I'd take a Wawa latte over a Bluebottle one or whatever, but Wawa's regular ol' coffee selection? Heck yes. It takes up literally half a wall at my nearest one, complete with a ton of seasonal favorites (just want til Pumpkin Spice Season returns in the fall).
11. It really is convenient.
Obviously you won't be able to do all of your household shopping at Wawa, but if you find you've suddenly run out of butter (or toilet paper, or flour, or what have you), odds are Wawa will have it. In the event that you can't actually get yourself all the way to the grocery store, Wawa can help you out in a pinch.
12. It's kind of like a unicorn.
Let me 'splain: Unless you live in one of the few states Wawa calls home, you may not know much about its wonders. You may not even know that it exists, for that matter. But when you do find out about it? And when you do experience it for the first time? It's magical. Just like a unicorn.
Images: Wawa/Facebook; Giphy (4); kennethkonica/Flickr
