ClownLoach wrote: ↑August 20th, 2024, 12:28 pm
Alpha8472 wrote: ↑August 20th, 2024, 12:21 pm
Circle K stores are generally very nice looking with updated decor. They are building a new Circle K at a 76 Station down the street from my house right in front of an existing 7-Eleven. The new Circle K stores are huge and nice. They even have restrooms. 7-Eleven is rundown and none have restrooms.
For some reason we are inundated with brand new 7-Eleven gas station builds here and they are universally foul and disgusting. I wonder if they discipline the employees for cleaning the store? Seriously, it is remarkable to me how little pride they show in their operations, not to mention their obligations to run a safe environment per health standards. I guess that as long as the health inspector can take the temperature of the hot dogs and find that they're warm enough they pass? Several were obviously going to be Speedway sites based on the layout of the pumps and building, but the interiors were built out as 7-Eleven and they are disgusting as usual.
Circle K seems to be more willing to invest in new stores, although they do have a lot of really old sites that need to be leveled and rebuilt. Lots of stores with just a couple of gas pumps and a corner market. But their new sites are really the closest thing we have to a big operator like QT in SoCal. The more of those they build, the more share they'll get.
Two new 7-Elevens opened in Reno and they were really nice when they opened. However broken equipment was an issue from opening day. But they were nice and clean. They were opened by franchisees. Opening on one was severely delayed as they were trying to find a franchisee to take it, but eventually found an existing one to add the new location to their mix of 40 year old dive locations in lousy neighborhoods. The new locations fell into disrepair immediately with broken equipment, dirty, and employees not in uniforms or professional in any way. The gas pumps are controlled by 7-Eleven not the franchisee and multiple pumps are routinely broken and the price sign is routinely broken at one location; the other location the gas island appears maintained properly.
I've seen new build 7-Eleven units in other markets that are corporate operated and they seem to have significantly more staffing and things in better working order...
To be specific what I am referring to below are CORPORATE OPERATED Circle K units. So in CA those are the units that are Circle K/Mobil or just Circle K/Circle K Fuel. Not these various other "franchise" Circle K units which are partnered with various other fuel brands:
In some places like AZ/CO/IL there are also corporate Circle K/Shell units but out west none of those exist.
Circle K I've had mixed results with depending on the market. My experiences with them in CA even in new builds have not been good, however, the reason I am usually there is due to a low priced drink, and also due to low priced fuel and also they do not have that credit card fuel price surcharge in CA as most others have. So even if store condition is not good I do feel satisfied with these newer corporate Circle K units. I find Circle K to be highly variable depending on the region the store is located in. Their "West" region (CA/OR/WA) seems to run its stores poorly. Not impressed with their operation in CO either- really bad there, actually worse than CA- but again they are a "good deal" for what they offer so there is that part. AZ/IL/MN operation seems better.