[Sly Fox]

Knock yourselves out.

[TIMSCAR20]

Wawa hands down.

[thepostman]

i was going to say this in the other topic then saw that this one is created, so i will put it here....Sheetz is a PA thing that has made it as far south as virginia and i don't know how far north it actually goes...but i am from florida and also spent some time in maine and until going to school here I had never heard of sheetz...but i love it....and wawa or whatever the heck that place is called, never heard of it...so i can't really say which is better

my point really is there is no way sheetz is a "southern thing"

[givemethemic]

Wawa..... besides SCAR who else is with me!!!!!!

[Baldspot]

Wawa's atm has zero fees and no charge on air for all customers.

[bigsmooth]

sheetz is in north carolina too, and with plans to go into south carolina. has been in virginia for a long time. i would say that is pretty southern though founded in PA. i like them both, but since i have been to sheetz more, then sheetz it is.

[givemethemic]

I am not defending sheetz at all... but they do no free air and zero atm fees as well

[LUconn]

don't get me started on free air. How is it that every other gas station charges for air after it being free for decades before? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And for 50 cents! That's freakin expensive just to put a little more air in my tires. The kicker is it always seems some idiot cuts the end of the air hose and steals the fitting at sheetz. So they only free air around it always out of order. I just bought my own pump.

as for ATMs don't use any except for your bank. Sheetz may not charge you for using their ATM but your bank still does. On top of that if something goes wrong and you don't get the correct amount of money, your bank is not a fault and won't refund you and sheetz will definatly not care you didn't get your money. Just a bit of consumer advice.

[Rocketfan]

Since i worked for both i knew people corporatly for both as well. To my knowledge both of these companies started in PA( first Wawa was in WaWa Pa i think) and formed sort of an pact of sorts. Jersey is full of Wawa and i believe they are in NY as well. Sheetz moved South and now Wawa has as well. The mutual agreement was that a member of the board of Directors of Wawa would be present on Sheetz board and vice versa so they could pretty much run major oil companies out of business with cheap gas and make all there profits on food. I mean Texaco used to be huge in Jersey and now they have all but disappeared. Bascially one company moved into the others territory ( both sides blame the other) and now they are in a basic free for all to build as many as they can as Wawa continues to move south, but Sheetz isn't moving North yet that i can see.

Some key differences between the two:

Wawa offers a fresh fruit section ( i think Sheetz has like banannas now or something)
Wawa uses some of the softest rolls around (Delivered daily at 5am), sheetz makes there own bread and lets 7 dollar and hour employees( yes that used to be me) heat it. Then during busy times it doesn't get pulled at the right second and the consistency is all over the board.
Wawa offers some really good Soups, i don't think Sheetz does but i can't remember.
Wawa offers sliced meat fresh for sandwiches or to take home, Sheetz does not.
It you ever go to Wawa get some Carolina Turkey Breast - comes in a few flavors, some of the best stuff on earth.
In most situations wawa will try to offer gas 5 cents cheaper than anyone else while Sheetz usually just offers whats on par with Kroger or Wilco.

At both don't be fooled by the pasty/donuts section....you may get yours at 7am, but they were dropped over the night before at 10pm or so. So don't expect anything fresh early in the AM.

Thats all i can think of for now.

[thepostman]

wawa sounds to be pretty great...but still never have seen one...my girlfriend is from Chambersbug, PA and I don't think while there with her have I ever seen one there....i should ask her about this place known as wawa

[PAmedic]

WAWA- no question about it.

I hear what everyone is saying about Sheetz originating up here- but have lived in SE PA for nearly 4 decades, and not only have I NEVER seen one, I've never even HEARD of them until I went back to LU last year for the first time in 17 years.

So now that I've said that- I really have no basis for comparison, but will stick with my vote non-the-less because I'm just that arrogant.

just ask my wife.

[Sly Fox]

I know some of our Central Pennsylvania posters can vouch for the existence of numerous Sheetz in their area. I have stopped for gas at several locations in that area in road trips the past couple of years.

Frankly I don't get the hype of either. Sure they are nice with cheap gas. But neoither inspired much passion with me.

[bigsmooth]

thanks chef rocketfan for your analysis of carolina turkey breast and the other selections at wawa . if i want a good sub, i will head to quiznos, jersey mikes or firehouse, and if i want fresh fruit, the grocery store. but next time i head to new jersey, i will check out everything that you said.

[absturgill]

I am more of a WAWA fan, since we have the here in MD. I do like Sheetz's Nova Blue spring water. Wswa has better food varities and a better atmosphere.

[Baldspot]

Sheets is a western and central PA thing. Wawa is an eastern PA thing.

Used to work in Chambersburg. There's a big Sheetz on Lincoln Way East, 1 block from Rt. 30. Used to stop and get their Italian subs with heated bacon. Good stuff. But I always had to pay for the ATM. Maybe they've changed due to competition. In Phila, a lot of the Wawa's don't even sell gas. Just a convenience store.

[LUconn]

We used to have a wawa in my hometown in CT. It didn't sell gas either. Or have real food except for hotdogs. It was identical to 711. I thought they were all like that until a couple of years ago.

[thepostman]

i finally asked my girlfriend about wawa and she says she has been there many different times and never understood why people like them so much. I asked her what she would choose first Sheetz or Wawa and she said Sheetz....so I don't know...thats her opinion...I am kind of curious about Wawa myself. it sounds slightly over the top though....fresh fruit??? its a gas station....not a grocery store...but i mean whatever....

In Canada they have Irving gas stations and the onese and Canada are pretty sweet. Most of them are better then any Sheetz I have ever been to. I use to live in maine and they have Irving there too, but they are like getto versions of Irving....

Then there is Florida where I have spent most of my life off and on....I can't think of any really nice gas stations....some of the new BP's are really nice though

[Sly Fox]

You ought to see the Pemex stations on the toll roads in Mexico. They are nicer than just about anything I've seen in the U.S.

[Rocketfan]

Toll roads in Mexico....first why should you have to pay to drive on those roads and second Sly it seems you may be crossing the border often?

[Sly Fox]

The toll roads in Mexico are newer and far superior to US interstates. NAFTA has been VERY good to the infrastructure of interior Mexico.

And yes, I love heading down south of the border where the dollar still buys a lot.

[El Scorcho]

When Wawa sees fit to open to open in Lynchburg, then I will join this discussion. Until then, Sheetz has my vote by default.

[Purple Haize]

The toll roads in Mexico are newer and far superior to US interstates. NAFTA has been VERY good to the infrastructure of interior Mexico.

And yes, I love heading down south of the border where the dollar still buys a lot.

Capitalist Pig!!!! (Hey can you get me a cheap Rolex?)

[Jasmen8182]

There's an Irving station near Cheshire/Hamden line in CT (almost spelled that w/ a "p" since Hampden, MA has one-spent a lot of time in MA while growing up b/c we were so close to the border and my mom's family was there). I was born in NJ and went to visit grandparents over the yrs.; my grandm. is still down there, so I've seen Wawa's but not had a need to form an opinion.

[Rocketfan]

When do we plan W & M on the road again?/?? HA

Wawas are often neighborhood gathering places. Many colleges have Wawas on campus or close by, including West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, Lafayette College, East Stroudsburg University, and The College of William and Mary.

Store locations by state (estimated)
New Jersey: 249 or 55%
Pennsylvania: 209 or 38%
Delaware/Maryland/Virginia: 98 or 17%
Total: 556 stores.
Note: Wawa's territory once stretched into northern New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, but in the late 1990s, the decision was made to abandon the NYC-metropolitan area and New England, as it was too competitive. The stores were re-branded when they were sold to Krausers (CT) and a variety of other convenience retailers, but most still retain their distinctive design.