Wawa Garners Top Marks Among Gas Retailers in Customer Satisfaction Survey

WAWA, Pa. — One convenience store retailer is taking home the gold when it comes to customer satisfaction among gas retailers.

In EnergyPoint Research's 2019 Gasoline Retailers Customers Satisfaction Survey, Wawa Inc. took top honors in both total satisfaction and service quality within the U.S. overall, and ranked first in the total satisfaction, overall value, convenience and ease, food and merchandise, and three additional categories in the Mid-Atlantic. In the Southeast, Wawa rated first in total satisfaction, overall value, and three additional categories.

Des Moines-based Kum & Go LC is this year's runner-up, ranking first in the overall U.S. for its loyalty and rewards program, as well as for convenience and ease. In the Midwest, the company rated first in total satisfaction, convenience and ease, service quality, and three additional categories. In the Northwest, Kum & Go rated first in total satisfaction, service quality, store facilities, and three additional categories. It also rated first in convenience and ease, service quality, and two additional categories in the Southeast.

Sheetz Inc., another convenience player based in Pennsylvania, ranked third, while La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip Inc. and QuikTrip Corp., headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

The 2019 Gasoline Retailers Customer Satisfaction Survey show notable changes since last year:

• Wawa, Kum & Go, Sheetz and Costco seeing their top-ten rankings improve;
• Kwik Fill, Phillips 66 and BJ's Wholesale Club moving into the top 10; and
• RaceTrac Petroleum, Kroger, Maverik and Global Partners dropping out.

Other convenience store retailers, suppliers and companies rating first in at least one category in this year's survey include:

• BP in commercial and fleet services within the U.S. overall;
• Chevron in motor fuels in U.S. overall and the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Northwest and two other regions, and in branded stations in the Midwest;
• Costco in total satisfaction, service quality, and two additional categories in the West; in total satisfaction in the Northeast, and two additional categories in the Northwest and Southeast;
• Cumberland Farms in store facilities, service quality, loyalty and rewards programs, and two additional categories in the Northeast;
• Kwik Trip in overall value, as well as food and merchandise, in the overall U.S., and in overall value in the Midwest;
• Love's Travel Stops in highway and distance travel in the West;
• Marathon Petroleum and Speedway in branded stations in the Southeast, and in convenience and ease, as well as overall value, in the Northeast;
• Maverik in food and merchandise in the West;
• Phillips 66 in branded stations in the overall U.S. and in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and three additional regions; in overall value, loyalty and rewards programs, and convenience and ease in the West, and additional categories in the Mid-Atlantic and Northwest;
• Pilot Flying J in highway and distance travel in the overall U.S.;
• QuikTrip in total satisfaction and overall value in the Southwest; in store facilities in the overall U.S., Midwest, and two additional regions, and in two additional regional categories; and
• Shell in motor fuels in the Northeast.

"To some extent, this year's survey results represent a changing of the guard from prior years, with several companies benefitting from intensified investments in the people, processes and facilities that drive their businesses," noted Doug Sheridan, managing director of EnergyPoint Research. "Whether it's expanded refueling and payment options, new online applications and technology, or healthier foods and more environmentally minded merchandise, the leading retailers are embracing both the challenge and opportunity presented by today's changing market.

"Even as the landscape shifts in the consumer economy, customers are maintaining preferences for retailers that possess strong commitments to customer service and satisfaction, along with thoughtful commitments to the environment and healthier living," added Sheridan. "While retailers must be competitive when it comes to the pricing and selection they offer, it's high-quality experiences that meet customers' needs for convenience and quality that continue to produce top-ranked companies in the survey."

Other retailers rated in this year’s survey include: 7‑Eleven Inc., Alimentation Couche-Tard affiliated stores, Allsup's, BJ's Wholesale Club, Casey's General Store, CEFCO, Cenex, CITGO, Exxon Mobil, Global Partners affiliated stores, Kwik Fill, Kroger, MAPCO and affiliated stores, Meijer, Murphy USA, RaceTrac Petroleum, Sam’s Club, Sinclair, Stewart's Shops, Thorntons and TravelCenters of America.

Gasoline Retailers Customer Satisfaction Survey respondents were asked to rate gasoline retailers with which they have had significant experience as a paying customer within the last three months in one of seven selected U.S. regions. The survey, which included more than 30 questions, was conducted in June through August of this year.