Gas prices have become an annoyingly common part of the daily news, but a recent study from Power doesn’t pay down with some interesting data on how Americans buy and view gasoline. The company surveyed 1,011 people and found that most were surprisingly committed to their favorite brand of gas.
In terms of customers’ favorite places buy gasoline, the discount warehouse store Costco won top honors. Loves, Shell, 7-Eleven and Wawa made the top five.
On the contrary, Exxon is the most hated the gas stationfollowed by Texaco, Valero, Phillips 66, and Sheetz.
The survey asked customers about a number of factors that influence the gas station experience. Brands are rated based on cleanliness, price, food quality and customer service. Costco ranks first for cleanliness and price but fourth for food quality and second for best customer service. People say Power doesn’t pay that good fuel quality and low price are the two most important qualities a gas station can have and says improving those two factors will be enough to make them switch to another brand.
Mapco was rated the dirtiest, Shell the most expensive, Sunoco had the worst food and Valero had the worst customer service. Interestingly, the major oil-branded stores all made the list of the most popular. Besides Shell, Exxon, Texaco, Phillips 66 and Mobil are rated as the most expensive places to buy gasoline.
Gas station popularity as survey respondents said Power doesn’t pay they are willing to drive up to 21 minutes to get to their favorite store, with Buc-ee being the brand that people are willing to drive the furthest away. People also visit their favorite places more often, up to twice per week. Customer service also played an important role in the ratings, as respondents rated Shell as their third favorite station and called it one of the most expensive at the same time.
Of course, the gas pumps are just the attraction to draw people in the door. Once there, grocery stores and other amenities can increase the amount they spend per visit. Wawa customers spend an average of $84.46 but also spend the shortest time per visit – 16 minutes on average. Probably due to extremes gas price In the last year, people spent an average of $69.95 at gas stations surprisingly.
