Wawa celebrates 45 years

Wawa, one of the all-time great convenience stores is celebrating their 45th anniversary today. Being from Philly, I grew up with Wawas as a near-daily part of my life. If you’ve never lived near a Wawa, they’re hard to appreciate and easy to marginalize, since after all it’s hard to imagine a convenience store as anything special. But that would be a huge mistake, trust me.

I seldom meet people who live without Wawas that can, for the life of them, figure out why people are so devoted, and yet almost everyone I know near a Wawa raves and raves and raves about them. Fortunately, I did, so I do. Sadly I also know the flipside, having been Wawa-less for the last six years in DC and I’m still feeling the pain. Seriously though, imagine this:

You have a coffee shop with large varieties of coffee and coffee drinks that are legitimately good and are dirt cheap (About $1) without the long waits since it’s self-serve.

And there’s a sandwich store you love with a large variety of cold cuts, hot sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, cheesesteaks and more - each customized exactly to your liking through a touch-screen ordering system, all for about $4 or $5.

There’s that go-to place for your cheap snacking needs: fresh Philly pretzels (.25 each), bagels and donuts, Icee’s, and a large selection of cold teas, fruit juices and more - for far less than supermarket prices.

And there’s the nearby store with get basic eating and living essentials without the long lines and size of a supermarket.

Now put them all together and place it around the corner. That’s the magic of Wawa. And that description hardly does it justice.

Yes, you can go to Dunkin Donuts for good cheap coffee, although Wawa’s cheaper. You can always head to Potbellys for cheap customizable sandwiches, although their choices are fewer, sandwiches are smaller and lines are longer. And of course you can head to 7-11 for basic living essentials, but it’s hardly a beacon of cleanliness. But even then, at least three trips are required - as opposed to just one to Wawa, for similar or better quality. Don’t get me wrong, none of their products are out of the ordinary or worth mentioning in great food discussions, but it’s always reliable and good. And of course, it’s open 24 hours a day so your late night cravings are solved too.

Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer has an article on how Wawa became and stayed a success, 45 years later. Congratulations on 45 years and PLEASE open stores in Washington already!