Entrepreneurial Genius

As some of you knew and others probably guessed, my sporadic blogging this past week was due to travel.  Usually I have time to find a Wifi connection, hook up my laptop and post something, but that wasn't the case a couple of days.  Sometimes I have been known to prepare an entry or, two ahead of time and then post them via my smartphone.  Nope, not this week.  Maybe I just needed a little break.

I did run across a Texan this week who was unfamiliar with Buc-ee's.  I was a bit surprised until I reflected on the fact that the phenomenon of these convenience stores on steroids hasn't yet reached the northwest part of the state.  We stopped at the one in the above image on the way back home.  It is one of the newer ones and not the largest, but it has 48 gas pumps -- each of which can accommodate a car on either side.  That means 96 automobiles could theoretically be pumping simultaneously.  You think that's crazy?  I've seen it and with cars backed up in line to move to the pumps.

One of the draws of these retail wonders is their restrooms.  They are designed to handle as many people as the fuel pumps but, I have seen folks lined up in order to have a turn at the facilities.  In fact, a friend posted a photo to Facebook over this past weekend that showed a line stretching about 100 feet or, more at one of the facilities in the central part of the state.

When you think of the saying, "Everything's bigger in Texas," you are probably tripping over the inspiration for these mega-successful stores.  They are springing up along the crowded Interstate highways of the state and each one seems to be bigger than the last.  I never fail to be amazed at the number of people who have stopped to utilize their "money-trapping" facilities that  offer everything from souvenirs to barbecue sandwiches.  Their fuel prices are reasonable and their restroom facilities attract travelers like bees to pollen.

A couple of years ago I was traveling with some visitors that included individuals from New York, Maryland and England.  I took them to a Buc-ee's.  They talked about it the rest of the trip.  I have to admit, I definitely admire the entrepreneurial genius that took the idea of the convenience store to the level of superstore.