What’s going at Casey’s?

Rural

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Feb 3, 2010
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Can you imagine the number of employees they've cycled through during the pandemic era?
 

20eyes

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I’m on the flip of this over here in NW. Casey’s is my go to. It’s always fast clean and the folks behind the counter are friendly. We do have an older Casey’s near the interstate that’s a bit rundown but the people working there have been great in my experience. We stop at the Casey’s in Early a lot too and have had a similar experience. Most of them take contactless payment at the pump anymore too which is a plus when I’m in a hurry.
Yeah, but we shop what I'd guess is one of the posh-est Casey's in Iowa...wish we had one of these fabled Kwik Stars...
 

BCClone

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Not exactly sure.
I agree the customer service difference between Kwik Star and Casey's is like night and day.

The credit card scanner on Casey's gas pumps doesn't work (you must insert your card), but they don't have a sign on the pump to warn you about that, so you stand there like an idiot trying to scan your card. When I went inside to let them know, the person behind the counter just said "yeah, it doesn't work".

Also, the gas price at the Ankeny Kwik Stars is always less compared to the Ankeny Casey's.
Most gas pumps I’ve been around it’s always been insert. I remember growing up in the 80s with ones that you had to insert your card to be read. What are you waving your card at?
 

Torks Pub

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Dec 16, 2006
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Kwik Trip/Kwik Star is eating Casey's lunch wherever Kwik Trip expands too. Additionally, KT real estate department is great to work with versus Caseys. One thing to keep in mind regarding the demise of Caseys is that local Ankeny company management has, for the most part, been replaced by large corporate investor types who are interested in return not customer service nor store conditions. Just my opinion based on living here in Ankeny for many years and working with them on store sites.
 
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cybychoice

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Jun 27, 2014
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The Casey’s near 18th and state in ankeny sucks at making pizza. I gave them 3 chances over a couple month span and they messed up every time. The last one had 2 inches of crust showing all the way around on a taco pizza. The coupon they gave us from a previous mistake had expired prior to being given to us. Just really poor experience there. If kwik star had better pizza I don’t think I’d ever go to Casey’s again.
 

stateofmind

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Jul 16, 2007
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I can't believe how many of you get Casey's/HyVee gas when you can get Kwik Star, QT, or Costco gas. Top tier gas vs whatever Casey's/HyVee sells. There's a reason HyVee discounts it. Pay more for groceries to get discounts on crap gas. Makes sense.

I love Casey's in small towns with older ladies in the kitchen. Donuts and pizza are done great.

I worked for QT in the early 90s. They figured out cleanliness, speed, and customer service is the key to making a killing in the gas business. They paid us so much better and expected perfection.

Kwik Star did those things and added in the grocery and fresh made food. It's the best no doubt. As a QT loyalist that was hard to admit.
 

CascadeClone

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Oct 24, 2009
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Kwik Trip/Kwik Star is eating Casey's lunch wherever Kwik Trip expands too. Additionally, KT real estate department is great to work with versus Caseys. One thing to keep in mind regarding the demise of Caseys is that local Ankeny company management has, for the most part, been replaced by large corporate investor types who are interested in return not customer service nor store conditions. Just my opinion based on living here in Ankeny for many years and working with them on store sites.
Its rather rare to have executive management that is good at business, strategy, driving growth, etc AND still has a passion and knowledge for whatever the business actually does. Thats why a lot of businesses get to a certain size and then kind of lose the plot of what made them special in the first place.

Its also why a lot of successful businesses have 2 co-leaders; one is the "business" guy keeping stuff organized and working, and the other has the "product" passion and loves whatever they are making/selling. Jobs&Woz, Gates&Allen a couple examples.
 

brianhos

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Going to be interesting what the next 5 years bring for gas stations, as people move to EV's. Outside of a few pizza runs and a gallon of lawn mower gas, I have not been to a gas station in a year. Gas stations are going to have to step up the convenience side more like kwik start in the future.
 
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Isualum13

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The caseys in my home town can be hit or miss. But mostly miss. I stopped going there when I cut out carbs after realizing how fat I was getting. Now that I don't eat pizza I don't have a need to go to caseys. When I used to go there, a few years ago, it wasn't terrible. Now on my rare stops it's miserable every time.

If it wouldn't almost certainly run the local grocery store out of town I would try to open a kwik star accross from the caseys in a heartbeat and drive the caseys out. Only reason they make money is they're the only option for a quick bite. Which is the case in a lot of their locations.

It's unfathomable how slow they can be at checking out 2 items.
 

JP4CY

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I can't believe how many of you get Casey's/HyVee gas when you can get Kwik Star, QT, or Costco gas. Top tier gas vs whatever Casey's/HyVee sells. There's a reason HyVee discounts it. Pay more for groceries to get discounts on crap gas. Makes sense.

I love Casey's in small towns with older ladies in the kitchen. Donuts and pizza are done great.

I worked for QT in the early 90s. They figured out cleanliness, speed, and customer service is the key to making a killing in the gas business. They paid us so much better and expected perfection.

Kwik Star did those things and added in the grocery and fresh made food. It's the best no doubt. As a QT loyalist that was hard to admit.
Some metro area QTs have closed and I always liked them which kinda stinks.
They definitely have a one up on KS/KT in the roller dog items.
 

JP4CY

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I think I saw recently that the KS/KT owner is retiring. Maybe his kids take over now?
The interview made him seem like a pretty quality dude.
 

JP4CY

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Also, really glad KS built at 100th and 80. Always stop there when heading south.
 
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pourcyne

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Feb 19, 2011
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My problem with Casey's was the small-town gouging prior to the election. They still are higher than a lot of other places farther down the road from Des Moines.
 
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JP4CY

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My problem with Casey's was the small-town gouging prior to the election. They still are higher than a lot of other places farther down the road from Des Moines.
Yeah I get the convenience part and that it should cost more than Fareway on pantry items but not twice as much.
 

bos

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Yeah, but we shop what I'd guess is one of the posh-est Casey's in Iowa...wish we had one of these fabled Kwik Stars...
Lol. I mean the one by us golden and they do know me by name in the pizza area. (Sadly order too often). But my experiences with Casey’s mostly positive and it’s why I keep going back. I go to the one in Eldora quite a bit too and while it’s an old one it’s still been pleasant.
 

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