What’s going at Casey’s?

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Mr Janny

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Mar 27, 2006
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From what I understand, Casey's had a leadership change in recent years, and it wasn't terribly well received. They shed quite a bit of talent at the corporate level, as a result. Also, there had previously been a bit of a modus vivendi with Kwik Star/Kwik Trip where they didn't expand aggressively in Iowa and Casey's didn't push too far into Wisconsin. Casey's new leadership breached that gentleman's agreement, and Kwik Star)Trip responded in kind, resulting in a lot more competition.
 

Gorm

With any luck we will be there by Tuesday.
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Cedar Rapids, IA
They just cut off sub sandwiches in Amana yesterday. That was an original Handimart location with a Blimpie in it. It wasn't for lack of business...
 

AgronAlum

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Jul 12, 2014
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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.

The new scanners they’re putting inside the store don’t work for tapping my Veridian card either. It’s like they went backwards.
 

bos

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From what I understand, Casey's had a leadership change in recent years, and it wasn't terribly well received. They shed quite a bit of talent at the corporate level, as a result. Also, there had previously been a bit of a modus vivendi with Kwik Star/Kwik Trip where they didn't expand aggressively in Iowa and Casey's didn't push too far into Wisconsin. Casey's new leadership breached that gentleman's agreement, and Kwik Star)Trip responded in kind, resulting in a lot more competition.

Management is everything. We will see how long that lasts.
 

pourcyne

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Feb 19, 2011
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Yeah I get the convenience part and that it should cost more than Fareway on pantry items but not twice as much.

I was talking about the gas prices, which are less of a choice in towns where every (or the only) station is Casey's.
 
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AgronAlum

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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.

The one on 36th and Irvinedale makes a ******* killer taco pizza. We’ve got like 5 Casey’s within two miles and they’re by far the best.
 
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bos

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The new scanners they’re putting inside the store don’t work for tapping my Veridian card either. It’s like they went backwards.
I’m struggling with my phone tap inside our Hyvee lately that used to work flawlessly. Everywhere else it works fine. No idea what causes this.
 

Flynn4Heisman

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Mar 24, 2006
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I'm guessing a big reason for the difference in customer service between Kwik Star and Casey's is what they pay their employees. I saw a help wanted sign at Kwik Star recently that indicated the yearly earnings. I don't recall the exact amount, but I remember being a bit surprised because it was higher than I expected. I'm guessing the hourly wage at Casey's isn't much better than working the drive thru at Bee Bops.
As a former Casey's employee of 6 years, I can confirm this is true. I was an Assistant Manager in everything but title (the only thing I never knew how to do that ASMs did were the books on the weekends).

At my Casey's at Camp Dodge in Johnston, I was making $12.50 an hour when I finally left for good on September 27th 2019. I had to scratch, claw, and practically beg just to get that. ASMs were making about $14.50 an hour (I wanted $14).

I always said though that the reason I kept coming back (All my IT work back from 2016 - 2019 was contract work, so lots of coming and going between Casey's and IT) was because I LOVED my co-workers, they loved me, and a lot of my regulars at that store loved me as well.

But yeah, the pay was trash, and probably still is.

From what I understand, Casey's had a leadership change in recent years, and it wasn't terribly well received. They shed quite a bit of talent at the corporate level, as a result. Also, there had previously been a bit of a modus vivendi with Kwik Star/Kwik Trip where they didn't expand aggressively in Iowa and Casey's didn't push too far into Wisconsin. Casey's new leadership breached that gentleman's agreement, and Kwik Star)Trip responded in kind, resulting in a lot more competition.
This is true. The VP (whom was a regular at my store, and I was surprisingly "close" with) of the company retired in Summer 2019, and apparently A LOT of the changes they had made the last couple years he personally blocked, but since he was out the door, they had no more resistance.

I remember he came in to my store a couple months after his retirement was official and I was speaking with him about the changes the company wanted to implement in the coming months, and he told me he had vetoed several of them. I was honestly surprised. A VP of a major company wanting what's best for the employees and customers? Figured he would be the other way around, and just focus on profits.

He put on a very hard exterior, but once you got to know him, he was an extremely cool, chill, and laid back guy.
 
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baller21

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Mar 15, 2009
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I must be the only one around that thinks Kwik Star food sucks. Their sandwiches are very meh, waffle fries are always soggy and gross, pizza is the worst, the fried chicken is the only bright spot but make sure it hasn’t sat in the warmer too long and gotten cold and if you like cheap crappy white bread then you’ll love Kwik Star bread.

I will say that most are clean but given how new they are around here they should be and they usually have more employees working in store than most other gas stations with more checkout lanes so usually less waiting.
 

Torks Pub

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Dec 16, 2006
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Ankeny
From what I understand, Casey's had a leadership change in recent years, and it wasn't terribly well received. They shed quite a bit of talent at the corporate level, as a result. Also, there had previously been a bit of a modus vivendi with Kwik Star/Kwik Trip where they didn't expand aggressively in Iowa and Casey's didn't push too far into Wisconsin. Casey's new leadership breached that gentleman's agreement, and Kwik Star)Trip responded in kind, resulting in a lot more competition.

Yep.
 
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c.y.c.l.o.n.e.s

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Feb 21, 2007
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I live in a small town and Casey's is the only choice. I generally like it.
But I work in the suburbs. Casey's is a distant third in my book behind Kwik Star and HyVee Fast and Fresh.
 

2122

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KwikStar/KwikTrip blows Caseys out of the water in every way. That Caseys stock? Sell sell sell.
 
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dirtyninety

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Oct 6, 2012
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Casey's went from the humiliation of having to beg permission to take a dump behind the counter to the one-holer locked "powder room" or whatever the hell goes on in there. Hy Vee too. Creepy as hell. Now I have always purchased something for the courtesy of having a bathroom or a squeegee....But waiting in line for a one-holer sucks regardless. I just want a freaking drain in the floor and not to have to wait in line. Kum and Go at least has that figured out.

Wasn't there a thread on all the Kum and Go nicknames a few years ago?
 

tm3308

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Jun 13, 2010
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I don't get to Casey's very often now (the closest one is about an hour away from where I live), but it's definitely been hit or miss. The one a few blocks from where I stay in Madison when I'm covering state tournaments is seriously lacking. They're woefully understaffed, to the point that you never know if the kitchen will be open when you go in because there may only be one person working. There have been multiple times now where I've ordered a pizza with extra cheese and gotten one with spots with almost no cheese (although there was one where the employee entered my info and saw my order history and gave me the extra cheese and extra pepperoni for free because I was a loyal customer; bless that man).

I've still gotten good results at the ones in Baraboo and Oshkosh, as well as the one back in Corydon. But when I'm back home now, I rarely order Casey's pizza because Corydon has a mom and pop pizza place that opened a couple years ago that's *really* good. If I'm getting pizza while at my parents', I'm getting Outlaw Pizza.
 

Mr.G.Spot

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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?
I use Google Pay at all gas stations...... it's rare when it doesn't work at the pump, regardless of the station
 

bellzisu

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Apr 15, 2006
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Norwalk
Haha... I think I know who you are referring to. You are not wrong.
This happens at every Caseys in Iowa at about 5 pm. 10 to 15 people in line that takes a half hour. Manager trying to act busy so they don't work. Every person in line buys booze, lotto tickets, and cigarettes. Then when the person asks for help the manager will yell they are busy and never come out.

Norwalk Caseys I'm looking at you.
 
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