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.