(February 14, 2019) BOSTON — For drivers looking to fill up their tanks before a big weekend, they may want to consider filling up earlier in the week to avoid the lines. That’s according to the annual report examining foot traffic throughout 2018 in the $600 billion convenience store and fuel retailing industry released today by GasBuddy, the only company connecting drivers with their Perfect Pit Stop.

The report found that consumers frequented gas stations the most during the end of the week — Friday, Saturday, and Thursday. Contrary to the popular ‘morning coffee run,’ people most frequently visited gas stations on Fridays between noon and 5 p.m., staying an average of 7 minutes per visit.

Costco captured the most foot traffic per station of any brand in any segment — more than five times the industry average in 2018.

“It is now confirmed that filling up at Costco on a Friday afternoon is the worst idea ever unless you enjoy waiting in line,” says Frank Beard, convenience store and retail trends analyst at GasBuddy.

“While it’s not shocking that Thanksgiving and Christmas had their share of increased retail visits, Memorial Day weekend saw the highest uplift in foot traffic across all categories, including hotels, auto rental, restaurants and coffee shops, making it the best opportunity for retailers to excite customers with promotions and meaningful in-store experiences.”

Report highlights include:

Washington-based Costco (250 - 999 locations) captured the most foot traffic per station of any brand in any segment — more than five times the industry average in 2018. Other annual segment winners include Ohio-based Speedway (1,000+ locations), Kentucky-based Thorntons (50 - 249 locations), and Indiana-based Ricker’s (30 - 49 locations). Ricker’s was recently acquired by GetGo — another top-performer. (#5 in the 50 - 249 locations)

Friday was the busiest day for fuel and convenience retailers in 2018, followed by Saturday (2) and Thursday (3). Friday at noon and 5 p.m. Saturday at 4 p.m., Friday at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. round out the top five busiest times.

Examining the major driving holidays of 2018 including Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Memorial Day saw the most uplift in foot traffic across fuel and convenience (45%) as well as other major on-the-go retail categories, including hotels (100%), auto rental (40%), quick service restaurants (35%), casual dining (33%) and coffee shops (38%).

Two brands, Pilot and Wawa, tied for the number one spot by achieving the highest average foot traffic in five states. Costco and Cumberland Farms came in a close second with four wins, and Kroger and Speedway round out third by winning three. 

Whether it’s good or bad, customer service makes an impression. Less than five percent (4.91%) of GasBuddies’ written reviews for customer service were neutral, while reviews with positive or negative sentiment comprised the remaining 95 percent. This also has an impact on consumer foot traffic. In 2018, fuel and convenience retailers with above-average customer service ratings attracted 25 percent more foot traffic than their below-average counterparts.