Texas-based Buc-ee’s is no longer the nation’s top-rated convenience store. The American Customer Satisfaction Index put Michigan-based Meijer in first place in its 2026 study, released Oct. 6.
Meijer scored 82 out of 100, up 5% from 78 last year, the largest gain in the study. Buc-ee’s fell 3%, from 79 to 77, and tied for seventh with Maverik, Pilot, RaceTrac and Shell. The index said Meijer Express connects fuel and convenience purchases to the chain’s mPerks loyalty program, and that price investment and new stores helped the score. Meijer is based in Grand Rapids and operates more than 500 supercenters, grocery stores and neighborhood markets, including 244 Meijer Express locations, in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, USA Today reported.
QuikTrip, Sheetz and Wawa tied for second at 80. Sheetz and Wawa each dropped 2 points. Kwik Trip, last year’s leader, fell 6%, from 84 to 79, the steepest decline. Murphy USA rose 1% and tied Kwik Trip for fifth. Overall satisfaction with convenience stores slipped 1%, to 75.
In the South, Wawa led with 82. Buc-ee’s, QuikTrip and Sheetz followed at 81. Sheetz led the Midwest at 83. Wawa also led the Northeast. Maverik and QuikTrip tied in the West at 78.
The rankings are based on surveys of 9,475 randomly selected customers, contacted by email from October 2025 through September 2026. Customers still rated hours, location, checkout and food highly. Mobile app quality dropped 5%, the biggest benchmark decline. Store cleanliness fell 3%. Bathroom cleanliness, measured for the first time, scored 74. Food now accounts for 28.5% of inside sales, and 15% of prepared-food visits were trips that could have gone to a fast-food restaurant.
ACSI research director Forrest Morgeson said stores are asking customers to order ahead, scan loyalty cards and pick up food, and that a clunky app or a neglected bathroom shapes how people judge the whole visit. Meijer communications manager Erin Cataldo said the company was honored by the ranking and that its teams work to make Meijer Express visits a good experience.
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