Buc-ees is one of the most prominent, Texas-grown businesses making its way across the United States. Locations have popped up in Tennessee, South Carolina, and Virginia, with more stores opening up every single year.
With the growth of the Buc-ees empire, though, comes newer or unfamiliar customers who may not be aware of the different etiquette style customers generally have.
One TikToker, Roscomilavich86 (@horsleyhammertime), complained that there were “severe Buc-ees etiquette [breaches]” taking place once he noticed that customers frequently park their car in front of a gas pump and go inside. His video, which has over 521,000 views, even panned across the gas pumps, showing guilty culprits. Commenters, though, didn’t see much substance in his etiquette claim.
As it turns out, locking one’s car and heading inside Buc-ees is not an egregious crime. It’s actually something many Buc-ees customers and Texas residents do, even at other gas stations. While it’s unclear whether the TikToker was going to a Texas Buc-ees, he did happen to run into a very Texas-related “problem,” which he argued shouldn’t be normalized.
Why Do People At Buc-ees Gas Pumps Leave Their Cars There?
Contrary to the TikToker’s claim that there was an etiquette breach, multiple commenters argued that parking a car and going inside was typical of Buc-ees and Texas as a whole.
“It’s pretty common practice…that’s why there’s 200 pumps…” one commenter said. Roscomilavich86 replied, saying, “Lots of things are common that are ignorant and rude. I will happily notice and the only people that will get mad about me noticing are the perpetrators of the poor behavior.”
Others have complained about Buc-ees’ Texas-sized pumps and the fact that customers park their cars at them. However, there are some who say this is a deliberate part of the design. According to one commenter on a r/Texas post, Buc-ees creates a sprawling space so that customers feel comfortable parking and walking away, leading them to spend money in-store.
A project manager allegedly told the commenter’s friend that “they do it on purpose so that people can leave their car and stay parked there at the pump after they get their gas. What they found out was, when they did that, people would go inside and spend an additional $13 on average in sales inside the store… They found that most cars would just go ahead and drive off. So that is why they have so many pumps so that you can purposely leave your car there and they can make additional sales inside their stores.”
Commenters on the TikToker’s post argued that there is no gas pump etiquette at Buc-ees, either. “There is no gas pump etiquette, they paid for their fuel, and went to get snacks. You waiting patiently is the etiquette,” one viewer said.
Why Is This Common In Texas?
While many people have argued that people across Texas park in their car in front of the gas pump, it’s truly a divided issue. Many people claim they have a right to leave their car at the gas pump, especially considering how many gas stations the stop has. Others still say it’s a rude practice that makes it harder to get in and out.
Commenters, though, mentioned that it was a very common issue in Texas, despite it seemingly being hotly debated.
“If you’re in Texas, it’s a thing. We all do it. Get over it,” one viewer said.
Another added, “I park, go in, get food and whatever. Pay with cashier. Come out & pump. Idc. Texas Buc-ee’s are about FREEDOM.”
BroBible reached out to Roscomilavich86 via TikTok direct comment. The Buc-ees press team was unable to comment.