Grand Opening Giveaway & Specials at Wawa

What better way to get customers in the door than a giveaway? Wawa opened its Kendall Park store on Friday, Dec. 8, and is offering free coffee this week. It's also offering $1.99 12-oz. milk shakes and $2.99 6-inch hoagies to mark its grand opening week. While afternoons have been busy, mornings have been slower than expected, said one of the store's employees. 

Coupon Marketing

Wawa has sent coupons to nearby residents, so business may pick up in the mornings as people realize the store is open and adjust their morning commutes.

Grand opening features free coffee

Gas price matches the lowest price in the area

The gasoline pumps are open, as well, and the per-gallon price for regular-grade gas matches the cheapest in the area at $2.25. Diesel sells for $2.71/gallon.

The grand opening for the Somerset Wawa five miles north on Route 27 is set for this Friday, Dec. 15, with doors opening at 8 am and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 am.

New Businesses Behind IHOP

One business is expanding and two more are moving into the strip mall behind IHOP in Franklin Park. The Spice Rack is adding a banquet facility next door to its restaurant. 

Meanwhile, signs have gone up for Pasha Mediterranean Restaurant & Banquet and Cloud 9 by Pasha. So far, there are no websites for either Pasha or Cloud 9. From the sign for Cloud 9, it looks like it will be a hookah lounge. And from the name, Pasha is likely a restaurant specializing in Turkish cuisine.

Since there are no websites for either Pasha or Cloud 9, there's no telling when the businesses will open.

"This Stretch of 27" covers business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. What's your story? Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.

Thanksgiving: Open for Business

Most people typically think of Thanksgiving as a day off from their usual jobs, not that they're not working. Many spend hours, if not days, preparing for their annual day of thanks feast. Yet, there are many people who do not get the day off. And while that's always been the case, the annual shopping orgy of Black Friday has crept backwards into Thanksgiving, meaning more people than ever have to schedule their holiday dinner plans around their work schedule.

For those who don't work on Thanksgiving, today may be a good time to give thanks for the essential personnel on the job today. I'm talking about medical and public safety professionals--physicians, nurses, health aides, police officers, utility workers who keep the lights (and ovens on). To a lesser extent there are important (if not absolutely essential) jobs that don't take a break on holidays, such as journalists, radio and television broadcast technicians. Don't forget those who are on call and can't totally kick back.

Since Route 27 business is mostly retail, there are many stores open, some of which are surprising, like GNC. Perhaps some people would like protein powder to go along with their turkey.

 Aabh Beauty Salon and HairTime Salon were also open. Most of HairTime's customers were men stopping in for a haircut.

And yes, if you absolutely need to get your car washed today, Casino Car Wash is open.

In case you need vitamins or protein powder...

Car wash, anyone?

Preemptive Strike

Need to take off those pounds before you put them on? Call it preemptive a preemptive strike against belly bloat. Club Metro will be open until 1 pm.

Club Metro open til 1 pm 

No Holiday for Restaurants

It's not surprising that many restaurants are open today. IHOP is open until 2 pm today. Meanwhile, Confectionately Yours, which up until today was taking reservations for Thanksgiving dinner, is open until 5 pm.

Isabella (left) and Elena at IHOP on Thanksgiving morning

IHOP online orders counter open

Confectionately Yours serves Thanksgiving dinner

Need some medication? All CVS pharmacies are open today until 2 pm. Meanwhile, Walgreens is open, but its pharmacy isn't. 

Walgreens photo department open; pharmacy isn't

CVS store and pharmacy open

Urgent Care Available

If you cut or burn yourself while preparing dinner, Brunswick Urgent Care has four employees working, including a physician, to patch you up. Holidays are usually pretty busy, says Maggie, who mans the reception desk. The business is open until 5 pm today.

Maggie at Brunswick Urgent Care's reception desk

In case you have unexpected guests, Stop & Shop and Route 27 Farmers Market are open. And if you forgot to pick up wine or beer, the liquor stores along Route 27 are open, too.

Stop & Shop open for picking up orders and last-minute needs.

And to pick up beer and/or wine for dinner...

If you find Thanksgiving too stressful, you can fuel up at Valero and drive off for a last-minute vacation.

Gas stations open, as usual

"This Stretch of 27" covers business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. What's your story? Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.

Will Another Gas Station Increase Price Competition?

Today I'm looking at whether the new Wawa, still under construction, will affect the price of gasoline in the local market. My guess: not by much. 

Fuel pumps have yet to be installed at the Kendall Park Wawa site.

I've looked at several existing Wawa stores that already sell fuel to see if there's a trend. And it's hard to find one. In the Old Bridge area, Wawa is among the cheaper gas stations, but in Jamesburg and Bridgewater it's at the high end of the gasoline price spectrum.

The two Wawa locations in Old Bridge sell regular gas for $2.37/gallon, according to GasBuddy website at 3:08 p.m. That compares with $2.36/gallon, the average price of the 10 cheapest gas stations in Old Bridge. The lowest price on the list is $2.33/gallon, the price at Lukoil, 19 Petroleum and Sunoco. It's important to note, though, that Wawa stations charge the same price whether the customer is paying with cash or by credit card. Many of the cheapest gas stations charge extra, usually about 10 cents a gallon, if you pay using a credit card.

Jamesburg, Bridgewater Markets

In both Jamesburg and Bridgewater, Wawa's price was $2.45/gallon. That's still not bad, considering the average price for the state of New Jersey is $2.48/gallon, according to GasBuddy.

In the Jamesburg/Helmetta area, Wawa was the most expensive of six gas stations, at $2.45/gallon, according to GasBuddy. The average price for that group is $2.41/gallon. Wawa also sells gas at $2.45/gallon at its Bridgewater location, making it the highest price among six gas stations in the Bridgewater/Bound Brook area. The average in that group is $2.43.

Back to Route 27

On Route 27 in the Kendall Park/Franklin Park area (and slightly north into North Brunswick and Somerset), the average price for regular grade gasoline is $2.36/gallon, with the most expensive being $2.39 a gallon, the price at Exxon, the BP at Finnegans Lane, and the Valero on Route 27 south. The cheapest is $2.29/gallon at Raceway and the Valero on Route 27 north in North Brunswick.

Sunoco's gas price is just above the average of $2.36/gallon on Rt. 27.

The opening of the store represents a trend seen across the country. About 80% of gasoline is sold in the U.S. is through convenience store chains, according to the website for NACS, the association for convenience and fuel retailing. Major petroleum companies, meanwhile, have been getting out of retailing to focus on pumping crude oil and natural gas out of the ground. While many gas stations still have brand-name petroleum company signs, chances are they are independently owned.

Wawa, so far, hasn't responded to my requests for comments on the opening of the store.

"This Stretch of 27" covers business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. What's your story? Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.