Clubs, Grocers and Buc-ee’s Are Tops in Station Efficiency
With its typical store ranging from 50,000 to 75,000 square feet and forecourts with over 100 pumps, Buc-ee’s is in a category by itself — especially when it comes to station throughput.
Buc-ee’s, a travel destination off major thoroughfares, has for years ranked first in the OPIS efficiency ratings. OPIS calculates efficiency by dividing a motor fuel brand’s market share by its share of the outlets. Efficiency ratings measure throughput, with an average rating at 1.0. This report uses gas brand market share based on visit counts.
In 2025, Buc-ee’s efficiency was 21.8445, more than twice second-place Costco at 8.4854, according to the 2025 OPIS Gas Station Efficiency Ratings report. Sam’s Club was next at 6.6906, followed by grocer H-E-B at 6.4152, Walmart at 5.8510 and BJ’s at 5.3005.
Only big-box stores and grocers fall within the top 10 efficiency ratings. More than half of the top 25 and over a third of the top 50 are grocery fuel centers.
The most efficient convenience-fuel retailers have ratings about three times average. At the top is Quik Trip, which ranks 12th on the list at 3.5022. Weigel’s ranks 16th at 3.0710, Wawa ranks 18th at 2.9215 and Tom Thumb Foods ranks 2.9070.
Rounding out the more traditional fuel retailers among the top 25 are Sheetz, 21st at 2.7848, RaceTrac, 22nd at 2.5949, and Gas N Wash, 25th at 2.2635.
A total of 56 convenience or fuel brands have efficiency ratings better than the average 1.0.
Only one major oil brand – DK at 1.0039 – had an average score. Phillips 66 at 0.9309 and Irving at 0.9258 were close to average.
Exxon scored 0.8552, Shell 0.8521, Arco 0.8289, Valero 0.7895, Chevron 0.7725, Alon 0.7316, BP 0.6776, Marathon 0.6776, Mobil 0.6684, Texaco, 0.6341, Conoco, 0.5920, 76 at 0.5743, Sunoco 0.5669, Sinclair 0.5515, Amoco 0.5153, Citgo 0.4610, Diamond Shamrock 0.4513, Cenex at 0.4343 and Tesoro 0.3579.
The refiners’ scores improve when fuel volume is measured based on fleet sales instead of visits. Six refiner brands score at or above average with DK in first place at 1.7066, followed by Chevron at 1.3897, Mobil at 1.2746, Shell at 1.1989, 76 at 1.1902 and Exxon at 1.0295. Two major oil brands score close to average, Alon at 0.9626 and Tesoro at 0.9170.
Efficiency ratings for the majors also were better in 2019 before the pandemic, even reviewing the data with fuel volume based on visits. Shell (1.0428), Exxon (1.0328) and Arco (1.0265) scored above average, with Chevron not far behind at 0.9225.
Some independent retail chains and convenience store chains also had higher efficiency ratings before the pandemic. Though QuikTrip improved its rank by 2025, its efficiency rating was slightly better in 2019 at 3.5236. Wawa also improved its rank last year, but its efficiency rating was higher at 3.3745 in 2019. 7-Eleven was close to 1.0 in 2025, but in 2019 its rating was 1.3926.
Others substantially improved their efficiency ratings after the pandemic, including Buc-ee’s, which has been building bigger sites with more pumps. Its 2019 rating was 13.8899. Costco’s rating also was lower in 2019 at 7.1109.
Sam’s Club jumped to 6.6906 in 2025 from 4.2716 in 2019, and H-E-B was at 4.9116 in 2019 before climbing to 6.6906 in 2025.
–Reporting by Donna Harris, dharris@opisnet.com