I’ve spoken many times about the unique bond we have with our customers, a bond that feels more like family than the typical customer- associate relationship.  So this year as we continue on with our Wawaversary celebrations which celebrate milestone anniversaries or 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 years throughout our chain, we are holding these celebrations in a true Family Reunion style! So far we’ve held these family reunions throughout the Pennsylvania and New Jersey regions, and this week we have celebrations planned in Newark, DE and Aberdeen, MD.

These Family Reunion celebrations give us a chance to celebrate the history and evolution of our stores and, most importantly, to celebrate the generations of customers and associates that make our stores so special. We couldn’t think of a better way to commemorate these important milestone anniversaries than by hosting a good old-fashioned family reunion, complete with free coffee, games, t-shirts, and most importantly, generations of family members who make up our customer base. These generations of customers all bring the unique perspectives and experiences that make family reunions such important traditions both in our Wawa family, and in families around the world.

To mark the start of each of these events, our Mascot Wally Goose, leads the Wawa Through the Ages parade, which visually highlights our key milestones.  If you happen to be in the store, you’ll see associates parading in huge sandwich boards featuring historic photos of our famous milk man, hoagie offering, coffee cups through the years, and more.  The event is complete with a special Family Day proclamation by a community representative or Wawa official, followed by a coffee toast dedicated to the generations of customers and associates for their friendship and business throughout the years. We round it all out by presenting a check to one of our long-standing charity partners from the proceeds of in-store fundraising campaigns. Free coffee is served all day to mark the special occasion.  

One of the most important parts of these celebrations is when we recognize our very special Key Extended Family Members, milestone customers who have been frequenting the store since the day it opened, by presenting them with a ceremonial key to the store. What’s particularly special about this ceremony is that often the Key Extended Family Members include families of customers who span several generations, and who have each been coming to these stores as long as they each can remember.

You can view our family photo album from Wawaversary events, right here on wawa.com.

I can’t tell you how proud and humbled I feel by the connection between Wawa associates and customers that is so strong, it spans all generations, and is timeless in our company’s history.

From our family to yours, happy Family Day to all of our customers and associates!

’Till next time…