PASSHE Institutions Merging

[IUPNation]

I think it would be almost entirely a food (and coffee) outlet. One thing that is different for Wawa is that there won't be gas pumps. Virtually all of Wawa's new locations have gas pumps, which helps their profitability. The gas-less locations they have opened up in the city haven't succeeded. Nation can correct me if I'm wrong on that.

The center City ones closed because there are less workers during day due to WFH..and thry catered to the daytime workforce before Covid. Center City residents don’t go to Wawa. It was just an easier narrative for Wawa to use “crime” as an excuse they had too many stores nobody was going into..,,

[TheBigCat2192]

Sheetz also tried a gasless location in downtown Morgantown. It too failed.

I could see it working in a place like downtown Pittsburgh or Oakland (Pittsburgh). There's enough foot traffic and the current options (7-11) are as bad as you could imagine.

Wawa has a few gasless stations in Delaware and I believe one in PA on U.S. 202 (it might be just on the DE side, not 100% sure.) In my experience, they’re all much shoddier than any of the locations that have gas pumps.

[Fightingscot82]

Sheetz also tried a gasless location in downtown Morgantown. It too failed.

I could see it working in a place like downtown Pittsburgh or Oakland (Pittsburgh). There's enough foot traffic and the current options (7-11) are as bad as you could imagine.

[TheBigCat2192]

Food chains, yes, come and go frequently. They change constantly because most don't make any money and pull out. Obviously it's very difficult for most to survive the dead periods.

A full-blown convenience store (by a major brand) on campus is a fairly new concept. I'm talking 'on' campus, not nearby.

Eh. BU doesn’t have a full-blown convenience store on campus, but the Husky Lounge at the Kehr Union has some overlap with similar products like grab & go meals, grab & go salads, bottled soda/sports drinks, and snacks (chips/Slim Jims/sweets). It’s cool for Nova students that they’ll be able to get all the fancy coffees and stuff though.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I think it would be almost entirely a food (and coffee) outlet. One thing that is different for Wawa is that there won't be gas pumps. Virtually all of Wawa's new locations have gas pumps, which helps their profitability. The gas-less locations they have opened up in the city haven't succeeded. Nation can correct me if I'm wrong on that.

The one they tried near IUP (Sheetz) was gasless but it did sell beer and wine.

The other Sheetz near IUP are full-on madhouses about 18 hours per day.

I had heard Sheetz found the gasless location to also be a major headache with all the drunks and thefts. In the end the mighty dollar (lack thereof) made them pull out.

Oddly the location is still vacant years later. It has major parking flaws which also didn't help.

[iupgroundhog]

Food chains, yes, come and go frequently. They change constantly because most don't make any money and pull out. Obviously it's very difficult for most to survive the dead periods.

A full-blown convenience store (by a major brand) on campus is a fairly new concept. I'm talking 'on' campus, not nearby.

I think it would be almost entirely a food (and coffee) outlet. One thing that is different for Wawa is that there won't be gas pumps. Virtually all of Wawa's new locations have gas pumps, which helps their profitability. The gas-less locations they have opened up in the city haven't succeeded. Nation can correct me if I'm wrong on that.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Yeah, I don't see where this is a novel concept. Chains have been on college campuses for a long time.

As far as the profitability of that location, Nova campus is pretty dead over the summer and during breaks (everybody leaves) but they could close it down during those periods and shift employees to other nearby locations without batting an eye. Villanova is a lot more residential than it used to be with their new dorms. Back when I lived in that particular area students were more dispersed throughout the outlying communities, but I would think they are more concentrated on campus now, and Villanova students in general have little regard for how much money they spend. It should be a popular venue.

The other thing pertaining to branding is that Villanova students and their parents hail from all over the map so they will take that allegiance to the Wawa brand with them. That's a plus for Wawa, considering these convenience store chains seem to all be looking for expansion opportunities.

Food chains, yes, come and go frequently. They change constantly because most don't make any money and pull out. Obviously it's very difficult for most to survive the dead periods.

A full-blown convenience store (by a major brand) on campus is a fairly new concept. I'm talking 'on' campus, not nearby.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I just thought it was interesting Wawa went along with putting one on a campus while Sheetz closed one right on the doorstep of IUP.

Sheetz wasn't making any money at that location. The kids are only here in force 8 months and the locals avoided it like the plague.

It was really that simple.

[IUPNation]

I just thought it was interesting Wawa went along with putting one on a campus while Sheetz closed one right on the doorstep of IUP.

[iupgroundhog]

Presumably it’s just a franchise license granted to whoever does Nova’s main dining contract (Aramark or the like), so the money is likely somewhat less of a concern than it would be for a regular franchisee. Our schools have been doing this for ages with different fast or fast casual joints; Bloomsburg alone has a Subway, Starbucks, Qdoba, Dunkin’, and a Chick-Fil-A. I’d expect the quality difference when compared to a “regular” location to be about the same as it is at one of those.

Yeah, I don't see where this is a novel concept. Chains have been on college campuses for a long time.

As far as the profitability of that location, Nova campus is pretty dead over the summer and during breaks (everybody leaves) but they could close it down during those periods and shift employees to other nearby locations without batting an eye. Villanova is a lot more residential than it used to be with their new dorms. Back when I lived in that particular area students were more dispersed throughout the outlying communities, but I would think they are more concentrated on campus now, and Villanova students in general have little regard for how much money they spend. It should be a popular venue.

The other thing pertaining to branding is that Villanova students and their parents hail from all over the map so they will take that allegiance to the Wawa brand with them. That's a plus for Wawa, considering these convenience store chains seem to all be looking for expansion opportunities.

[TheBigCat2192]

A lot of chains don't do real well, financially, opening on campuses. You'd think they would but there's a lot of dead time (about 4.5 months of the year). That's real hard to offset.

Neat concept for sure.

Presumably it’s just a franchise license granted to whoever does Nova’s main dining contract (Aramark or the like), so the money is likely somewhat less of a concern than it would be for a regular franchisee. Our schools have been doing this for ages with different fast or fast casual joints; Bloomsburg alone has a Subway, Starbucks, Qdoba, Dunkin’, and a Chick-Fil-A. I’d expect the quality difference when compared to a “regular” location to be about the same as it is at one of those.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Villanova University now has its own Wawa on campus.

The new store, which opened inside the Connelly Center, Villanova University’s main student union, last semester, is another example of how Wawa keeps experimenting with new store concepts, from college campuses to dense urban locations, while sticking to the menu people expect.

The Villanova location accepts cash, credit, Points, and Nova Bucks, giving students easy access to hoagies, coffee, and snacks without leaving campus.

A lot of chains don't do real well, financially, opening on campuses. You'd think they would but there's a lot of dead time (about 4.5 months of the year). That's real hard to offset.

Neat concept for sure.

[IUPNation]

Villanova University now has its own Wawa on campus.

The new store, which opened inside the Connelly Center, Villanova University’s main student union, last semester, is another example of how Wawa keeps experimenting with new store concepts, from college campuses to dense urban locations, while sticking to the menu people expect.

The Villanova location accepts cash, credit, Points, and Nova Bucks, giving students easy access to hoagies, coffee, and snacks without leaving campus.

[Ram040506]

I find that absurd. But I remember previous comments about age that have been made. I'm 66, going on 67 and still do a pretty good job in a professional setting, managing, communicating, planning. So, I think maybe if you add several years to that upper age limit. I think 75 would be appropriate. Seems like both Biden and Trump lost their faculties around 79-80. Trump's demise has come earlier than Biden's.

You can talk me into 70, but still the point being we need people invested in the next 20-30 years rather than the next 2-4 years. 75 is a no for me. For these career politicians, go retire and live comfortably off the money you stole from everyone.

[IUPNation]

I consulted AI and it says 20-25% of Gannon's student body is foreign students. That's a lot.

IUP has always had a large foreign student presence. The numbers I found were 900 in 2014 but in 2026 it's down to 400.

It will be down to zero soon enough. They’ll just stop coming. I doubt the Gestapo would show up in Indiana…but you never know.