Wawa Closing Two Philadelphia Stores Due to ‘Continued Safety and Security Challenges and Business Factors’
The Democrat mayor completely ignores the part where Wawa spokespeople said the crime and violence are some of the reasons why the stores are closing.
Wawa announced its plans to downtown Philadelphia stores due to “continued safety and security challenges and business factors.”
Crime is rampant in the Democrat-run city. Criminals have targeted the beloved convenience stores:
Two of Wawa‘s downtown Philadelphia stores will be shuttered as the Delaware County-based chain continues “to be focused on doing everything we can to monitor and work with local authorities to address challenges impacting operations in any other stores,” the company announced.
The convenience stores to be closed in Center City are located at 12th and Market streets and 19th and Market streets.
“Despite reducing hours and investing in additional operational measures, continued safety and security challenges and business factors have made it increasingly difficult to remain open in these two locations,” the company said in a statement. “All associates from these two stores will be offered continued employment at Wawa. These two closures do not necessarily impact or limit potential for future stores in Philadelphia County.”
On Thursday, the community heard about police wanting to find five women who allegedly stole and hurt “a female employee.”
A few weeks ago, 50 to 100 juveniles, some as young as 10, ransacked a Wawa in northeast Philadelphia.
WATCH: New @Wawa provided store surveillance video to @phillypolice who say at least 100 people, mostly juveniles, “some as young as 10yrs old” shoplifting & ransacking Wawa store on Roosevelt Blvd & jumping on vehicles parked out front Saturday 8pm @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/mMY5Jec6Gd
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) September 27, 2022
Two people told 6ABC:
“It’s getting worse, it’s getting worse. I don’t even understand why they keep doing this. It doesn’t make any sense,” said customer Virginia Carrington of West Philadelphia.
—
“I heard they pepper sprayed the employees that worked at Wawa. The city is just out of control at the moment,” said Alfie Coker of South Philadelphia.
City Councilman Michael Driscoll fears the crime will drive Wawa and other businesses out of Philadelphia.
A Wawa spokesman said, “These closures do not diminish in any way our on-going commitment to serve the Philadelphia community or our acknowledgment of the effort and support we continue to receive from local police. It is our hope to repurpose these two locations to further benefit Philadelphia.”
So what does Democrat Mayor Jim Kenney say about losing two Wawa stores? Meh:
“These two particular locations have certain issues that they had to deal with that was costing them money, and it wasn’t really worth it to keep them open,” Kenney told reporters at an event to encourage voting in November’s election. “We’re really happy with our relationship with Wawa. They’re involved in everything that we do from Wawa Welcome America to the Police Athletic League and all of these things.”
Kenney said his administration has been in conversations with Wawa about their decision to close the two stores, at 12th and Market Streets and at 19th and Market Streets.
“It was’t a huge surprise for us,” he said. “In the retail food business, there’s lots of reasons why things change and things close.”
Dude. Did you not read anything or are you deliberately being obtuse? Don’t answer. It’s a rhetorical question because Wawa literally said crime and violence is one of the reasons why it closed the two stores.
Denial is not a good look, Kenney. Your city is falling apart. It’s not just Wawa stores. It’s also not the first time Kenney has shown his…well, I’ll remain silent because I have nothing nice to say.
In August, residents in Philadelphia described their city as a war zone: “Sound like Beirut out here yesterday and I never been to Beirut but it sound like Beirut out here yesterday…exactly like a war zone.”
Two police officers were shot during a fireworks display on July 4. Remember, police officers have guns. After the shooting, Kenney said only police officers should have guns and would strip people of their right to bear arms if he had the power to do so.
Business owners lashed out in June, claiming “weak enforcement” has caused the violence engulfing Philadelphia’s famous South Street.
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Comments
Sounds like that Democrat mayor has crime right where he wants it.
Wait until he doesn’t have food where he wants it.
Then he’ll scream about the city being a food desert, because racism.
I drive a Semi and wont go into a city anymore. Let me tell you a growing number of guys and gals i talk to are starting to refuse loads into all cities like NYC Metro, Chicago LA, Philly etc
Drivers may be key to bringing this deliberate crime problem to a head. Empty stores, especially in close by suburbs can focus the mind quickly.
The stores won’t be empty, the stuff on the shelves will just cost a bit more. There’ll be drivers willing to make those delivers, they’ll just expect to be paid extra.
I wonder if that woman ever got her damn sandwich?
It’s going to be a while
They’re holding the mayo hostage
And when she does she’ll sue Wawa for giving her heart disease.
“‘continued safety and security challenges and business factors have made it increasingly difficult to remain open in these two locations,’ the company said.”
Translation, a persistent percentage of the neighborhood’s demography keeps robbing us.
from Charles Murray’s Facing Reality (2021),
The charges of white privilege and systemic racism that are tearing the country apart float free of reality. Two known facts, long since documented beyond reasonable doubt, need to be brought into the open and incorporated into the way we think about public policy: American whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have different violent crime rates and different means and distributions of cognitive ability. The allegations of racism in policing, college admissions, segregation in housing, and hiring and promotions in the workplace ignore the ways in which the problems that prompt the allegations of systemic racism are driven by these two realities.
‘Distributions of cognitive ability’ is just stupid racism.
It has nothing to do with ‘cognitive ability’, and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that the so-called ‘black community’ not only does not value education, but they actively attack any member of the ‘black community’ that tries to actually educate themselves. And the fact that it’s actually shocking when a young black kid in the inner city actually HAS a father in his home.
Black children in inner cities show up to schools completely illiterate, have probably never even SEEN a book in their lives, and without even a grasp of basic English because that’s ‘talking white’, whose single mothers treat school like a daycare to dump their kids so they don’t have to deal with them rather than a place to learn.
Compare that to an old Asian joke:
Did you know that the son of an Asian immigrant can only be three things? A doctor, a lawyer, or a failure.
Stereotypical, sure, but it really demonstrates the different priorities of the Asian community versus the black community.
What a shock that the black kids utterly unprepared for actual school rapidly fall behind the children that show up whose parents have read them books and taught them basic letters, numbers and reading.
And rather than actually identify that they need extra teaching and schooling, the liberals whine about ‘MUH RAYCIZM’, and simply pass them to the next grade when they’ve learned nothing and then cry that ‘the system failed them’.
It’s never going to change until the so-called ‘black community’ decides that it values education. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
That was supposed to be an uptick.
It’s all culture.
Back before huge portions of the black community devolved into full “crab pail” mode, they were eager to “culturally appropriate” “Western civilization” and benefit from it. Booker T. Washington jumps to mind. And yes, when they attempted it, they were never treated fairly. But what they swung to in reaction has left them and us both much worse off.
Friend, i just listened to a podcast today on Econtalk with Roland Fryer you should listen too. He is fighting the good fight to educate those inner city kids failed by the Dems and School Unions
Absolutely agreed. And they what? These kids, or some of them, want to go to college. Obviously, they are unprepared, so they will not be admitted, or, as the Dems want, they will be admitted on the basis of their skin color, because “it is racist not to admit them to college” because of X,Y, Z…. The colleges respond by having high schools within the college, just for those that can’t meet the standards (or what used to be the standards). Of course, the college still gets its hyperinflated tuition and fees, and we get a bunch of marginally educated high schoolers with college degrees. That cheapens the other degrees from universities like BU, notwithstanding the fact that they graduated AOC.
The left has had control of the schools since at least the late 50’s, and what have they done to it? Crash and burn comes to mind. In fact, all the programs that have led to this and destroyed any foundation for blacks have been Democrat “inspired.”
Add to that the fact that black women get a very high number of abortions, and the pieces of the puzzle start to come together.
I hope black folk wake up before the left completely destroys or eliminates them.
Oh, and thanks to Brandon, we now get to pay for this rubbish.
Black people destroying their own neighborhoods. But don’t you dare say that lest you be called a racist!
reeeeeeeeeeee….. FOOD DESERT!!!!…… reeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I have to say that I did not see a single white teen in those crowds.
Maybe we are just seeing the black riots and not the white ones…..systemic racism dontcha’ know….
Government should force them to stay open. What about the people’s rights to have a clean, well-stocked and well-lit store that’s handy to steal from?
Not to mention all of this causing beer, cigarette, and soft drink deserts?
And
candy and snack cakedessert deserts?Ho Ho Deserts
No. Those are outside, generally in the parking lot.
/ducking
Don’t bring Kamala into this!
Wawa gets children and adults (and me) addicted to Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on a Croissant “Sizzlis”. They must be stopped!
/sarc – if you couldn’t figure that out. If you’ve ever had one, you know what I mean. I eat them at a safe distance from Philadelphia (in Florida).
“No greater injury can be done to any youth than to let him feel that because he belongs to this or that race he will be advanced in life regardless of his own merits or efforts.”
~ Booker T. Washington.
[Internetpillar.com]
Couldn’t get any closer to the mark than that!!
What a racist!! (yes, I know he was black….)
As far as I can tell, WAWA is a privately held corporation that actually started in 1803. They do not have to seek permission from any higher corporate conglomerate. It is up to the current management team as far as how to react.
Despite the PR/PC nice things that WAWA and Philadelphia are saying, at very least the company needs to be pondering a possible change in marketing strategy. Primarily, where they want to market to. I would suggest that they not open any more outlets in other than middle-class or upscale areas. Further, maybe they should have an informal and internal policy that if their employees are injured in attacks, after a certain number of times, the outlet closes. And if an employee is killed, the outlet closes. Or if it is looted by a mob, the outlet closes.
Whether it leaves a food desert, or as Gentle Grizzly says a beer, cigarette, soft drink, or dessert desert; as they say in the Russian Marines, Крутое Дерьмо. They cannot just come out and say that is what they are doing, but it needs to be done over time to prevent retaliation by the local Leftists in and out of government, and to give time to shift corporate assets. Besides the safety of employees, there is also the matter of increased insurance costs operating in high risk areas.
Subotai Bahadur
The complication is that Wawa is a convenience store / gas station. These make almost no money on gas, and all their money on store sales. Urban communities (as well as “outpost” rural communities) are much more likely to use convenience stores for their day-to-day needs, while other communities are more likely to patronize full-service grocery stores.
Moving Wawa to suburbia would be like operating ice-cream trucks only in retirement communities.
Most Wawa locations are not in cities. In fact, most convenience stores aren’t either. My town population 1700 doesn’t rate a chain- we have one independent convenience store/gas station. The village next to us population 1800 rates a Fastrac. The village is in the center of a town of 4200. Only gas station in the town or village. No full service grocery stores in either. There is a Dollar General though. No fast food franchises. A few restaurants that seem to be constantly changing hands and menus. And some bars that have seemingly been there forever that I’ve never frequented. I didn’t grow up here.
Drive through ruralville and there are a LOT of chain convenience stores. The days of totally independent ones are dwindling. And for most of ruralville, it’s a longer drive to get to an actual grocery store.
If you look at Wawa locations- most are in suburbia. That’s their actual target audience.
Buc-ee’s targets travelers. Sure they do a lot of local business, but when I see a sign for them that’s my next stop on the highway. They’re a convenience store, but huge. Most city zoning laws would keep them out.
A rumor I’m trying to start has it that they are opening a new chain of stores catering to families with newborns.
It will be called Wah Wah.
True, but what if the ice cream trucks were looted and burned in the urban communities, which WaWa effectively was?
It is up to the community to fix this, not WaWa
When the riots of 2020 happened where was Wawa?
When BLM and Antifa made their demands where was Wawa?
When defund the police was being put into motion where was Wawa?
“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Don’t care, hope they go bankrupt.
WAWA on 19th in center city is a new store in a nice area along Market St. Lots of school kids are there at lunch and well behaved from my experience. This is not a bad part of town closing this store doesnt make a lot of sense to me. I don’t recall an incident at this WAWA but I’m not there every day.
Where were they supposed to be? Bowing and scraping and cringing like Chick Fil A, WalMart, Target, and countless others who metaphorically posted the 21st century equivalent of a “soul brother” sign in the windows of their shops, only to be burnt out and looted anyway?
The answer is, nowhere near the hot zone. Wawa pretty much hugs the east coast.
I was in Philidelphia this summer and visited one on 19th several times.
There were always two or three guards in the store.
These stores are between Independence Hall and City Hall.
It is very sad that WaWa is saying goodby to Philidelphia.
Lots of companies are on a three day in office and two days at home schedule. That makes it tough for WAWA to make a profit in center city and Nobody is there after 6 pm most nights.
After 6PM? Maybe not, but things pick up around 10 when the “youths” and “students” and “teens” come in to loot and trash the place.
Since a subjectively perceived step increase in street hosted sketchy people and behavior some months ago, we now have unformed security in the drug stores, the food co-op, the public market, the Goodwill.
The storefronts without designated guards — the ones remaining open, anyway — have clientele that includes police, firefighters, and a lot of retired military tradesmen.
These places can make their costs if they don’t get looted. Too much looting, even as a cost of doing business, makes the business non-viable. One neighborhood coffee shop, building into a social hub, and hosting ad hoc events, has a real problem with parking lot break-ins. And the guy(s) hitting the tip jars.
Actions have consequences.
No Wawa out here in suburbs has a major problem, hardly 2 or 3 miles between one and the next.
“Wawa believes Black lives matter, and we have posted signage sharing this message in our stores,” she said in written statement. “This week, we are also providing our associates with pins as a way to express their support for Black lives matter within uniform guidelines, if they choose to.”
To Our Communities:
A Message From Our CEO on Current Events and Our Actions Going Forward
Like so many of you, we are heartbroken over the recent events in our country. The senseless death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others reflects the tragic reality of racial injustice in our communities. At Wawa, we condemn these acts and all acts of racism, violence or injustice. But we realize words without action do little. This is an issue that affects all of us, and we have a responsibility to address this head on.
Soooo, how’s that working out for you?
Never succumb to blackmail or scams, because they will keep coming at you until you are bled dry.
I can’t believe WaWa just lets those extreme far right Maga Republican White Supremacists rob its stores like that!!!!
Where will we get our 2 AM sub sandwiches and bleach now?
For a good time, call Megan Rapinoe.
On a plus note, Danielle Outlaw is now “their problem.” Yeah, their police commissioner is named Outlaw, formerly the head in PDX when everything went south here. She is the Kamella Harris of policing.