The Wawa Way: How a Funny Name and Six Core Values Revolutionized Convenience

Abstract

The Way: How a Funny Name and Six Core Values Revolutionized Convenience Howard Stoeckel and Bob Andelman 2014, Running Press $19.95 (hard cover), 274 pagesHistory can teach us management lessons about what to do and what not to do as entrepreneurs, as well as organizational leaders and employees. The history of this company known as offers many lessons about how to customers in order to get them to come back each week for over fifty years. The first Food Market was opened in 1964 by Grahame Wood as an outlet for dairy products. is a growing chain of 24-hour stores headquartered in Philadelphia with locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and most recently Florida. They are one of the three largest sellers of brewed coffee in the regions where they operate. The store has now grown into a company that competes with the world's biggest competitors by offering food, fuel, and convenience. Despite the fact that is a fairly big retailer now, they have maintained their focus on the concept of management by offering a personal-touch mentality in dealing with their customers. While they are serving customers predominantly in the Northeast, opened its first store in Florida in July of 2012 near Sea World in Orlando and began to compete with Publix Super Markets, headquartered in Lakeland of Florida, which is consistently voted to be one of the best companies to work for in America.The word is actually a Native American term that is used for Canadian goose. The word is also a Persian (Dari) expression demonstrating excitement, happiness and joy for something being excellent or exceptionally well done. For example, when the food is served at a restaurant or a pianist plays a song, one can say which conveys that it was fabulous. At Wawa, it is the Persian meaning of the word that has created their culture since, to the employees of the company, the term stands for convenience and exceptional service (Stoeckel and Andelman, 2014, p. 20).That is what is. More than a store, more than a favorite restaurant, more than a fast and friendly fueling stop. It's a positive part of our customers' lives. Believe me, it's not easy, but our associates creating tens of thousands of good feelings every day is our true sustainable advantage (Stoeckel and Andelman, 2014, pp. 24-25).At Wawa, they focus on serving people exceptionally well in order to build a strong connection with them. According to Stoeckel and Andelman (2014, p. 14), their measure of success has always come from a more human place-one that values people, not simply profits; and the employees of are conditioned to strive for a share of the heart which is more important and more enduring than immediate profits. Wawa associates win the of customers, not only through great in-store experiences, but through relationships and an unwavering commitment to supporting the communities they serve (Stoeckel and Andelman, 2014, p. 136).The Way discusses how the company has grown so successfully over the past fifty years along with some of the common management and leadership practices. The book provides a personal history of the company along with practical day-to-day business practices. The authors provide a unique look at the last 50 years of this company's founding years, their consistent growth over the past fifty years, people development, socialization practices of employees, and their expansion strategies into the new routes and cities. The book provides a great success story of a company, with a funny name such as Wawa, which is now serving millions of customers happily each week by delighting them through good and convenient product choices. Due to their consistent efforts to practice the three strategies of becoming part of our customers' lives, creating great experiences, and going the extra mile- has been winning hearts as their employees are conditioned to care (Stoeckel and Andelman, 2014, p. …