Buc-ee’s is known for high worker pay. How does it compare with KC area’s QuikTrip?

In just a few weeks, a new location of the supersized Texas gas station chain Buc-ee’s will open its doors in Springfield, Missouri.

Buc-ee’s fans have long lauded the company’s notably high starting wages, and the new Springfield location is already hiring for seven positions paying up to $25 per hour.

But how do wages compare at the QuikTrip gas station chain, already ubiquitous in the Kansas City region?

Both gas stations feature extra-large facilities, brightly lit stores and a variety of hot food and fountain drinks in addition to the usual gas station fare.

QuikTrip operates 1,030 locations across the United States, including 136 in Missouri and 75 in Kansas. The Tulsa-based company employs over 24,000 people.

Buc-ee’s operates 58 locations, most of them in Texas, which are known for being open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Springfield store, which opens on Dec. 11, will be the company’s first location in Missouri.

We reached out to both companies for information on what employees of each chain can expect to be paid.

How do Buc-ee’s and QuikTrip’s wages compare?

QuikTrip store clerk: $13.85 - $18.85 per hour (part time)

Buc-ee’s store clerk: $18 - $21 per hour (full time)

The part-time clerk position at QuikTrip includes a variety of roles, including cashiers, janitorial staff, food service and other positions, an employee at the Kansas City division office said, adding that these positions start at $13.85 per hour. The employee declined to provide their full name.

According to the company’s employment website, wages for these part-time roles can go as high as $18.85 per hour.

By comparison, Buc-ee’s lists specific wages for various full-time store positions ranging from $18 per hour for cashiers, janitors and stockers to $21 per hour for food service employees.

Buc-ee’s spokesperson Rachel Austin added that the company’s employment website contains specific information on wages at various locations.

Buc-ee’s store jobs are full-time and include perks like benefits packages, double pay on major holidays and a $2 per hour bonus for overnight shifts.

Buc-ee’s and QuikTrip manager positions

QuikTrip assistant manager: $15 per hour plus bonuses, up to $59,500 per year

Buc-ee’s assistant manager: $33 - $42 per hour or $125,000 - $150,000 per year

Assistant manager positions vary by title and pay range between QuikTrip and Buc-ee’s.

At QuikTrip, both relief assistant and night assistant manager positions pay $15 per hour. Combined with bonuses based on store profits, these roles can pay as much as $59,500 per year, according to the company’s employment site.

At Buc-ee’s, food service assistant manager roles pay $33 - $42 per hour. Assistant general managers are paid more — a distinction that QuikTrip does not make. A Buc-ee’s assistant general manager can expect to be paid $125,000 - $150,000 per year.

QuikTrip general manager: Varies, but may average around $98,000 per year

Buc-ee’s general manager: $175,000 - $225,000 per year

General managers at Buc-ee’s make anywhere from $175,000 to $225,000 per year, according to a wage graphic shared by the company.

At Quik-Trip, the division office employee said that pay for general managers varies based on tenure, experience and other factors. The salary transparency site Glassdoor estimates that store managers at QuikTrip locations in Kansas City make an average of around $98,000 per year.

Companies that own other common gas station chains in Kansas City, including BP, Shell and Sinclair Oil, did not respond to questions about the wages they pay store employees.

A spokesperson for Phillips 66 declined to comment on store wages, saying that Conoco and Phillips 66 gas stations are independently owned. The wages they offer are decided by store owners and are not controlled by parent company ConocoPhillips, he said.

Do you have more questions about labor or wages in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.