Buc-ee’s fans were left outraged after the popular retailer made a major design change at its new, record-breaking store in Luling, Texas.
The new location that opened on June 10 has been called the largest convenience store chain in the world and measures a whopping 75,000 square feet.
But dozens of customers have taken to social media to criticize the retailer’s decision to give their beloved pet beaver an Ozempic-style makeover.
A TikTok user (@marrallmike) posted photos showing how the mascot had changed, with more than 700 people leaving negative comments about its new appearance, according to my san antonio.
‘What did they do to my beautiful boy? Looks like now he’s going to give me a scare at 4:00 am,” the user wrote in the description box of the video on opening day.
“The charm has been ripped off,” said another commenter.
A TikTok user posted photos of the store chain’s beloved beaver mascot from two locations and more than 700 other people have left negative comments about its new look.
The convenience store chain opened its new 75,000-square-foot Texas location on June 10, which is now the largest convenience store in the world.
Like its locations in Baytown and Alabama, Buc-ee’s in Luling has a beloved mascot statue, but it’s noticeably different from the beaver’s previous appearance.
The beaver statue outside the Luling location is sculpted and instead of tiny hands that are disproportionate to its body, they are much larger and longer.
The mascot’s toes are also visible and its eyes shine brighter than those of its predecessor.
Many TikTokers have since expressed their displeasure over the statue swap, with one saying, “I hope they put the original in the Smithsonian.”
‘Every time I went to a Buc-ee’s on a road trip, I always took a photo with the statue. That adorable statue for years,” one commenter wrote.
‘But on the most recent trip, I noticed something was wrong. Rip Buc-ee.’
Other users have given him nicknames such as ‘Hollywood Buc-ee’ and ‘Ozempic Buc-ee’, which has been mentioned over 300 times by his fellow TikTokers.
Although the mascot changes have upset TikTokers, one person claimed that only new Buc-ee’s locations, including Luling, will receive updated statues.
‘None of the old ones have changed. Only new stores get this model,” the commenter wrote.
Buc-ee’s was founded in 1982 by Arch ‘Beaver’ Aplin III and Don Wasek. It started as a chain of road trip centers and now has more than 40 locations in the US.
Buc-ee’s was founded in 1982 by Arch ‘Beaver’ Aplin III and Don Wasek.
It started as a chain of road trip centers and now has more than 40 locations in the United States.
The logo and mascot were created by Aplin when he and Wasek first founded the store chain, the co-founder said. CBS News in 2022.
‘Beaver was my nickname; “My mom gave me that name when I was born,” she said.
“There was a cartoon character long before my time, a toothpaste commercial, and he was Bucky Beaver. So, this guy always called me Bucky Beaver when he was a kid.
Since then, Buc-ee’s has become a force to be reckoned with among its retail competitors.
Before June, its store in Sevierville, Tennessee, held the record for being the largest convenience store in the world.
However, Luling’s new location has since taken the crown for less than 500 square feet, and Aplin confirmed the CBSAustin which will also create more than 250 jobs.
Even though this seemed like a good thing for Texans, Floridians felt cheated after a location in Florida was slated to become the largest Buc-ee’s in the United States.
The logo and mascot were created by Aplin when he and Wasek first founded the store chain, the co-founder told CBS News in 2022.
The plan was to open a Buc-ee’s in Ocala, Florida, which would be 80,000 square feet and become the largest convenience store in the world.
But Buc-ee’s real estate chief Stan Beard confirmed earlier this week that the Florida location would only be 74,000 square feet.
The location will remain open as planned near Interstate 75, north of Ocala in 2025.
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