Weigel’s Is Where It’s At

Ninety years in the business, and Tennessee-based Weigel’s is just getting started.

March 03, 2022

Exterior of a Weigel's Convenience Store

By Sara Counihan

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Weigel’s is a convenience retailer based in Powell, Tennessee, but it’s also a family business, started by Bill Weigel 90 years ago in Knoxville. Kurt Weigel is Bill’s son, and he grew up running up and down the aisles of Weigel’s stores.

“My dad took me there all the time, even the holidays. Christmas Day, I remember going to the stores with my dad. We’d go to five stores before we went to my grandmother’s house,” said Weigel, recruiting manager for Weigel’s, on a recent Convenience Matters podcast episode. “He always had the appreciation for the people working and thought we should do the same thing. And that’s still lasting today.”

Weigel says the leaders of the company still visit stores on holidays, thanking the employees who are working and asking where they can help.

“I was out on Christmas Day probably from nine in the morning to about seven o’clock at night because some of the stores were short staffed,” said Weigel. “If we’re not supporting, we’re not doing the right thing. [My dad] has always taught me that since I started. When you go in the store, the first thing you do is ask what you can do to help.”

Weigel’s started as a dairy, like many other convenience retailers, and the retailer hasn’t forgotten its roots. Weigel’s still sells milk and makes the category exciting—so exciting that it has a following.

Recently, the retailer sold a blue-tinted milk as pun on the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team losing to the Tennessee Volunteers. It was called “Wildcat Tear Milk.” The retailer has also sold Orange Creamsicle Milk and Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk, and it will be releasing a Lemon Cookie Milk next.

“I think people are kind of scared to try it at first … But we’ve done a lot of good [social media] campaigns around it. People are trying it, and once they try it, they love it,” said Weigel.

Weigel’s also has a certain process that makes its milks taste creamier. Weigel says the company’s skim milk tastes like whole milk.

“We did a study that found that when people buy one gallon of milk, the next thing they buy with that in our stores is another gallon of milk. People get two and three at a time. Some people get cases at a time. It has a following like no other. It’s a cult,” he said.

Weigel’s also gives back to its community by partnering with Smoky Mountain Service Dogs, which trains service dogs for disabled veterans. Once the dog is highly trained, it’s paired with a veteran, and the service dog is handed off to the veteran during a “Passing of the Leash” ceremony. One of the veterans who was paired with a service dog through the nonprofit learned about the program through a pump topper while his wife was fueling up at Weigel’s.

“It sends chill bumps down my spine every time I hear it. It was one of things where we had no idea until he reached out to us, and it was just amazing,” said Weigel. “We were so lucky and so glad to be able help with that.”

Tune in to this week’s Convenience Matters podcast episode No. 325 “How Weigel’s Stays True to Its Roots,” to hear more from Kurt Weigel including his thoughts on today’s tough labor market, a typical day in his work life and what the future looks like for Weigel’s.

Last year, NACS featured Weigel’s in its 2021 Ideas 2 Go program. The video interviews Army Sgt. First Class (ret.) Chuck Stewart, the veteran who found out about Smoky Mountain Service Dogs through a Weigel’s pump topper. Watch the video to learn more about how Weigel's is changing lives.

Sara Counihan is contributing editor of NACS Daily and NACS Magazine. Contact her at scounihan@convenience.org.

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