Can't say I'm surprised. Like Amazon, they saw an opportunity and took full advantage of it before anyone else did. I recently learned that my wife knew the family behind Buc-ee's, which did surprise me. The road shown in front of their corporate headquarters is CR 2004, down which I have traveled many times before Buc-ee's was born, this being 1975-1981.
Buc-ee's knows its customers. Women want to stop there because of the restrooms - always clean, with an attendant, and huge - no waiting. Men want to stop there because of the huge number of gas pumps, the hunting supplies, and plethora of food. Kids want to stop there because of the huge selection of junk food and 'neat' things to look at, toys, and trinkets. Something for everyone. They do know how to pick your pocket, and it is easy to spend $100 a stop, not including gas. I have been in the world's largest Buc-ee's, and their billboards are everywhere on the major highways, with pithy messages such as '70 miles - you can hold it'.
My mother once ran low of halloween candy in the early 60's and just went out herself to collect some to give back out. Dad passed it out while she was away. To her credit, she never took any of mine to give out, although she wasn't above sneaking some for herself.
I was living in Fort Worth during that time and the Lake Worth Monster was a Big Deal. Hordes of people went there hoping to catch a glimpse or a photo. It all died down pretty quickly though. I lived across town from Lake Worth and so we didn't go there but once and it was as crowded as Six Flags used to be.
Many CEOs today are psychopaths. The great robber barons of the 19th century - the railroad owners, JP Morgan, etc. - all exhibited psychopathic traits. I know one man personally, who is definitely psychopathic and he has gone far in business. The tell is a complete lack of empathy and conscience.
What's old is new..... During filming of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in 1965, Eli Wallach, who played Tuco, drank what he thought was a soft drink from a soda pop bottle, but it turned out to be acid that some doofus had poured into it to store it. He had to go to hospital. The saga of these cans won't end well.
One of the great horror comics of the 1950's, by EC Publications, featured a story, 'My Brother's Keeper', about a pair of conjoined twins, one good and one evil. The evil one committed all kinds of crimes, secure in the knowledge that he would never be punished for them, due to his innocent twin brother. The good one finally gave the evil one an ultimatum, which was laughed at, upon which the good one whipped out a straight razor and cut his own throat. The last panel showed the good one lying dead with the evil one next to him crying and trying to staunch the bleeding wound. And, in true EC fashion, you don't learn that they are conjoined until the last panel.
Fun Fact: Dark red fruits and vegetables fight deep visceral fat - the kind that can kill you. Eat something dark red each day and do your body a favor. On that basis alone, Red tops Green.
https://www.southernthing.com/might-not-know-bucees-2660615087.html
During filming of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in 1965, Eli Wallach, who played Tuco, drank what he thought was a soft drink from a soda pop bottle, but it turned out to be acid that some doofus had poured into it to store it. He had to go to hospital. The saga of these cans won't end well.
I've been to the Moody mansion and, yeah, those signs are there just as you see them here. The Moodys were fabulously wealthy for the day, and were infamous for not spending a dime more than necessary on anything. It's all in Cartwright's book.