Eager beavers were first in line Wednesday for a chance to work at South MS Buc-ee’s
People lined up to work at Buc-ee’s new travel center when the three-day job fair opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
The job fair will continue from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Buc-ee’s expects to see 1,500 to 2,000 or more applicants come to see if they can get one of the 200 coveted jobs.
Most of those in line had already filled out an application online at buc-ee’s.com and some had appointments and were sitting down for interviews.
“This facility has generated more applicants probably than any (job fair) we’ve done in the last eight years,” said Josh Smith, Buc-ee’s director of operations for the Southeast.
The store has about 200 full-time jobs. The company will hire about 300, but Buc-ee’s isn’t the job for everyone. When Buc-ee’s opens, they will have about 200-250 employees ready to adapt to the Buc-ee’s culture and serve customers, he said.
Dreams of a well-paying job
Most people in line at the job fair dressed casually, while Keary Magee of Ocean Springs was dressed to impress in a suit and tie.
He’s had an application in for almost eight months, and said he looked at the website every day until they began accepting applications. He drives to the closest Buc-ee’s in Alabama every month to stock up on gummy worms, chips and bags of beaver nuggets.
Others in line were equally excited about a Buc-ee’s opening a store in South Mississippi and the prospect of “a good, wholesome place to work.”
Robert Franks recently moved to Gulfport from the West Coast to be near his son, who is a doctor in the area.
“My wife’s from Texas and introduced me to Buc-ee’s,” he said. He has 20 years of experience as a circulation director for a newspaper and lots of warehouse work that he’s hoping will help him get a job.
Others left the job fair dejected, saying they thought if they showed up they automatically would get an interview and a job. They didn’t anticipate so many other applicants would show up for 200 jobs, they said.
The Buc-ee’s experience
Just like the people in line, hoping for their chance to work at Buc-ee’s and get paid wages and benefits higher than the area average, Smith started at the company 13 years ago at a small store near Houston.
His district manager started as an overnight food manager and Tim Early, Buc-ee’s store opening manager, started 10 years ago as a food service manager. Buc-ee’s is special for the employees and the customers, they said.
“It’s an experience for us and we’ve been there so long,” Smith said.
Once construction wraps up, Buc-ee’s will get the keys to the new store 30 days ahead. That’s when the newly-hired staff will start working and “just train, train, train,” Early said.
The day when the doors open and people fly in is overwhelming and exciting, he said. To help get ready, the staff will be cooking and eating and performing their jobs. A first responders’ day for local police, fire and city officials will give the staff real-life experience before opening day.
When is opening day?
There’s still no opening date announced, but the company recently said the grand opening is anticipated in June.
“It’s always fluid until the doors open,” Smith said.
The store has seen some construction delays, mostly because of the weather, he said, including the snow that fell on South Mississippi this spring.
The T-shirts and merchandise for the new store are being prepared and while they considered “Harrison County” and “Pass Christian,” Smith said, “Right now we’re going to stick to Mississippi.”
Job fair details
Buc-ee’s is hiring cashiers, deli and food service workers, grocery and gift staff, plus janitorial, cleaning and maintenance. These full time positions pay between $18 and $24 per hour, and staff is paid weekly.
Benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage, plus 401 (k) 100% match up to 6%. Employees get three weeks of paid time off that they can use, cash it in or roll it over to the next year.
The company has a dress code, drug and alcohol testing policy and conducts criminal and employment history background checks.
