In addition, Wawa customers using any PNC Bank ATM in its Wawa stores during the week following the parade will have a chance to win a Wawa beverage instant win golden coupon for a free 16-oz. Wawa iced tea or fruit drink with each transaction. These golden coupons will be dispensed randomly out of all Wawa ATM machines in all of its 570 stores.
Philadelphians dedicated to savings will march alongside Wawa customers, store associates, Philadelphia police officers and marquee participants Ben Franklin and Wawa mascot Wally Goose, as well as mascots from other regional favorites, including Tastykake, Herrs and local Minor League Baseball teams. A Mummers band will provide the musical entertainment for the parade.
Upon arrival at the Wawa store, participants will walk up a red carpet leading to a PNC Bank ATM dressed up in a tuxedo to mark the milestone occasion. Ben Franklin, a symbol of savings and frugality, will read a declaration from Wawa "asserting everyone's inalienable right to surcharge-free banking" before making the ceremonial transaction.
"We have three times the traffic to ATMs in our stores than all other banks in the region have to their ATMs. Our ATMs have truly become a source of convenience and savings that our customers can't live without and we are thrilled to celebrate our commitment to providing customers with the highest level of value and convenience possible," said Stoeckel.
"We consider ATMs a key driver, much like coffee and gasoline," Wawa spokesperson Lori A. Bruce told The Philadelphia Business Journal. "On the anecdotal side, I can't begin to tell you how many customers go out of their way to comment positively about the fact that we have surcharge-free ATMs. Many times, it's the first thing they mention when you meet them for the first time."
Wawa first began its banking partnership with PNC Bank in 1985. The chain completed its ATM rollout in 1995. In 1996, Wawa implemented its ATM program in all stores, never imposing an upfront surcharge. Since then, Wawa has been providing surcharge-free transactions to all of its customers in five-states.
In May 1997, Wawa announced its decision to continue, and strongly promote, a no-surcharge policy for customers using ATMs in its stores. The move bucked the trend then of banks and retailers charging an additional, upfront fee for ATM usage.
"The primary reason we installed ATMs in our stores was to create an added convenience and value for our customers," Howard Stoeckel, then senior vice president of marketing and now CEO of Wawa, said at the time. "We are pleased to announce that we will continue our no-surcharge policy to convey the message that those using Wawa ATMs will not be penalized with an upfront surcharge. As increasingly more banks and retailers are imposing surcharges, we think this message will be a welcome one."
Wawa, a privately held company, operates more than 560 c-stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
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