'Slice Slice Casey’s': Retailer Introduces T-Shirt Line

ANKENY, Iowa — There are two questions Casey’s General Stores' fans ask on social media: Can a new Casey’s open in my town? Can I have Casey’s swag?

Art Sebastian, vice president of digital experience for the Ankeny, Iowa-based convenience-store chain, said he can control one of those requests. So he and his colleagues made Casey’s T-shirts—and had some fun with it.

“When you look at all the things that people love about Casey’s, it’s authentic to have a little humor and add a little fun and talk about things like our pizza, and our doughnuts and our new items like the mac and cheese pizza,” Sebastian said.

Four tees in green, blue and red are on sale on Casey’s website and feature sayings that refer to the c-store’s popular pizza and doughnuts.

A shirt that reads “Slice Slice Casey’s,” with an image of a slice of pizza in the background, was the best seller as of Dec. 10, Sebastian said.

One shirt reads, “Come for the gas, stay for the pizza,” and the description for the shirt on the website says, “Fuel up at the best pizza place in town (that just happens to sell gas).”

A limited number of shirts will be available, and although Sebastian wouldn’t say exactly how many, it’s somewhere in the thousands, he said. The shirts were made in partnership with The Vinyl Studio, West Des Moines, Iowa.

“We’re pleasantly surprised with how much is selling and how quickly,” Sebastian said.   

People who signed up for Casey’s text club got first access to the T-shirt sale on Dec. 1, and sales opened to the public Dec. 2. Sebastian said this is the first Casey's branded merchandise the store has sold, and it is available online only.

Shirts cost $24.99, with two for $40 or three for $55, and shipping is free through Dec. 31.

The merchandise has driven excitement for the brand, Sebastian said.

“Innovation comes in all forms," he said. “It could be product innovation, it could be tech innovation or it could be just creative innovation and thinking. So doing a T-shirt for a convenience store—who would’ve known that was a thing? … It’s a dose of fun during the holiday time frame, and so we’re having fun with it—and we’ve always got something up our sleeves next.”