It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting the historic Historic Yates Mill County Park gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Garner, NC is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
“My family’s experience has been wonderful with Always Best Care. They are an exceptional team”
“Always going the extra mile making sure my father is being well taken care of.”
“Always best care is a family oriented agency . I am blessed in my heart”
“I am very grateful to work for Always Best Care since year 2019. All office”
“Wonderful company!”
“Always Best Care Senior Services was exactly what our family needed during a challenging time”
“Wow, the virtual reality dementia training is very eye opening. Gives you an idea of”
“Enjoyed taking this virtual trip through the mind of a dementia.”
“This was a very good experience. It changed my mind on a lot of things”
“I had a great experience”
“Great experience! I think everyone who cares for someone with dementia should have this experience.”
“This experience was great. It gave me a different perspective on dealing with dementia. I”
“It was a great experience and it is a eye opener I loved it”
“Very knowledgeable and informative! Definitely recommend”
“Great training”
“I am a past client of this provider Always Best Care provided excellent, diligent, responsive and”
“They helped me with getting a wheelchair! They didn't want anything but to help me”
“I feel so blessed to be served by such caring and helpful people. I had”
“ABC services do an amazing job. They have helped my 90 year old mother in”
“I cannot recommend this service enough. The owner Shawn was wonderful to speak with.”
“These people are Angels. Kathryn was lightning quick with new solutions everytime things changed,”
“Kind aides who were patient and caring with my Mother. Quality service.”
“Excellent! Shawn was a Godsend. He found a great, affordable community for my Mom. We”
“I contacted Shawn when my mother returned home from the hospital. There are so many”
“Watching your parents age is an emotional experience. My mother has suffered from emphysema since”
“My family’s experience has been wonderful with Always Best Care. They are an exceptional team of caregivers who really care about the well fare of their clients. They go above and beyond taking care of my parents and have been very professional and dependable. I would recommend ABC to anyone who needs a reliable and competent care team. Karen Lussi”
“Always going the extra mile making sure my father is being well taken care of.”
“Always best care is a family oriented agency . I am blessed in my heart to see the services being rendered to clients. Extra miles taken to make sure every client is well taken care, even in unpleasant weather conditions. The CEO and administrators were out in the snow last week picking up workers who were unsure of driving . I was glad to see this commitment, making sure families could sit back and relax. With no fear, I will recommend Always best to any family who needs awesome care for their love ones.”
“I am very grateful to work for Always Best Care since year 2019. All office staff are great people, very helpful and always treat everyone with love and respect. Definitively it is a bless to work for this agency.”
“Wonderful company!”
“Always Best Care Senior Services was exactly what our family needed during a challenging time with our father. It all began with a fall, followed by an ER visit, and soon after, my sister and I found ourselves flying to NC to care for him and plan the next steps. Kathryn from Always Best Care was an absolute lifesaver! She guided us seamlessly through the process of finding the perfect independent senior living community for our father. Her extensive industry knowledge helped us navigate the additional health services he required with ease. Kathryn went above and beyond, consistently checking in and patiently responding to countless texts and emails from us. Thanks to her support, our father is now thriving in a supportive environment and is healthier than ever. We can’t imagine how we would have managed this journey without Kathryn’s expertise and compassion. Truly an incredible experience!”
“Wow, the virtual reality dementia training is very eye opening. Gives you an idea of what someone living with dementia is like. This is such a horrible disease but this helps care givers understand the disease. Thanks so much!!”
“Enjoyed taking this virtual trip through the mind of a dementia.”
“This was a very good experience. It changed my mind on a lot of things . I didn’t know it was that bad for them and it’s very sad , I will always treat them all with care and love no matter what because there dealing with something that’s really hard to deal with .”
“I had a great experience”
“Great experience! I think everyone who cares for someone with dementia should have this experience.”
“This experience was great. It gave me a different perspective on dealing with dementia. I now know what to do differently when working with my residents. I think A all caregivers should experience this training.”
“It was a great experience and it is a eye opener I loved it”
“Very knowledgeable and informative! Definitely recommend”
“Great training”
“I am a past client of this provider Always Best Care provided excellent, diligent, responsive and caring home health assistance to my mother who was recovering from an unexpected surgery. They were able to assist on incredibly short notice and made a difficult situation for our family much better. Each of their carers was exceptionally professional and attentive, especially Lori and Kylie who were incredible. I felt safe leaving my loved one in their care and appreciated that they went above and beyond to meet our needs. They provided regular updates to me and my family and made my mother feel so well attended, especially as she needed extra mobility and personal care help. I would absolutely not work with any other company, should we ever need home health assistance again. Highly recommend.”
“They helped me with getting a wheelchair! They didn't want anything but to help me gain my mobility! They are all super nice and very helpful! Give them your trust, they have mine. If I ever need home help, it'll be through them!”
“I feel so blessed to be served by such caring and helpful people. I had to downsize due to an unexpected illness and Always Best Care (ABC) stepped in to make this possible. Kind, compassion, pleasant, friendly, joyful and talented professionals comprise those providing this service. I literally couldn’t have lived for at my assisted living since I had so many hospital visits each week. I didn’t want to go alone to these appointments and this freed my family from needless distress and worry about my wellbeing when they couldn’t be there. I highly recommend ABC since they are an essential component providing excellent and reliable support.”
“ABC services do an amazing job. They have helped my 90 year old mother in law transition into her new home after moving to Raleigh from Winston Salem. She has dialysis 3x a week and they have worked so hard to coordinate a schedule to make sure everything runs smoothly. Sherry continues to amaze me in how she is able to help figure out schedules and provide customer services in a kind and professional manner. We will continue to look to this wonderful service provider as her needs change and feel blessed to have them on site at Atri”
“I cannot recommend this service enough. The owner Shawn was wonderful to speak with. He was sincerely concerned about my mom and our family. He is an excellent listener and introduced me to Paige who is equally wonderful. Together they found a great place for my mother in a very short time. Paige was always available to speak on the phone and addressed my questions or concerns. I would recommend using this service for your loved one. Laura B of Raleigh”
“These people are Angels. Kathryn was lightning quick with new solutions everytime things changed, and things changed constantly. My dad has a chance to live the rest of his life with dignity and my mom has a chance to live a fuller life because of the help we got from Kathryn and this team. They have a great network and valuable knowledge but what observed that makes them invaluable is that they care...and when you are on this situation I found that this is the quality that matters the most. Cannot thank them enough.”
“Kind aides who were patient and caring with my Mother. Quality service.”
“Excellent! Shawn was a Godsend. He found a great, affordable community for my Mom. We are very satisfied with his service and professionalism. He took his time and our requirements and found the perfect place. Highly recommend him and Always Best Care!”
“I contacted Shawn when my mother returned home from the hospital. There are so many options it was confusing for me! Shawn and his team sent me several places to review and then accompanied me to visit independent living facilities. I appreciate the resources and information provided. Shawn, thank you for being focused on our family's needs and sharing your expertise. Your compassion and patience is so very appreciated!”
“Watching your parents age is an emotional experience. My mother has suffered from emphysema since the early 2000s and was diagnosed with dementia in 2018. We've worked with many companies to provide care for her and companionship. Since 2020, as my mother has significantly declined, we've had to make the decision to move her into a facility. For the past three years, Always Best, and more specifically Nancy Newcomer, has provided consistent and quality care for our family. Nancy is always on time, caring, and reliable. We've experienced companies with high turnover and feel blessed to have had Nancy's support for three years. She doesn’t do this solely for a paycheck but also checks on my dad on her days off and genuinely cares. I'd highly recommend this company to help care for your aging loved ones.”
Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Garner Recreational Park with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern or visit North Carolina State Capitol, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Garner, NC, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Garner, NC understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Garner, NC 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
My Place Hotels of America has opened My Place Hotel-Raleigh/Garner in Garner, NC, the brand’s third property in the state. The hotel is owned by TGC Garner LLC.TGC Group developed the property, its fifth My Place hotel, all of which are managed by TGC Hospitality Management, which also third-party manages eight other My Place properties. It was designed by The Richardson Design Group.The hotel is a new-build property with 63 rooms. The pet-friendly property offers the standard My Place extended-stay amenities, such as a ...
My Place Hotels of America has opened My Place Hotel-Raleigh/Garner in Garner, NC, the brand’s third property in the state. The hotel is owned by TGC Garner LLC.
TGC Group developed the property, its fifth My Place hotel, all of which are managed by TGC Hospitality Management, which also third-party manages eight other My Place properties. It was designed by The Richardson Design Group.
The hotel is a new-build property with 63 rooms. The pet-friendly property offers the standard My Place extended-stay amenities, such as a full kitchen, free WiFi, a 24-hour My Store grab-and-go market, on-site laundry and a computer with printing services. Guests have access to a grilling pavilion, as well as zero Grubhub delivery fees for food delivered to the hotel and a month of Grubhub+ free just for being a My Place guest.
“We are thrilled to bring a My Place Hotel to Garner, NC, a community experiencing remarkable growth and opportunity,” said Nick Esterline, TGC Group president/founder. “Garner’s rapid development, strategic location near Raleigh, and strong demand for extended-stay accommodations, make it an ideal fit for our expansion. We look forward to serving the needs of business and leisure travelers in this vibrant market.”
Ryan Rivett, cofounder/CEO, My Place Hotels, said, “We chose to build a My Place Hotel in Garner, NC, because it’s a community on the rise. With its rapid population growth, strategic location just minutes from Raleigh and expanding economic and infrastructure development, Garner is becoming a key destination for business and leisure travelers alike. The town’s welcoming atmosphere, affordability and strong demand for extended-stay options made it the perfect fit for our next My Place Hotel, especially given the limited extended-stay inventory in the area, creating a unique opportunity to meet an underserved need.”
GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 is highlighting people and products that are North Carolina-made, with the spotlight on Garner-based company Feelgoodz.Feelgoodz is a travel-inspired lifestyle brand that makes sustainable footwear, Turkish towels, and home accessories. Founder Kyle Berner launched the company in 2008 after a chance encounter with a rubber tree farming family in Thailand.While backpacking in Thailand, Berner's flip-flops broke. He bought a pair at a local market, calling them the most comfortable he'd ever worn. Fas...
GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 is highlighting people and products that are North Carolina-made, with the spotlight on Garner-based company Feelgoodz.
Feelgoodz is a travel-inspired lifestyle brand that makes sustainable footwear, Turkish towels, and home accessories. Founder Kyle Berner launched the company in 2008 after a chance encounter with a rubber tree farming family in Thailand.
While backpacking in Thailand, Berner's flip-flops broke. He bought a pair at a local market, calling them the most comfortable he'd ever worn. Fascinated to learn they were made from natural rubber sourced from the country's southern farms, he visited a plantation, became fast friends with the family, and soon after started Feelgoodz.
The company now partners with global artisans and farmers to produce eco-friendly products using natural materials. Based in Garner with 17 employees, Berner said the Triangle has been key to its growth.
"What has been interesting is in the Triangle area, there's a ton of resources," Berner said. "It's been really interesting to find really good talent, a really good team of people with a diverse skill set. Any resources that we feel we need, we feel like we have access to because of the infrastructure that's been built here."
Feelgoodz supports hundreds of rural farmers and artisans worldwide, using natural rubber, recycled rice husks, and other materials to produce items like vegan leather sandals and natural rubber flip-flops.
The company recently expanded with a luxury hospitality collection, designing spa slides and in-room slippers for five-star resorts.
"We are getting into the hospitality industry, working with resorts," Berner said. "We're developing a whole collection of spa slides and in-room slippers and really trying to tackle a lot of the issues that exist in that world."
No, you didn’t get lost on the turnpike. The very first Wawa gas station opened in the Triangle on Thursday, July 24.This phenomenon of gas-pumping, hoagie-grabbing, coffee-swigging convenience stores has long been one of the greatest wants for Triangle transplants from the Northeast.Wawa opened Thursday at 55 Masonboro Drive in Garner, off of Interstate 40 and Highway 42. The popular Pennsylvania-born gas station opened its first North Carolina location last year in the Outer Banks. Other Wawas have opened ...
No, you didn’t get lost on the turnpike. The very first Wawa gas station opened in the Triangle on Thursday, July 24.
This phenomenon of gas-pumping, hoagie-grabbing, coffee-swigging convenience stores has long been one of the greatest wants for Triangle transplants from the Northeast.
Wawa opened Thursday at 55 Masonboro Drive in Garner, off of Interstate 40 and Highway 42. The popular Pennsylvania-born gas station opened its first North Carolina location last year in the Outer Banks. Other Wawas have opened in Wilson, Goldsboro, Greenville and Rocky Mount.
Here are our five takeaways from Thursday’s grand opening.
Despite the cult-like following, Wawa is a pretty familiar-looking gas station. At 5,900 square feet, it isn’t Buc-ee’s, the 72,000-square-foot rest stop destined for Mebane, nor does it seem like it’s trying to be.
It’s bright, it’s clean, there’s a sandwich counter in the middle, a coffee bar and soft drinks fountain to the right and packaged snacks to the left.
Through Sunday, July 27, the new Garner Wawa is offering freebies and deals on some of the gas station’s most popular items.
All sizes, roasts and flavors of hot drip coffee are free until Sunday, according to signs in Wawa. Soft drinks, slushies, specialty coffees and iced coffees are $.99 and hoagies are $6 for 10 inch sandwiches and $4 for “shorties.”
If Buc-ee’s is about the barbecue, Wawa is about the hoagie. The one clear and special thing about Wawa is it makes a good and affordable sandwich.
Styled after cold cut subs from the Northeast, the heart of these hoagies is really excellent bread — a roll that’s not too soft or hard, just the perfect chew. There are options like a classic Italian, a meatball sub, club sandwiches, cheesesteaks and breakfast sandwiches.
All prepared sandwiches, sides and snacks are ordered on touch-screen kiosks. The wait time for orders was around 20 minutes on opening day.
Beyond the hoagies, Wawa is best known for its coffee. This is not the gas station Bunn coffee pot, brewed sometime in the last 24 hours. Wawa does a variety of roasts, from its “mild” regular to “dark” Cuban, plus flavors like vanilla, hazelnut and a special “churro” blend. There’s a self-service iced coffee machine in between the fountain drinks and the slushies.
As a Pennsylvania brand, soft pretzels are big at Wawa. The original soft pretzels didn’t arrive for opening day, but stuffed versions did, filled with cheddar cheese, jalapeño and cheese or cream cheese.
A doughnut bar features individually wrapped pastries, with icing flavors like blueberry, strawberry and chocolate.
There are only a few Wawa-brand items in the store, but milk and ice cream are among them. This could be a nod to Wawa’s history, starting as a Pennsylvania dairy farm and milk delivery service more than a century ago.
There are more than 1,000 Wawas in the country and surely many more destined for North Carolina.
Store employees assured shoppers Thursday that Raleigh would get a Wawa in the near future. The next confirmed location is in Selma, at 25 JR Road, just off of Interstate 95.
On July 1, a week before Prime Day, Amazon workers at the vast RDU1 warehouse south of Raleigh returned from half-hour shift breaks and listened to a pep talk. Called “stand-ups,” these routine huddles are where site leaders emphasize daily goals before shifts resume.“We actually had a really great quality for P1,” a manager projected, referring to the first period at the 24/7 facility. “So fantastic job team, overall. We actually landed below 4,000 defects, which is insane. You guys did a phenomenal job....
On July 1, a week before Prime Day, Amazon workers at the vast RDU1 warehouse south of Raleigh returned from half-hour shift breaks and listened to a pep talk. Called “stand-ups,” these routine huddles are where site leaders emphasize daily goals before shifts resume.
“We actually had a really great quality for P1,” a manager projected, referring to the first period at the 24/7 facility. “So fantastic job team, overall. We actually landed below 4,000 defects, which is insane. You guys did a phenomenal job. I really want to challenge everybody to try and hold this down.”
He then counted down workers in a series of stretches.
Metrics are top of mind — and often right on workers’ screens — at the Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center in Garner, a four-story hive of robots, conveyor belts and staff, each performing discrete, rote tasks that conclude in customers getting their deliveries within days.
Corey Stewart, a 23-year-old from Goldsboro, explained his part. As a stower on the 2nd floor, he organizes recently arrived items. “The highest rate is like 10 seconds,” Stewart said as a screen timer at his standing station reset with each product he stored. “So, you try to get in that range. You should have a successful rate throughout the whole day.”
Opened in August 2020, RDU1 is the second-largest of Amazon’s 13 fulfillment and sortation centers in North Carolina. Across four shifts, around 4,300 employees and an expanding lineup of robots unload, stow, pick, pack, prepare and ship. The process is broadly divided in two: Inbound teams organize items that enter the facility — many from docking sites in Smithfield and Fayetteville — while outbound teams prepare items to leave for stations closer to customers.
At any moment, RDU1 contains millions of smaller products, each 18.5 inches or less. Toys, shoes, pet foods, shampoos, energy drinks. Larger items and same-day deliveries are handled elsewhere. Time is emphasized. The Garner fulfillment center, Amazon says, can ship up to 600,000 packages daily, more during peak periods. Yellow and grey trays whiz past on raised conveyor belts throughout the open main floor, while in the center of the upper floors, circular robots resembling Roombas ferry product pods in a kind of programmed waltz.
Ahead of Prime Day, which this year was four days of online discounts, Amazon gave The News & Observer its first tour of RDU1 since the warehouse opened five years ago.
“Yes, we do a ton of volume, but our main thing for Prime Day is, How do we have fun” said Kristen Tettemer, site lead at the fulfillment center. “We’ll have music. We’ll have DJs, giveaways throughout the week.”
Of course, efficiency is also a core objective for the $2.4 trillion company that employs more North Carolina residents than all but a handful of businesses. Metrics were on display throughout the guided tour and also during the overheard “standup” huddle.
Amia Clopton of Angier shared how her strategy for bagging products is shaped by speed: When in doubt about which size packaging to use, go a bit bigger. “I have a really high rate, and I don’t want to struggle with (getting items into smaller bags),” she said.
Anna Power, a 42-year-old item picker from Raleigh, estimated she handles 3,500 items during a standard 10-hour shift, a number tracked on her station screen. “I’ve gotten faster,” she said, comparing her rate to when she began at RDU1 four years ago. “My quality is better.”
This work can be physically taxing, hence the stretching. Doubling the length of 30-minute shift breaks was one demand made by the RDU1 unionizing campaign, which lost its February election by a vote of 2,447 to 829.
“It’s absolutely brutal,” said Duke anthropology professor Orin Starn, a union organizer who worked at RDU1 for about six months. “The first few weeks, a lot of people quit just because they can’t handle it physically.”
Automation, Amazon says, is designed to ease workloads. “How do we bring the product to our associates?” Tettemer said, noting that transport robots helpdecrease the steps workers take by thousands. On June 30, Amazon announced it had deployed its 1 millionth robot companywide, and the same day, The Wall Street Journal reported the business was close to having more robots than humans in its warehouses.
At RDU1, the Roomba-like transporters (called “Hercules”) carry tall yellow shelves along a floor map. On the first level, a large mechanical arm grips and rotates products destined for other fulfillment centers while an automated line nearby boxes items without human hands. Robotic beeps and screeches are ubiquitous.
In a June memo to employees, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said generative artificial intelligence will likely shrink the company’s corporate workforce over the next few years. And according to a 2024 internal document obtained by Business Insider, the e-commerce giant perceives robots as “critical to flattening Amazon’s hiring curve over the next 10 years” in its fulfillment operations.
What does Amazon’s automation push mean for warehouse staff in Wake County, where the company is the fifth-largest employer?
“Our robotics solutions are designed to automate tasks in an effort to continue improving safety, reducing repetition and freeing our employees up to deliver for customers in more skilled ways,” Amazon spokesperson Greg Rios said in an email. “Since introducing robots within Amazon’s operations, we’ve continued to hire hundreds of thousands of employees to work in our facilities and created many new job categories worldwide, including positions like flow control specialists, floor monitors and reliability maintenance engineers.”
Robots also don’t need breaks — either 30 minutes or an hour — nor can they make a unionization push. And their productivity can still be measured.
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