Special thank you to Cashier Michelle!…read more
Long-winded story ahead...
It's been a few years since this gas station opened up in our neighborhood. We haven't stopped by as much due to having an electric vehicle as our main driver and using the Chevron app (with discounts on gas) for our other car.
On the evening of Sept 30, I had an unusual dilemma. A couple years ago, someone had gifted me a Visa gift card. I had used it here and there but then last month discovered that it would soon be expiring on 9/2026. Told myself to make sure I spent the balance before the last day of September, but you know how those Visa gift cards are---sometimes if you try to spend more than the balance, it just rejects the entire purchase (instead of giving you an option to pay for the remainder in another form).
So on Sept 30, I was trying to spend the remaining $15 at home--ordering something from Amazon, Starbucks, etc but when it came to putting in the expiration date of 9/2026, all the platforms I tried alerted me to put in a valid expiration date (since in some parts of the US, it was already Oct 1).
It was getting late, around 9pm, and I decided I'd have to try to spend the balance at a local store in person, instead of online. The closest business that was still open was Chevron, so I decided to head there. As I was driving there, I noticed Maverik across the street and thought about going there. But since I was already in the left turn lane, I continued to Chevron.
Spent quite a bit of time wandering the aisles, trying to figure out what to spend the $15 on. Didn't really NEED anything... So finally I decided on some bottles of Jarrito's and Frappuccinos. The cashier rang me up and I put in the gift card. It said "Declined." *sigh* I wasn't sure if it was the expiration date that was the issue or the total price being too close to the balance amount, so I suggested to the cashier that I ring up one item at a time with the gift card. However, a line started to form at that time, so I decided to wait till the cashier rang up all the customers before trying.
Long story short, it got declined again. *deep sigh* I asked the clerk if there were other buttons to press, like a credit button, versus debit or gift card, but she said there was only one option for "CARD."
Dejected, I put everything back on the shelves and told the clerk I would try Maverik. I was unsure if the issue was with the expiration date or a lower balance stopping the transaction or something else.
Got to Maverik and was greeted by Michelle. The establishment was brightly light, seemed inviting and very clean. I explained my dilemma with the gift card and decided I'd just try with a pack of Mentos first. Despite the card saying "debit," Michelle said to make sure I clicked on "credit." A few seconds later, it was approved. I looked at Michelle in shock, surprised at how easy it was, since it had taken so long at Chevron.
Grabbed a few Frappuccinos and smoothies and then went back to Michelle, hoping for the best but expecting the worse. Once again, Michelle was able to process the transaction effortlessly. Not sure if it's a difference in Maverik vs Chevron's payment platform or just lack of cashier experience at Chevron, but Michelle at Maverik was able to process my transaction efficiently and easily. I was pretty amazed. Had I not had the difficult experience at Chevron, I might not have appreciated Maverik as much.
Went home super happy that my gift card was now at a $0 balance. And now we have a fridge full of yummy drinks. :P Maverik & Michelle FTW!
