Been a long trial and error thing with this place. For the last 9 years I have spent considerable money in this valley, much of it as gas stations/convenience marts. This joint, for years, would pull this "Oh, you can't get gas right now, because it's shift change, so we'll be 15 to 45 minutes down, piss off."
Finally the management changed, and for a month or two, I can't be sure how long, (AM/PM being used only if I was passing by and needed to top off, or needed something from the convenience mart) the new folks were customer oriented, hard working, dressed right, but lo and behold, the old behaviors returned.
See, if I stop there for gas, I want to gas up and get going. If I walk in too, I want to get in and back out, quick and easy, and pleasantly. It's not a social freaking gathering. And on their end, they ought to be eager to get you in and out fast and courteously, You bring them money,. monety means sales, sales mean wages, wages means you eat, the more customers you serve quickly (and up-sell, a foreign concept to these stained tooth buffoons) and politely, the more customers, and sales, you can have. Blocking the pumps? Get them out quick, problem solved.. However, this is not the case for this joint.
I was there at 7:37 today, with groceries inclding frozen stuff getting warm fast in the nearly 100 degree heat. I pop my debit card in, do my thing so I can top off, the screen blanks out for about 2 minutes, then it says "see cashier," Now I gotta trudge in, when, realistically, I ought to be driving out by now, I only needed maybe 4 gallons.
So in I go. The little squirt, who's teeth looks like he's been eating wet dog poop, ignores us for a bit, too busy brushing imaginary crumbs off the counter or something, finally acknowledges us.
"What do you want."
How...friendly...
"I just want to top off my tank"
"No no, you have to tell me how much gas you want."
At this point this place has costed me more time than I am willing to give, I'm not going to play guessing games because your damned pumps don't work right, I want to fill my tank. Yes, I knopw when you go in you have to give them a dollar amout, but from crying out loud, this isn't 1970, where 2 bucks of gas means anything, for all I know I may need 2 gallons, or maybe 5, so am I going to sit there and all like "...let's see, if I need a proposed 4 gallons, and the gas is 3.54 na d9/10th a gallon, that will be X amount... but if I need more, then the tank isn't full, and if it needs less, what, they keep the difference?"
To be fair, I was also planning on buying about $50 of other stuff too, like powerball, smokes, etc. Which means I now have to make 2 purchases, each with that damned 35¢ surcharge.
No, not happening.
"Ok" I say, "then I'll just make my purchase somewhere else. Dick"
So to shell I went. It was more gas than I thought, about $40, and I spent another $54 inside of Shell, as I usually do.
Do I feel bad for Abdul Poopy-teeth McDick? No, but I do feel bad for his employers. If you cannot represent the business right, don't come to work. It's that simple. This location has suffered enough. And the customers have too, and some of them refuse to any more. read more
