This place is an example of why I should give more second chances…read more
I usually don't stop here. It looks dingy from the outside, and on a previous visit sometime last year, the woman behind the counter wouldn't get off her cell phone long enough to listen to what I needed.
I stopped in August 2 2018, about 4:00pm looking for a particular drink that my usual place was out of. I was surprised when I walked in. This store is not new, yet it is probably the cleanest gas station I have ever entered. It even SMELLED clean.
There were a handful of customers inside, even a couple standing at the counter joking with the man working. I walked to the coolers looking around and didn't see what I needed. I was about to leave, when the man called out to me to ask if I needed help finding anything. I didn't want to be rude, so I told him what I was looking for. Full Throttle, Orange flavor. They didn't carry it, but he told me to check back with him in a week and he would have it. Normally, I dismiss things like that as empty customer service promises, but yesterday, on the 10th, about 6pm, I decided to stop in because the QT was packed.
HE HAD STOCKED MY DRINK. He even remembered me when I walked in, and came around to show me where he had put them in the cooler! I had assumed the couple from the previous visit were friends of his, but this time I noticed he greeted and joked with almost ALL the customers that came in the store. A few, he even called by name! Again, I noticed how clean and fresh it was inside. The girl working with him was friendly and cheerful, and no one was waiting, despite a constant rotation of people coming in.
I had to ask what had changed. Turns out the store is under new ownership, and simple things like cleanliness and helpfulness are now priorities. I was impressed. A convenience store with the feel of a neighborhood restaurant. After remembering to stock my drinks, I felt a five minute review was an appropriate recompense. They've earned my business. I'll definitely be stopping in again.