Albany Am-Pm Arco

I, like many who live in Albany, come to this Arco for the cheap gas. I’ve never liked the place but it’s convenient. Today, when I tried to buy gas the pump malfunctioned and started to pump grade 91 gas when I wanted 87. I was told there was nothing that could be done, I had to cash out that transaction and pay for the little bit of gas I didn’t want plus the debit/​credit fee and then pay another debit/​credit fee for the gas I did want. The woman inside didn’t care and didn’t do anything to make me whole or improve this customer experience. It’s not the money so much as the «I could care less about you» attitude I got. Horrible customer service experience. I am going to really make an effort to start getting gas at Costco. Just on principle.

Truly the worst gas station ever. Credit card readers are centralized for each group of pumps. First one out of order (sign not visible until after you’ve driven to pump). Next attempt the reader asked for a pin for my Mastercard (only debit cards need pins). Finally accepted a debit card. Charges a 35 cent convenience fee. Are you kidding me? Then pump turned off repeatedly during fueling.

AmPm is my dirty little secret! Good coffee at a gas station?! Yes! They have over 4 different kinds plus a million creamers! My personal favorite is the High Voltage. I know this sound horrible but I don’t drink coffee for the taste I drink it for the caffeine only. so Peets is way too much for me. I prefer a light roast with high caffeine and the High Voltage is just that. The lighter they roast the beans the more caffeine it retains. so I go to AmPm to get 24oz of High Voltage keep me going all day cup of coffee for just $ 1.89!!! Compared to all of the trendy coffee spots that charge you at least $ 4 dollars plus. I’d say that’s pretty amazing! Also if you bring back your cup any size they only charge you .99 cents for the coffee! Hello?! I’m team AmPm all day. except when I’m feeling fancy and can treat myself to a $ 5 frap!
One last thing that I love about the coffee here is. if you buy 4 the 5^th is FREE. I live for a bargain/​deal/​rewards so that for sure got me!
My 7 year old also loves it here & is always asking to come for either the hot chocolate or icees. They also have that «good» ice. for my fellow ice eaters. they have the soft round ice balls! The only other place you can find that type of ice is at the hospital!
The last good thing I can say about AmPm is the gas prices here are ALWAYS cheaper than anywhere else. All in all the best place ever hahaha!

I love this place! Always the cheapest in Berkeley/​Albany area and friendly customer service! Not to mention the High-​Voltage Coffee is a life saver on exam days!

BY FAR one of the cheapest places to buy gas in the area and while gas prices are still low, they are even lower.
So FILL’ER up and let’s hit the road. ;)

Convenient and well run… if you want to see a disaster go to the Arco on Hegenberger in Oakland.

Marking this down because the card readers on the pump NEVER work, they reject my cards all the time forcing me to go inside the store and guess how much gas I need (hint: it’s never enough). Then of course the pumps are so sensitive that they cut off if you jiggle the pump handle and you can’t get them going again without paying and starting over. The location is really inconvenient, being in a major intersection that makes it difficult to get in and out when there’s anything more than light traffic.
The only reason I didn’t give this 1 star is that the gas is always 10 cents a gallon cheaper than the one by my house in Oakland that I use regularly.
EDITING: the card readers have been working reliably for a while now and the gas is still cheaper than by my house, so I’m marking them up.

My family and i have gotten gas here on a fairly regular basis for over 20 years, as we live close by. I used to come here for their soft serve as a kid walking home from school, walked over for late night snacks when my cousins came over from over seas, and stopped here with friends for gas and water before road trips. I’ve always enjoyed this place, and the service was always nice.
However a couple nights ago i came here to fill up my tires, i talked to the night shift guy working there, and he was just a scum bag. he gave me this ridiculous hostile attitude.
i asked him to turn on the air, he lied to me saying he cant, he said to put quarters in the machine, i said but for 20 years u guys always turn the air on for me, i dont have any quarters, he said no quarters? get out! go somewhere else!
this fool didn’t even offer to change out a dollar bill! this guy should be removed from albany which is a nice city with generally nice people.
the next day in the day time, the day shift workers were working, i asked them to turn on the air, they did it happily like they have been doing for the past 20 years.
still… 1 star for that ridiculous scumbag dude working the night shift, its as if he thinks because the door is locked that he can act in a manner that would normally get him beat up. Being a civilized person, i just left. i hope the management sees this and fires him.

Solid place to get gas. We stopped by for gas and a bathroom stop. The gas was very cheap, you can only use an ATM card or cash. The ATM card fee was 35¢, not bad. Overall a solid experience.

This place has the best prices in the area. They tend to have the same prices as the Costco and without the need for a membership card.
It’s amazing how much of a price difference there is between this Arco and the Shell right across the street. I think I once saw a 19 cent difference between the two stations and people STILL were buying their gas at the Arco. Now I know some people are gas snobs and think less of certain gas companies, but a 19 cent different should definitely be reason enough to settle for this Arco.

I have no idea with this place is rated so low! It has excellent service and is very quick at the teller. They do only have a few pumps and its located on a busy street, but there is never a huge back up! These guys are good, especial because they have a great coffee deal!
MOST places make you buy 9 drinks and you get the 10^th free but for this AMPM you buy 3 coffee and you get the 4^th FREE!!! This place has all the flavors and creamers just like any Starbucks or Peet’s Coffee has its a must go!!!

This place is located on the busy intersection of Buchanan/​Marin and San Pablo and is kitty corner from Albany City Hall and across the street from Shell. Like other Arco AM-​PMs, this one has competitive gasoline prices, and is usually the cheapest in Albany. And because of that, customer traffic sometimes backs up into the street, causing a variety of backup and swerving opportunities. Hence, I usually avoid this intersection in general and this service station in particular.

Actually went here first to try to deal with my flat tire. Wouldn’t give me free air, even if we bought something from the mini mart. Went across the street to the Shell… haha, no better there.