Arco AM/PM

*Update 11/​17/​2015*
It’s been along time since I’ve reviewed this gas station, and I’ve been here over a hundred times in the interim, and I’m glad to report that this place has got its act together.
The pumps have been working well or well over a year, the price of gas is always the best around (at least in Redmond. The Arco in Kirkland on ¹²⁴⁄₁₁₆ is still the cheapest on the eastside. But this Redmond site is consistently a close second).
The actual AM/​PM «store» building was re-​modeled over a year ago, with sliding doors, a moved counter/​cash and a more open floor plan. It’s always clean here, and the 3 regular folks who work here (at least, in the mornings) are amazingly nice, friendly, and personable.
The food is regular gas station fare (for better or worse), but the cookies they make on site are always a big hit with my family! And the prices are great. For me, the biggest draw is the coffee. I’m here nearly every morning to get some (as are many other regular customers like me). A few months ago, I got a $ 2.99 travel mug here and that came with a free coffee (great deal). Since then, when I bring my own travel mug in, a cup of coffee is only $ 1.08. Yes, $ 1.08. And that’s with the steamed milk or flavored coffees or whipped cream on top or anything you want.
Did I mention how nice the staff is here? When I mentioned to the male employee that, boy, it’d be great to have some sugar free vanilla syrup to put in my coffee, he said he was just about to place an order and he’ll order that for me that day. Wow! (They have lots of flavored syrups but, oddly enough, no vanilla — sugarfree or otherwise). Anyhow, the customer service just blew me away. Oh, and you get a punch card with your coffee, and the fifth cup is free. You just can’t beat that!
As for the reviewer who dinged this place for not serving her until she put her cell phone away, all I can say is, there’s a clearly posted sign that says they’ll gladly serve customers when they are off their phones. And as someone who works with the public all day long, I totally agree with this policy, for many reasons.

WORST SERVICE OF ALL TIME. I was on a Conference call for work and the gas station attendant told me that he would not help me until I got off the phone (Keep in mind I was not talking at all my phone was on mute and I was simply listening). I have never heard of this ever! So I put down my phone and tried to purchase a liter. He told me there was a 5 dollar Minium so I got 5 dollars worth of junk and tried to pay but he told me that he would still not help me until I hung up the phone. I ended up having to leave without anything because I could not hang up on work. I work right next to this gas station and I go there everyday. I HAVE NOT BEEN BACK SINCE NOR WILL I EVER GO BACK, I WILL ALSO TELL ALL OF MY COLLEGUES TO NOT EVEN PURCHASE GAS FROM THIS LOCATION. WE WILL GO TO THE ONE IN KIRKLAND. YOUR STAFF NEEDS TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES ON CUSTOMER SERVICE. HOPEFULLY YOU GET SHUT DOWN SOON!

Nope. Top tier gas my ass. I don’t know who reads reviews on gas stations, but I’ll voice my opinion anyways. Arco is usually the cheapest around (especially if you pay with cash), regardless of prices at the time you’re reading this review. But the difference isn’t too marginal. 10c more if you pay with credit card. But at that point you could just drive a little ways north to get Shell for the same price. (As of now)
On two occasions I’ve also got somewhat faulty pump. They click and then they stop filling the tank in a few gallons, and the machine processes my payment.
Also gas from this station has made my engine sound like its dying. I filled her up with Shell again and all of a sudden she’s purring nicely. (And I got more mileage). Maybe arco does have quality gas, but I’d avoid this station at the least.

BEWARE — they OVER CHARGE!!!
On four occasions with two different cars I have filled up here and had the meter on the pump show that I have put in more fuel than my tank can even take. They are meter-​creeping and consequently over-​charging their customers. This is not limited to one pump, i have tried a different one each time.

As this is the only option for coffee (albeit terrible coffee) within walking distance of my work, I’m an occasional customer when I need a fix. There are really few redeemable qualities about this place beyond its convenience. But hey, what do you expect from a gas station? I’ve never had an issue with the manager myself, unlike some other reviewers. On an occasion when I purchased a «baked daily fresh» (yeah right) muffin to later discover mold, the manager politely swapped it out without incident. All in all, yeah this place sucks but it’s about par for the course as gas stations go.

I give this place a big fat ZERO but that wasn’t an option. I also completely agree with each and every other review that thinks this place and the people who work there are deplorable, rude, grumpy human beings.
Once in a while I will buy gas from this location due to its close proximity to my office but each time I do I kick myself and vow to never return.
Today’s visit was not to buy gas but to purchase what I thought would be an enjoyable treat. It’s been crazy hot this week and I was jonesing for an ice cream. Thought this place would be a good option for something cheaper than $ 5 at Cold Stone.
Anywho…when I asked the ‘manager’ what the prices were on each of the ice cream bars my question was met with an eye roll, a mouth drop and finally a very loud and irritated «you need to wait a minute» and so I did but only because I REALLY wanted that ice cream treat. After I bought my choice and after he had to find out what it cost I asked why the store hadn’t just listed each selections price on the top of the freezer like all other stores do? This again was met with an eye roll, jaw drop and finally an irritated «I’m getting to it, sheesh.»
REALLY?!?
This is the way the ‘manager’ chooses to treat a customer? Being the type to point things out when I think I have been wronged I say to him in front of all who can see or hear me «That’s some awesome customer service you have there buddy and his response was «THANK YOU» with a snarled look on his face.
Give me a break!

Zero Stars!
Excuse me… but f*ck the fat ugly greasy dude that works here. I’m pretty sure he’s the manager, and he’s a complete douchebag. The dude scoffs at you if you ask him a question. I’m sorry your only aspiration in life was to be a greasy gas station attendant living off of jolt cola and microwave burritos.
The selection is horrible, over priced, and they charge you for any card transaction no matter the total.
Seriously. f*ck this place… and f*ck the turd faced manager.

Coffee selection was not that great at 8:00pm, but what can you expect at 8pm?

I think my fellow reviewers have way too high of standards for a gas station/​convenience store! I’m a big believer in judging things within their category, so 3 stars for this place is not the same as 3 stars for a decent restaurant; they’re just different animals and must be looked at accordingly.
Yeah, the «food» is awful, but what do you expect? Everyone knows, or should know, that gas station food is the absolute bottom of the food chain. You don’t go there for a good lunch, you got to grab a soda or some chips or whatever.
I’ve only been during the middle of the day, so maybe that makes a difference, but the customer service has always been fine. Again, these are people who’ve worked in a convenience store for years on end, you can’t expect 5 star service. How happy would you be if you had to do that job all day? The fact they smile and greet you politely is pretty impressive in my book.
And yes, they don’t take credit cards, which is why I never buy gas at Arco. I’m strictly reviewing the convenience store here.

I wish I could give this place 0 stars. Why you ask, it’s just a gas station… Well for one it’s a BP Gas Station — if that’s not enough for you read on.
NOTE: All of these instances took place BEFORE the oil spill.
1. Every single time I go to gas there, and want to pay at the pump my debit card is rejected. And NO it’s not because they authorize more than what is in the account. So what happens — I stupidly try to get the card to read, and then stand in line to get the cashier to put money on the pump.
2. They don’t take Credit Cards!?! WTF?
3. The store is dirty and poorly stocked.
4. The employees are rude and lazy. They always seem annoyed to ring people up. It’s ridiculous.
I HATE this gas station and will never fill up with gas there again. It’s not shocking that such a poorly run establishment would have such a deplorable backing company.

Where to begin… Well, against my better judgment, I frequent this location as it is the nearest beverage source within walking distance of my work. Even though I do enjoy getting fresh air I resent the fact that this is my only feasible selection. I really don’t expect a lot from a gas station at 6:30 AM, but a certain level of competency would be nice. I generally give people the benefit of the doubt; maybe it’s this person’s first day. But when I see the same people working at the same shifts, week in and week out, giving me the same crap and making the same mistakes I get a little livid. You’d think that a familiar face would encourage generally pleasant human interactions, but I must be an alien or something. I mean, how hard is it?! I am beginning to think that my opinion of this establishment is more a reflection on me than them, otherwise, why would I keep going there… :-(

This AM/​PM fails to meet every one of my low, low gas station convenience store standards. The lighting inside makes everything appear a dead, dirty gray. Atypically awful food; it makes 7 – 11 look like Spago. The cold (read: in an open cooler kept slightly below room temperature) sandwiches appear to be just meat and cheese on dry bread. A few weeks ago I bought a microwaveable burrito only to open it at work and find a corner of it covered in green and black mold. If you must eat here I suggest the corn dogs, which is the only food item that met my expectations. The «double-​stuft [sic]» pizza is a greasy sponge. The buns on the mealy burgers and chicken sandwiches have dried to a crust under the heat lamps. All the other hot foods are equally disgusting. The rest of the store has the usual chips, candy, soda, and beer.