Arco AM/PM

What a train wreck of a business. We’ve had several experiences with this location, all of them negative (why did we keep going back? No idea, but we’ve learned our lesson and won’t return again). Last night, my husband visited the Arco after work, paid with a debit card, and started pumping. $ 20 in, the attendant came out SCREAMING at him, shouting, «Did you pay?! Did you pay?! No, you didn’t, did you?» My husband told him that yes, he had already paid, and the attendant accused him of using the pump pre-​paid for by someone else. «They paid for $ 22. See, it’ll stop!» They watched together, and of course it went over $ 22. Seeing this, the attendant walked away. My husband finished filling up the car, printed a receipt, and walked inside to show the attendant the receipt. «We good?» My husband asked. The attendant replied, «Whatever.» Nice.

BEWARE! DO NOT COME HERE FOR GAS AT NIGHT ESP. IF YOUR CAR HAS ISSUES. The one-​star is for the terrible, terrible neighborhood this Arco is in. I came here at around 8pm after I ran out of gas going down one of the many hills of Seattle, and my oh my I was in for a treat. I definitely should have asked the AAA driver that helped me out for a gas station in a safe area. HELLA meth heads, fiends, and dealers frequent this location, and loitering is nonstop, with people asking you for money and going as far to ask if you could take money out of your ATM for them. DO NOT COME HERE EVER AT ALL! it is not worth how sketchy it is. you WILL regret coming here. it’s awful. The owners are workers are very nice, and I feel bad that they have to operate in such a bad area. To top off my visit, after filling up, my (dying) Chevy Tahoe’s steering column decided to lock up and the ignition would not turn, which took me far too long (15 minutes) to start my car. I was stuck in this hellhole for so long that I thought I was going to be stuck here eternally. Also props to the Good Samaritan who tried to help me start my car. I think he thought that I was driving a stolen vehicle due to the issues with the ignition and the sketchiness of the area, which I thought was a more than reasonable assumption. Thankfully, I was able to get the hell out of this nightmare, but it took far too long. The only silver lining to this place is how cheap the gas it, but it definitely is priced that way due to the total lack of safety and security at this Arco.

I go there ‘cuz it’s cheap. That’s about it. This intersection will leave you white-​knuckled on most days. If you’re prone to road rage don’t go there. They usually have the lowest of all the Arco stations in the area, just make sure you’ve got some cash because to if you use plastic you’ll pay a surcharge.

Two experiences, both super:
The first time, I stopped here after I realized I had left my cell phone on the counter as I paid for purchases in Northgate. Though I bought nothing, the young man, Yonas, loaned me not only his phone book, but his very nice cell phone (much nicer than the one I’d abandoned) so that I could call the store. The upshot of it was that he treated me with great respect and courtesy, while the store where I had just spent $ 80 was treating me like trash.
So today, I desperately needed gas and took the risk of chancing that I could reach this ARCO before it was too late, and I was blocking up rush hour traffic on a Thursday evening. Walking in, I was met with a radiant smile — the father of the young man who’d been such a Good Samaritan to me! And he, of course, didn’t know me from Adam (or Eve), any more than his son had.
I absolutely adored buying my gas from such fine folks!