$18.48 or The Cost of Shopping At Gas Stations

[myrdale]

I ran into an interesting psychology test yesterday evening that I failed. I thought I would share.

After getting in 5 miles at the park, and a brief workout at the gym, I thought a bag of chips would hit the spot. Never mind the health considerations.

So I stop at the gas station next to my house and pick up a couple of items. When he ringed me up, I almost choked!

$2.78 20 oz Mello Yellow
$2.78 20 oz Mello Yellow
$6.39 Doritos
$5.99 Ranch Dip
$0.54 Tax
----------------------------
$18.48

Rather than refuse the purchase, I went a head and paid. With that though, I think my days of shopping in gas stations are about done.

Earlier in the evening I'd had salmon and rice, somewhere around $10. That was a really decent meal. My decision to binge on the junk food could have fed me salmon for two additional days.

[disneysteve]

Convenience foods come with convenience prices. That's nothing new.

We were out of town last week. We usually pack some drinks for the room but neglected to so we ran into a local supermarket to buy a couple. Right by the registers were refrigerated cases with 20 oz bottles of soda. They were $2.50 each. I almost grabbed them but decided to walk back to the soda aisle instead. There I found 42 oz (I think) bottles for $1.67. The difference? It wasn't already cold. Big deal. We had a fridge in the room and an ice machine down the hall. Instead of spending $5.00, we spent $1.67 for 5% more volume at 1/3 the price.

I guarantee you could buy all of those items for a fraction of the cost at the supermarket rather than the convenience store.

[kork13]

By contrast, I'm quickly learning to love Japan's "Konbini" stores ... Lawson's, Family Mart, and 711 (not related to its American nemesis) are the 3 largest chains -- they're literally everywhere, and they sell virtually everything. Stuck in an unexpected rainstorm? Have no fear, within a block you're guaranteed to find a fine Konbini with a grand selection of umbrellas, not to mention a spare set of socks (and underwear too, if you surprisingly had to run a whole 2-blocks). Beyond the simple drinks of all varieties, you'll find snacks like onigiri & other delights you've never imagined, plus they offer an extensive array of quality prepared meals (various noodle bowls, meat/rice/veg, curry/rice, various fish meals, etc.) that they'll offer to heat up for you at checkout. You can pay bills for everything from your utilities to parking tickets, and meanwhile print out the concert tickets to your next J-Pop show while you're there ogling the expansive ice cream freezers & fresh fried chicken (the lemon-flavored chicken is a delightful surprise). All of these tasty morsels & assorted essentials? Nearly all between $1-$5. Honestly, prices pretty similar to regular grocery stores, except already prepared for you. Alot of folks happily run to the nearest Konbini for a quick, cheap, satisfying, reasonably healthy lunch for the cost of whatever change is in your car's cupholder (in fairness, their coins go up to ~$3.50 in value).

Now that I've waxed poetic about Japanese convenience stores ... they really do get it right. They've actually tried bringing them to the states a couple times, but the business model didn't work because Konbini's hold too-high of quality/freshness standards for their products, and Americans didn't use them in the volume necessary to sustain the model. Here in Japan, Konbini's are a daily staple, while in the states, convenience stores mostly just provide one-off snacks or a guilty binge. Oh well... Come to Japan everybody, and I'll indoctrinate you to the neighborhood Lawson's.

[bjl584]

We pack a cooler for road trips so we can avoid buying things at gas stations and fast food restaurants.
It's a huge savings and way healthier.

[ua_guy]

I don't go into gas station stores unless I have to, and I usually make sure I don't have to. I don't enjoy the typical clientele or employees. That might sound snobby or snotty, but I said what I said. On top of that, the prices. Eww.

The one exception. Maverick stations. Maverick is a Mountain West/Midwest gas stop and store chain which I see trying outperform and rise above. They make food in their stores and their breakfast selection is absolutely fantastic. Good burritos, fresh ingredients, it's actually NOT junk. $5 or whatever it costs for a big breakfast burrito there is actually a decent deal. We got hooked on them in Moab, and Moab is actually a very nice little community. There's a big new Maverick at the end of town which is popular with the 4x4 crowd. So for that reason, a single gas station makes the list of places we'll actually stop and go inside willingly.

[disneysteve]

The big gas station convenience store chain here is Wawa and they are excellent. Stores are spacious and clean. They make really good hoagies and lots of other made to order food items. They’ve got a wide selection of fresh grab and go stuff as well as all the normal packaged items like drinks and chips and baked goods and candy. Fresh food prices are reasonable and they have a good rewards program. Royal Farms is also common here and if you go a bit west into PA you’ll find Sheetz which is another good chain. But I think OP is talking about the one-off little shop connected to a regular corner gas station, not one of these big places.

[myrdale]

But I think OP is talking about the one-off little shop connected to a regular corner gas station, not one of these big places.

Yeah, I was just talking about purchases for stuff that I could have gotten for half the price at Ingle's, Publix, or Kroger, but instead got at the corner shop.

For the big gas stations, we do have a Buccee's gas station in the area. With near 100 pumps, that place is a circus. If you ever drive by one I recommend you stop for the experience (especially if you have to pee).

[disneysteve]

Yeah, I was just talking about purchases for stuff that I could have gotten for half the price at Ingle's, Publix, or Kroger, but instead got at the corner shop.

For the big gas stations, we do have a Buccee's gas station in the area. With near 100 pumps, that place is a circus. If you ever drive by one I recommend you stop for the experience (especially if you have to pee).

We love Bucee’s. They have a surprisingly good bbq sandwich among other things.

[crazyliblady]

I ran into an interesting psychology test yesterday evening that I failed. I thought I would share.

After getting in 5 miles at the park, and a brief workout at the gym, I thought a bag of chips would hit the spot. Never mind the health considerations.

So I stop at the gas station next to my house and pick up a couple of items. When he ringed me up, I almost choked!

$2.78 20 oz Mello Yellow
$2.78 20 oz Mello Yellow
$6.39 Doritos
$5.99 Ranch Dip
$0.54 Tax
----------------------------
$18.48

Rather than refuse the purchase, I went a head and paid. With that though, I think my days of shopping in gas stations are about done.

Earlier in the evening I'd had salmon and rice, somewhere around $10. That was a really decent meal. My decision to binge on the junk food could have fed me salmon for two additional days.

Pricewise, you would probably be better off going to a grocery store or dollar store and buying a 2 L mello yellow, Doritos, and ranch dip. Healthwise is another story.

[kork13]

For the big gas stations, we do have a Buccee's gas station in the area. With near 100 pumps, that place is a circus. If you ever drive by one I recommend you stop for the experience (especially if you have to pee).

I have some family in TX/OK, so a stop at Buccee's is something approaching a religious devotion for them. I've been once or twice, and it's definitely huge, seemed fairly nice, and alot of various options to buy/eat. But beyond the novelty, it didn't really live up to how they sold it. Don't recall what I got to eat, but while it was good, it didn't seem anything particularly special.

[myrdale]

I have some family in TX/OK, so a stop at Buccee's is something approaching a religious devotion for them. I've been once or twice, and it's definitely huge, seemed fairly nice, and alot of various options to buy/eat. But beyond the novelty, it didn't really live up to how they sold it. Don't recall what I got to eat, but while it was good, it didn't seem anything particularly special.

They don't carry Diet Pepsi though, at least not at the one here (in bottles at least, they have it in a soda fountain strangely enough).

[james.hendrickson]

I found a great high quality baseball hat at Loves Truck Stop - which is a nationwide chain.

The hat was great, perfect color, had a nice Oregon logo on it - I live on Oregon - so the hat was perfect for me. I paid $19.99 for it, which was comparable to what Amazon was charging for comparable hats.

[ua_guy]

I have some family in TX/OK, so a stop at Buccee's is something approaching a religious devotion for them. I've been once or twice, and it's definitely huge, seemed fairly nice, and alot of various options to buy/eat. But beyond the novelty, it didn't really live up to how they sold it. Don't recall what I got to eat, but while it was good, it didn't seem anything particularly special.

Kinda like the hundreds of miles of signs advertising Wall Drug on I-90 in South Dakota. All that hype for a junk emporium. The Corn Palace was more exciting....at least it provided miles of entertainment joking about the name.

[Fishindude77]

Used to stop at a convenience store on the way to work occasionally and grab a cup of coffee.
Same dudes were in there every morning hustling to go to work, getting $10 worth of gas, a couple mountain dews, a couple donuts or snacks, pack of cigs and often a lotto ticket.

Could have bought everything except the gas way cheaper elsewhere, and they shouldn't be buying the lotto tickets to start with.
I always suspected many were on a daily cash allowance that the wife gave them each morning as they couldn't be trusted to plan ahead.

[disneysteve]

Used to stop at a convenience store on the way to work occasionally and grab a cup of coffee.
Same dudes were in there every morning hustling to go to work, getting $10 worth of gas, a couple mountain dews, a couple donuts or snacks, pack of cigs and often a lotto ticket.

Could have bought everything except the gas way cheaper elsewhere, and they shouldn't be buying the lotto tickets to start with.
I always suspected many were on a daily cash allowance that the wife gave them each morning as they couldn't be trusted to plan ahead.

I've worked with so many people over the years (all of whom earned significantly less than I did) who showed up every day with some sort of fast food breakfast and coffee drink. They had to be spending $10/day easy. They'd also often go out/order in for lunch or a coffee run during the day. $20-30/day at a minimum I'm sure. $25/day 5 days/wk is $6,250/year. I ate breakfast at home and packed my lunch and don't drink coffee (and if I did I would have used the FREE coffee at work). I probably spent $3-4 per day.