Shell Station and Food Mart

Not that anyone checks Unilocal reviews before going to a gas station, but stay away from here. Horrible machines at the pump (and they’re brand new). Air machine always out of order, rude owner and creepy night manager. Also, the coke cans always smell/​taste like incense at the lip.

Remind me never to come back here.
1. The credit card function on the pumps doesn’t work (but you don’t find that out until you get tired of waiting for your card to process and finally go in to ask what’s going on).
2. Its understaffed so the line is always too long
3. They won’t let you just «fill it up» with a credit card. You have to tell them a dollar amount in advance and they’ll approve you for that much, and then you can pump.

I have worked down the street from this Shell station since 2007, it is not very clean but it does seem to have a decent selection of items. Usually they have a nice cashier working the front but this experience got 1 star and that is because it was a horrible experience. I came in to cash in a $ 20.00 scratch-​off. I waited in line, I noticed that the older man running the cash register was barking at every person that came up to his line. People kept asking him to repeat himself because his accent was rather thick; no one was rude, everyone seem to be very respectful and say things like «I am sorry sir, I can’t understand you…» or «I am sorry did you say…» he was getting frustrated with it. By the time I got up there, I handed him my lottery ticket to cash-​in with a smile on my face (hey I got $ 20 lottery ticket I was happy). First he let out a big sigh… He then told me he would not take it unless I scratched every little piece of scratch off material from the ticket, edges and all. He said it so quick, loud and with such anger, I really couldn’t understand him. I said you need me to make sure you can read the bar code (that is used to redeem the actual winnings) he barked at me with «IF YOU WANT YOUR MONEY MUST SCRATCH» so I did it, he then said «look at the mess you made!!!» I was pretty blow away that he was so abrasive and so put out by processing something that they have signage for. I told him he had a horrible attitude and if he didn’t like dealing with lottery tickets than he shouldn’t work at a place that sells them and if he owned it he should decline the option to sell them. Everyone behind me seems taken back at his every rant.
As he is cashing it out he asked «Which ticket do you want?» I told him «Just cash please you are very negative so I will take my winnings somewhere else. I don’t want you to ruin my winning streak». I am so glad I did, I went up to the 7 – 11 at St. Johns & 35 on my way home and got another $ 20 scratch off and won $ 200.00, how is that for Karma :)

I stopped this morning.
This place is not a frequent stop for me, and now I will not stop there again. I used to stop there more often, and in the past it was very nice. It is not nice now.
The pumps were filthy. Not just «out in the weather» dirty, but smeared with dirt and grease. I used my credit card, and my finger was dirty after putting in my zip code.
I needed to wash my windshield, but the handle of the squeegee was so grimy I felt uncomfortable touching it.
There was trash everywhere outside.
The concrete was covered in grime and grease, obviously not power washed in a long time. I got enough gas to continue, then left. I did not go inside.
I will not visit this station again.

I don’t know if there was a change in ownership or what happened. The place has an unnatural odor. It seems dingy. Just a drink refill was expensive. I ended up in an argument over whether a hot dog was a «premium sausage.» It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong or right, and I didn’t care – just bothered to be called a liar. They got the extra 30 cents, and I’ll never go there again. Ugly place, overall.

This Shell is my favorite. It’s also the only gas station where I’d actually buy snacks as a last-​minute breakfast or lunch. They have hot $ 1.39 tacos and $ 1.99 fajitas. They also have those Lance six-​cracker packs for 59 cents as well as all the typical convenience store stuff. The staff is very friendly to their customers. I like the diversity of the customers.
This Shell is located on the Southeast corner of Airport Blvd and Huntland Dr north of Payless Shoe Store and Jack-​in-​the-​Box. It is one block from the Highland Mall Metro Station.

:) OK, So seeing Dons review of this shell made me feel obligated to review it too! Silly as it may seem to rate a gas station, I started thinking about the little things that I love about this gas station and thought other people might be as excited about them as I was. (all though maybe not, as I’m easily excited)
It’s right by my house and so it is usually our beer/​soda/​water/​snack place. But, even if I didn’t live within walking distance from this one, I’d probably go out of my way to go there.
*The guys who work there are always very nice.
*They carry sweetleaf lemonade, not the ½ lemonade½ tea, but just lemonade. I can not find this anywhere except when ACL comes around. Everywhere carries the ½ 1/2,but rarely the lemonade.
*They have rolls of strawberry only mentos. I’m huge candy eater, but I will admit I’m a flavor snob. Usually throwing or giving away yellow, green, orange colored/​flavored candies to keep the pinks, reds and purples. I was so excited to see a full roll of pink mentos!
*The beer selection isn’t too limited considering it is a gas station.
*As mentioned by Don, slow dripping is freaking annoying! I can deal with 3 cent drip.
*And the do have basic groceries, milk/​eggs/​lb of coffee/​bread.
Sometimes its dead empty but, being right next to the mall/​bus station, its gets packed… and if I’m gonna be honest ghetto.

This is a nice clean Shell, staffed mainly by older gentlemen who are always very nice to me.
They have a little «grocery» section to their convenience store. Nothing much, just a little more selection than you would get at a regular C-​store.
I sometime pay cash for gas. I don’t know why, I just do sometimes. It says on my money «Legal Tender for all Debts Public and Private» so I sometimes use my money, like well money. I like to trade it for goods and services you know?
Several years ago gas stations started slow dripping their cash customers. You pay $ 20.00 and at like $ 19:90 the pump would slow down and put like a penny a second into the tank. Well I didn’t mind that so much. But stations figured out that people who have a «patience deficiency» like me, might just blow off that last 10 seconds and take off. Leaving them the gas.
Not me, no sirree, I grew up during gas shortages, I pump every penny into that tank. But I’m sure some people just blow it off and drive off.
Well soon stations decided, hell why start the slow drip just 10 cents ahead why not do 20 or 30 or even more? I got slow dripped in South Austin nearly a full dollar.
Well this Shell station, doesn’t start the slow drip until 3 pennys before your target. Yup I confirmed today. Paid $ 10.00 slow drip started at $ 9.97. That seems entirely reasonable to me.
Plus, I doubt that this Shell, all on its own somehow developed the short slow drip technology. So it proves the other stations are just being jerks. I just call them jerkstores.
This Shell happens to be on my way to work, and not far from my house. But I would go quite a bit out of my way not to be slow dripped.
The jerkstore called and they want to slow drip you.