Esso

Since the Tim Hortons at this locale has not listing the Esso gets the blame.
When you are more concerned with metrics than customer service than you should have 0 customers. Unfortunately the «manager» doesn’t get it.
I will NEVER return and I hope you follow my lead

I have disliked this gas station for years, so much so it gives me «bad gas».
It’s too bad that with such a primo location as Memorial Drive and Edmonton Trail, right at Langevin Bridge, that we end up with one of the worst run petroleum stations in the city. Let’s start with the obvious issue being that they feel it ok to charge 3 – 5 cents more per liter for no good reason (it certainly isn’t for the nice store inside — but we’ll get to that). When other places are usually within a cent of each other and grocery stores offer discounts on fuel up to 5 cents per liter, this place likes to gauge people (likely due to its convenient location I imagine) and I don’t like it.
Next is the «store» itself. Come onnnn… if I am paying extra money for the same gas as anywhere, there should be doors on the coolers, paint on the walls, fridges more recent than 1912, and no goblins in the corner (ok no goblins — but might as well be). This looks like the convenience stores of some small prairie town with a population of 26 people and that has not made a penny since the railway bypassed them in 1956. They have a reason — this place doesn’t. I am shocked that ESSO allows their name to be used on such a poor establishment. It’s sad that even the counter service isn’t up to par and can be hit and miss on a «hello» or «thank you».
Now onto their lot and landscaping. Merciful — get a broom and rake already. I live in Bridgeland and I have been walking past this station for seven years and it’s a disaster of aesthetics. No matter the time of year or time of day there is garbage everywhere (get a bin already to assist this), the «shrubbery» is out of control, the lot is a mess of rocks, cigarette butts and more garbage and overall I often mistake it for the city dump. Again, such a primo location with zero attention paid for upkeep, modernization and basic cleanliness.
In an era when these stations are so competitive and are offering rewards plans, new and modern service centers with delicious fresh coffee and a pastry to temp my «sugar-​free» diet and a high esteem paid to cleanliness — I don’t know how this one is «allowed» to remain such a mess.
Thank you Unilocal for letting me vent this after seven years of annoyance. For anyone interested — there is another station 100 meters up Edmonton Trail that is cheaper and far superior.
April Challenge ¹³⁄₃₀ (I enjoyed this one)