I never like going to gas stations. They always have incredibly high prices on everything! It seems they pick up produce from the grocery store and then try to resell it at the gas station. I don't understand the point of that, really, unless there are people who seriously cannot afford the time to walk to the produce department in the grocery store and they just get gas and food all in one stop.
Yes. People don't actively go there to grocery shop by any means, but if they're on a trip and stop off for gas, then grabbing a quick bite to eat while they're there is simply convenient, especially if they don't know the area. Sometimes a gas station is much closer to home, too, so swinging buy to grab a quick gallon of milk, etc, is much faster than going all the way to the grocery store, going to the back, waiting in lines, dealing with the parking lot, etc.
I definitely don't buy things at gas stations, at least if I can help it. The prices are exorbitant, even on a soda or something! If I'm in a hurry or too lazy to go to the grocery store, I'll generally at least run in Dollar General or Family Dollar; the ones by my house aren't very busy, so it doesn't really take any longer to stop there than it does at a gas station.
Exactly! Even the dollar stores have low prices, you can park near the door, and the lines are small, at least in most of them, because they're not usually that popular. They're not always the best on food prices except when it comes to non perishables.
Most of the food at the gas stations around here is the type of thing you might buy and take on the go. Milk is only sold in smaller cartons so you wouldn't be picking up a 4L (gallon) jug. I have occasionally picked up a sandwich or some other food when I am on a long drive and need to stop for gas and don't want to make a second stop. Other than that, I will only pick up coffee as gas station coffee has improved over the last few years due to the popularity of places like Starbucks. In B.C. it doesn't take too long to get into some rather remote locations and the gas station may be the only place open or around.
'That's pretty-much exactly what I was going to say' (that ought to be a button beside the 'add reputation'-button, because sometimes you wanna 'add reputation' to someone's response that says something you didn't think-of) We live in a world full of lazy people with money. Just like 'owning a car' is a convenience with more cost than it's worth (for me), the extra few blocks' worth of gas is more cost than the driver (who's already at the gas station) is willing to expend. These are people who use automobiles to travel somewhere as close as a block away!
This is definitely true. It is a form of marketing. convenience stores are looking to get impulse buys. They are depending on peoples urges. Most of the the time urge over powers logic. That is why people pay those ridiculous prices in convenience stores, when they can get the item at cheaper at a larger store. Some people fee like the the convenience is worth the extra price. However. I disagree.
Yea, I'd say most people only grab food at gas stations when they have to. It'd be a little strange if someone actively looked to shop at a gas station. As most have pointed out, the prices are generally far more expensive. Really the only time i'll buy anything from a gas station is if I'm on the road looking and want to grab a quick snack of some sort.
I'll buy at a gas station if it's the only thing in close range, or I'm driving past, but I'd never do a full proper shop from there. That's just silly. It's only for quick items that you need now and then, or as you're going past. Not a great big weekly shop.
It all has to do with convenience. If you're driving and need to stop and get gas, it's convenient and easy to just be able to pick up a few small things from the gas station shop while you're at it. Of course no one goes there to full-out grocery shop, but there is a higher price for convenience. It is especially helpful during road trips or times when you are in a hurry, such as on the way to work.
