Shut down at Shoaib Choudhry Sunoco

Price Chopper and Sunoco...taking Advantage?

"For your safety, only one vehicle can be filled up per transaction to prevent the risk of fire. Your 1 fill-up is limited to 20 gallons which allows most customers to fill up one tank of gas."
 


I do the majority of my grocery shopping a Price Chopper and typically purchase gas at Sunoco through the AdvanEdge Gas program.  Personally recommending the program to everyone...no more!

My car hold 13 gallons of gas and my son's car holds about the same.  That's a total of 26 gallons.  Price Chopper says that you can purchase up to 20 gallons with the discount.

Today we went together to the Shoaib Choudhry Sunoco station on Routes 9&20 at Elliot Road. After my son filled up, I was planning to use the remaining gas to fill up as well.

But, before I got the chance, Abrar Ahmed, came running out to tell us that we can't use the discount to pump fuel into two cars.  I tried to tell him that it would be more than 20 gallons and that I knew that I would pay the $3.89 for the remaining gallons.  He yelled something I didn't understand, but when I asked him to repeat it, he went into the station and shut the pump off!

I went in to explain to him that no one has ever had a problem with two cars sharing the discount and asked why he did that.  He explained that it was Price Chopper's policy and handed me a flyer that states: "For your safety, only one vehicle can be filled up per transaction to prevent the risk of fire. Your 1 fill-up is limited to 20 gallons which allows most customers to fill up one tank of gas."

Wondering if Abrar Ahmed was concerned enough about other safety risks, such as smoking or talking on the cell phone while at the pump, to turn off the pump on a paying customer, I asked what if I had a gas can, would that be safe? He kept saying it was Price Chopper's policy and handed me a flyer to read for myself.

Angry and feeling that, as a paying customer, I should be allowed to purchase the gas for which I enrolled in the program, I left Sunoco and filled up at Stewarts, where gas is 4 cents cheaper anyway.

With the genius marketing strategy that has undoubtedly earned billions for both Price Chopper and Sunoco, I wonder; why the unreasonable restrictions? Do these gigantic corporations not make enough money? Do they not value customer loyalty? Do they simply not care that most Americans are struggling in this economy? Do they not know that word of mouth is as powerful as expensive advertising (at least locally)?

Since I started with the AdvantEdge program, I simply stopped looking at flyers from Hannaford and only go to Aldi if I happen to be passing their store.

Starting today, however, I will scour Hannaford's flyer and utilize my reusable shopping bags at Aldi every week. I plan to change my pharmacy to Rite Aid and may even shop for groceries at Walmart if I have to.

Truly, how much money does Price Chopper and Sunoco get from my family? In the large corporate billionaire world not much? I'm sure they could not care less. What's one customer's opinion worth anyway?

In an everyday, struggling to make ends meet world, it's just another hit for the little guy!

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What's your beef?!?  Let me know and I'll let everyone know!