Altadena Arco

$ 0.45 charge for debit cards, $ 0.75 charge for credit cards. You’ll have to pay inside since all of their outside pay stations are broken, and they won’t accept gift cards because their system is messed up. They won’t get another system for 2 weeks, according to the cashier. There are people loitering outside at night who will solicit you.
Only gave 2 stars because the gas station is well-​lit, the cashier was friendly, and the prices for gas are comparatively cheap.

Have you ever waited like 8 minutes for your gas to be pumped?
Well, you will here! And possibly longer if you put more than 10 dollars.
I only come here if I really really really really really really really need gas.
The only thing cool about this gas station is its open 24 hours.

The gas is pretty cheap here even for Arco — much cheaper than the one on Fair Oaks and Woodbury! That’s why I come here. I never walk inside but as long as the gas is cheap, I’m not complaining.

So, this is my «desperation gas station». As in, «I’m running on fumes and it’s only a couple blocks from my house» desperation. Don’t go in the morning, it’s always crowded. When I was forced to stop by there the other day (in the morning), the pumps were going so slowly that it took about 5 – 10 minutes just to get 1.5 gallons! Then they just shut off! The guy told me that they had to shut them down and restart the system because it was going too slowly (duh) and could I wait another 3 minutes. I was so fed up that I told him no, I had to leave, and just took my change. Luckily, I had enough gas to get to work.
My family has also always called the convenience store here «the Stop N’ Rob». Apparently, my kindergarten teacher was concerned about this many years ago. LOL.