Mobil

former USA Gas Station, now Mobil… clean paint looking, gas @2.39
however, i was going down the wrong side of the street, didn’t want to make a left turn
thru traffic and vice versa when i came out.
besides, Mobil isn’t Top Tier Gas (cleans engines while u drive)
learn my lesson from last gas. just Top Tier Gas if i can (Arco, 76, Costco).

Great gas, sketchy environs. The Top Tier Mobil gas makes my car run great (better than 76 or Chevron), and it’s some of the cheapest gas in the Bay Area since the brand is relatively unknown around these parts. The closest Mobil I could find is in Sacramento.
Just watch out for the bums, or have some change ready to help them out (a gas tax, as it were).

Cheap, but sketchy. LOL

Lured here by the cheap prices to fill up on 7.11.12. Despite the dicey neighborhood, not concerned about safety as it was late morning on a sunny summer weekday and there was a fair amount of pedestrian and street traffic in the vicinity, as well as other customers in the lot.
Within seconds of leaving my vehicle, was solicited for handouts by THREE different men, one of whom was «just» asking for gas. I declined them all and continued about my business. I was mindful to swipe my credit card quickly and secure it in my wallet. (The possibility of a hidden reader did cross my mind, but was not enough of a concern to stop my transaction.) One of the men asking for a handout inserted himself in the space right next to my gas pump, continuing to ask for money and trying to chitchat with me, even going so far as to shoo away the competitor beggar soliciting gas. This man’s prolonged invasion of my space and proximity to my vehicle made me extremely uncomfortable, so I tried to complete the transaction speedily. When my gas tank was full, I began to return the nozzle to the pump. The man asked that I let him «help» me to replace the nozzle. I moved away and refused, as I thought that he was going to insist on payment for his «service.» He took the nozzle out of my hand and insisted that he would return it.
At that point, anxious to leave, I tried to print a receipt, but the machine did not offer that as an option. I then drove the car over to the payment area and asked the clerk for a receipt. After several unsuccessful attempts, she asked a co-​worker for assistance. That co-​worker immediately told her that printing a receipt was NOT possible. Frustrated and irritated, I left, making a quick note of the approximately price of my purchase, around $ 20+ dollars.
Fast forward a week and a half and I get my credit card statement. According to that record, I purchased $ 102.01 from USA Gasoline. At $ 3.63 a gallon, that is not physically possible, given that I own a Honda Fit. Obviously, I had been had; the scam artist who returned the nozzle had done so in a way that kept the transaction open so that he could continue to pump gas after I left, at my expense.
Moral of this story: Pay in CASH and be acutely aware of your surroundings if you opt for this bargain-​priced gas station. If you use credit, you may end up paying more in the long run, one way or another.
Also, question the agenda of the staff here. After my experience, I would not be surprised if some of the employees are in on this scam, or, at best, look the other way. After all, if you work there and your primary job is to monitor the gas purchases, you would know that a pump that doesn’t print a receipt means that the transaction is not complete. That should be a standard request, nothing unusual. Further, the staff probably witnesses the scam artists continue to «sell» discounted gas after the victims leave.