Paying to Pay: ARCO and AM PM Mini Market

I’ve never been much of a fan of AM PM Mini Market. Their prices are high and the selection poor.

But I stopped there on my way to Palm Springs to get some coconut water and beat the heat. When I went to pay, I noticed that it only gave me the option to use my card as debit and not credit. I assumed this was to avoid bank fees on credit transactions. But then as I paid it notified me that it was adding a fee to process my payment! Okay, this is just a rip off. It isn’t costing them anything to accept money from a debit card!

I promised myself I wasn’t going back!  But I forgot and stopped at a different one when I was driving back to LA.  Again, the fee!

Today I stopped for gas without noticing I had gone to an ARCO.  I thought, well they probably only charge me a fee to pay them inside the AM PM Mini Market.  They wouldn’t dare do it at the pump. Surprise!  Again, debit was the only option I was allowed and again I was informed I would be charged a 35 cent fee to pay them.

Granted, 35 cents isn’t much.  But just how far south can things go?  Our “economy” or corporate greed, whichever you prefer, has become so bad that we are now being asked to pay a merchant for the act of paying him in addition to paying for the goods or services we received.

It is well worth your while to boycott ARCO.  No other service station or convenience store charges fees to use your debit card.  But if ARCO gets away with it, the others will start.  Imagine how much it will add up if EVERY time you spend money you are charged a fee!