[rant]
I am probably going to be ranting about 90% of all 24 hour petrol stations here.
It is becoming ridiculous the number of MSA’s/Petrol Stations that are equipped to serve hot food and drinks that have decided AFTER spending loads of money on doing them up, they are going to keep them locked of a night time. This decision is absolutely PATHETIC!
It used to only be MSA’s in Scotland that locked up at night time, but it appears to be spreading like the plague!
As a night driver, I do enjoy stopping a few times a shift for a coffee/pastie/meal deal etc. and as of late, including some MSA Fuel Stations, they just point at a little letterbox as you are trying to open a locked door, you then get told that they can’t fit a coffee through the little letterbox effectively losing you a customer for life. I will not be served through a ■■■■■■■ letterbox and treated like a schoolboy shopping in a local store on the way to school.
Hats off to the likes of McD’s that have opened up the stores inside 24 hours a day, as we are working towards a 24 hour society it only seems fair that customers should be looked after regardless of the time they come in.
I hear you from here moaning about security and some shoplifter nicking a packet of chewing gum whilst you only have 1 person on duty, but the solution is to put someone else on duty at the same time, employ a security guard, either will cost around £8 an hour and I can assure you that it would be worth it as miserable people like me would stop boycotting stores such as yours.
Spot on. I only stop at BP stores at night now as they treat you like adults and realise 99.9% of people using them at night are law abiding people who don’t want to communicate through a microphone/speaker that doesn’t work.
Also to any MSA operator - if I can walk round your store I tend to spend more money as I’ll buy more things than if one of your demotivated halfwits does it on my behalf.
24 hour country, needs everyone on 4 on 4 off so we can spend money/ quality time/ hobbies and unfortunately work for £££££££s do you take your forty five on the pumps on the forecourt with your side lights on BECAUSE THERES NO ROOM TO PARK? There’s your answer, no one is ARSED!
m1cks:
Spot on. I only stop at BP stores at night now as they treat you like adults and realise 99.9% of people using them at night are law abiding people who don’t want to communicate through a microphone/speaker that doesn’t work.
Also to any MSA operator - if I can walk round your store I tend to spend more money as I’ll buy more things than if one of your demotivated halfwits does it on my behalf.
BP at Doncaster North (M18/M180) is closed of a night time.
Have you ever tried buying a meal deal through the letterbox, its just funny, the chap has to walk about 10 times to tell you what sandwiches they have in stock.
Plus if the services are open, less chance of the truck park surface being covered in ■■■■.
The last BP on the A19 S/B has a lovely lady in, she was saying how it is pathetic that other places shut up at night, if people cant walk around, stock will not sell.
I dont think its just about staff numbers on its own, the cost to rent the places are way over the top so its done to save cost, plus there is more chance of a robbery at night with only minimal staff, i see where your coming from though, especially if you do a night shift and the signs flashing up saying Tired, take a break
truckyboy:
I dont think its just about staff numbers on its own, the cost to rent the places are way over the top so its done to save cost,
Probably, but to be honest, it drives away custom and in my eyes, drives DOWN profits
truckyboy:
plus there is more chance of a robbery at night with only minimal staff,
That is what that magical thing called “Insurance” is for
truckyboy:
i see where your coming from though, especially if you do a night shift and the signs flashing up saying Tired, take a break
Exactly, especially when it is harder to sleep through these hot days so you are tireder than usual, pull off for a coffee to be refused… it pee’s me off
On a slightly different point, if the shop is open can they please stop customers parked on the pumps doing a weeks shopping and holding everyone else up. Or sitting there drinking coffee and reading a newspaper whilst taking a 15 on the pumps!!
Martin:
On a slightly different point, if the shop is open can they please stop customers parked on the pumps doing a weeks shopping and holding everyone else up. Or sitting there drinking coffee and reading a newspaper whilst taking a 15 on the pumps!!
as they make more profit on the shopping than what they make on the petrol then what you wish for aint gonna happen. if they didn’t want people to shop there they wouldn’t sell shopping
Op surely this is a security issue ? would you feel the same if it was your wife of daughter working there its unfortunate but a fact that we live in a world where people will target these places and peoples safety is far more important than you of i being able to get our meal deals or coffee
trubster:
Flask may be an idea… Can’t see it lasting 15 hours though.
Talking of this subject… Michael Wood have decided to shut up shop at night time… Another one off the list
True…i only do nine hours through the night and a one litre flask, about three and half cups of coffee is sometimes not nearly enough.I am a coffee addict though.
Fatboy slimslow:
24 hour country, needs everyone on 4 on 4 off so we can spend money/ quality time/ hobbies and unfortunately work for £££££££s do you take your forty five on the pumps on the forecourt with your side lights on BECAUSE THERES NO ROOM TO PARK? There’s your answer, no one is ARSED!
Look at Cobham services any midweek night…
So many foreign trucks there, that you’ve got them parked up on the services roads, coach park, and even spilling into the car park. You’ve even got Brit drivers parked on the weighbridge - just to pop into Shell and grab something quick to eat, before some nob comes along and gives them a ticket for “causing an obstruction”…
Once again, the “can’t bust a foreigner” for something us Brits would be quickly get stamped on for doing.
More than once now I’ve driven in there on something like 4hr20m driving, and had to chuck my hand away, and try and squeeze in at the layby off J9 instead - just to stay legal. I reckon Cobham need to seriously buy up the surrounding fields, and massively expand the parking areas…
Bugger the NIMBYs. If they want an economic recovery that only seems to benefit them, - then make 'em pay some kind of price for that “prosperity”!
bjd:
Op surely this is a security issue ? would you feel the same if it was your wife of daughter working there its unfortunate but a fact that we live in a world where people will target these places and peoples safety is far more important than you of i being able to get our meal deals or coffee
I agree security is an issue, but then the security of staff should be sorted with devices inside the store like they have in europe / most of the very few PFS’s that are open.
They should have bullet proof glass screens if required over the counter.
If you look at morrisons PFS’s - They have the anti-hold up devices that slam a wall up if a light beam is broken (Another option)
There are much better security methods than the small letterboxes, and they allow the owner to make a few bob of a night time
Surely I am not the only person who would be prepared to spend a decent amount of money to get some warm food and a coffee every night, I don’t take pack ups with me and rely on services for food. For the sake of a few security screens, they are losing so much money every year when they add up the cost of every driver that walks away when they point at a small letterbox.
(Oh and of course, the toilets are inside the store, so they are also inaccessible)
Worst case scenario, someone is holding a petrol station up, hand it over… no amount of money is worth a life and I am sure that the staff are told this whilst starting work in a fuel station.
IMO, if they don’t let you in the shop to buy coffee/sandwiches, they might as well be closed.
Michaelwood last night, normally a good place to stop as the food and coffee is a REASONABLE price (Wild Bean). 1 female working alone last night, door locked, forecourt coned off, no cards accepted… WHY ON EARTH DID THEY NOT JUST CLOSE UP?
i see your point but when where drivers catered for in this country take sundays even day time try find a snack bar open no chance even truck stops have limited opening over weekends
do you take your forty five on the pumps on the forecourt with your side lights on BECAUSE THERES NO ROOM TO PARK? There’s your answer, no one is ARSED! 
