Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

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storewanderer
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Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by storewanderer »

Quik Stop has been doing exterior remodeling of their Reno locations installing the new black colored signs with the odd diamond logo, and they have finally removed the old Quik Stop red/yellow from the gas pumps. The new brand on the gas pumps is a rather small Quik Stop logo next to a rather small Smiths logo with the diamond logo also present.

I assume they would not use this type of logo in CA since there are no Smiths in CA?

Maybe they are preparing to do a gas award program where you can use a Kroger loyalty card and get a gas discount at Quik Stop. I believe they have a similar set up in Colorado with Loaf N Jog and the King stores there.
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by Alpha8472 »

Perhaps Smith's is trying to do a gas rewards program like Safeway is doing with ARCO. Smith's gas rewards can't possibly be any worse than Safeway's Gas Rewards. Edi: They recently changed the program. Safeway used to require you to spend $400 in groceries within a small period of time or your points expire. Now you have to spend $100 to get 10 cents off per gallon. I just don't think it is worth it for a few cents off of gas at an ARCO station. ARCO isn't exactly the lowest priced place. A lot of food items don't even count towards the gas rewards.

I can possibly see a gas rewards program for Ralphs to compete with the Vons gas rewards program. However, the Vons gas program is so terrible, that most people don't even bother with the gas rewards.
Last edited by Alpha8472 on April 30th, 2009, 8:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by lvkewlkid »

Here in Las Vegas, Food4Less, Smith's, and Vons both have gas rewards programs...I believe if you spend 50 dollars, you get 6-9 cents off per gallon at their pumps...At Vons, one swipe of the Club Card automatically gives you 3 cents off no matter how much you have spent...We only have a few locations of these supermarket-branded gas stations, so it doesn't really put a dent into the other gas station's market share...

I don't believe we have that Arco program here...
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by storewanderer »

Safeway has the Arco/BP program in areas that do not have a Safeway station. Sometimes, there is no Arco nearby (within hundreds of miles) either, so it doesn't make much sense. I was unaware they modified the format of the program.

I assume some kind of loyalty program that ties Smiths to Quik Stop is coming. I'm surprised they have bothered given Reno/Sparks/Carson City is the only market where they co-exist... four Smiths and five Quik Stops between those markets.

All of the Quik Stops (6) in NV are new builds that are between 2-6 years old with 12 fueling positions, good sized c-stores, and a few with car washes. These Quik Stops look nothing like the ones I've seen in CA and I suspect the unit volumes are probably much higher than the standard CA Quik Stop. So, even though Quik Stop has relatively few locations in NV, maybe a somewhat noticeable chunk of their revenue is coming from NV.
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by Brian Lutz »

Up here in the Seattle Metro area, there are a number of Safeway gas stations, and as far as I know, those stations are supplied by Shell (I know this because they ended up getting affected when a batch of bad gas messed up a bunch of cars at some of the local Shell stations, including my Dad's car.) I've never actually filled up at one, but it seems like there are a couple of gas discounts on my Safeway Club card which have just stayed there even though I rarely shop at Safeway these days.

As for Arco, they're fairly common here, but they also have a reputation for bad gas.
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by Alpha8472 »

In my area, ARCO has a reputation for debit card skimmers. The card readers at ARCO are vulnerable to tampering and there have been several cases where people have become victims to card skimmers. ARCO also has a terrible policy of requiring cash or debit. Most stations do not take credit cards.
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by storewanderer »

Update: these odd pumps have only surfaced at the corporate owned Quik Stop in Reno. The other locations, all franchised, do not have the Smiths logo on the pumps as of this weekend. I checked them all.
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by Brian Lutz »

Do the Arco stations there still use the old QuickPay units (a single card reader unit for several pumps) for cards? I know around here, a lot of the Arco stations still have those, especially older ones (and there are some locations around here old enough to have opened as Richfield stations before the Arco name was used..)
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Re: Smiths logo on Quik Stop dispensers

Post by submariner »

Brian Lutz wrote:Do the Arco stations there still use the old QuickPay units (a single card reader unit for several pumps) for cards? I know around here, a lot of the Arco stations still have those, especially older ones (and there are some locations around here old enough to have opened as Richfield stations before the Arco name was used..)
Yep. Even the brand-new BP-style ARCO stations get the QuickPay kiosks. This is one way ARCO keeps their fuel costs low, by not paying fees to credit card companies (which are typically rolled into the regular price you pay for gas)
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