Circle K is offering a gas discount of 40 cents per gallon on Thursday, Sept. 1, to mark Circle K Fuel Day.
The sale, available at more than 3,600 locations that sell Circle K-branded fuel, is happening just before the Labor Day holiday weekend to allow customers to fill up their tanks for in time for their travel plans.
The discount is available only at locations that sell Circle K brand gas. About half of Circle K’s convenience stores nationwide sell its brand of fuel, including more than 40 locations in Phoenix alone.
How to get the Circle K gas deal
The 40-cent-per-gallon savings is offered for a three-hour period from 4 to 7 p.m. local time on Thursday. Anyone who’s in line for gas before 7 p.m. will receive the discount.
The price on the pump will reflect the discount, according to Circle K.
Customers enrolled in Circle K’s Easy Pay program can save an additional 10 cents per gallon during the fuel sale by using their Easy Pay card, said Madeline Black, a company spokeswoman.
Customers can find the nearest locations close to them by going to circlek.com/store-locator, searching their location and selecting “Circle K Fuel Stores.”
Here’s what the scene was like at a couple metro Phoenix Circle K gas stations as the discount became available.
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Long lines to get into the 2402 E. McDowell Road location stalled traffic in the rightmost lane as people made their way in. But no lines formed behind drivers at the pumps because of Circle K workers directing traffic in and out of the lot and leading drivers to pumps as they opened up.
On trips to several Phoenix Circle K locations during the sale, it was apparent that few were using the fuel savings toward Labor Day travel. The majority of cars that stopped at the stations for the promotion had Arizona license plates.
Don Lasswell, a local Lyft driver, stopped in to refuel his Toyota Prius. He said saving money on fuel is a big help for him because it brings down the cost of getting around to pick up and drop off riders.
“I didn’t even know about (the promotion), I was here because it said $3.59 on GasBuddy,” he said.
The Circle K at 2402 E. McDowell Road, just a few miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, advertised one of the lowest prices per gallon in the Valley: $3.19. It was busy enough that someone directed traffic going in and out of the parking lot.
Circle K employees distributed 20-cent fuel discount cards to customers who came in. The cards are valid from Sept. 2-30.
A regional distribution manager with Circle K said they were not allowed to comment to the media about the promotion.
Although the national promotion advertised that promotional fuel prices would be available from 4 to 7 p.m., some stations started a few minutes early, like the one at 975 N. Seventh St. just off the downtown Phoenix exit of Interstate 10. The station advertised regular unleaded gasoline at $3.33 per gallon.
By 3:45 p.m., three of the station’s 10 pumps were completely out of fuel. Another three still had regular unleaded but were out of diesel.
Fletcher Anderson recently moved to Tempe from Minnesota to attend classes at Arizona State University. He said prices were around $4 in Minnesota when he left, so it was “a relief” to see the lower prices Thursday. “I saw it was $3.30, a lot cheaper than what it was used to, so I pulled right in,” he said.
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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.
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