drinking in neighborhood

Homeless people are buying beer at the store and drinking it in the back yard of a nearby abandon house. I got the Department of housing to come out and look at the situation but they say there really is not much that they can do because the house is still up to code. Why is it that bars can not sell beer to be consumed off site but this store can? I also found out that nearby schools have the right to veto a liquor license in Seattle but because the local school is a private school they do not have this right. I have decided however that this stores liquor license is probably their Achilles heal.

more photos of trash

The shopping cart has been there about a week, the uprooted tree stump for months.

more trash

I realize it's getting old, but I happened to have my digital camera with me today as I passed AM/PM Minimart. Here are just some of the piles of trash piled around their property which they refuse to pick up. These are not along side their property, these are right in the middle of their lot. I've become sort of an AM/PM expert and have been trying to stop at them whenever I pass one. They all seem to be the trashiest convenience stores and I think that it is an institutional problem. Mainly by inadequate trash cans but I think also poor design and space planning. The one along MLK in Seattle is probably the worst I've seen to date.

plastic not glass

I've contacted someone in community relations to ask them how other communities have handled some of these issues. But of course dealing with a large corporation is like dealing with a brick wall. Some ideas I've had include replacing the single serving beers with plastic bottles instead of glass bottles, relocating trash cans so they are near property exits, better lighting etc. But I have yet to hear back from anyone. I wonder how these business get away with selling beer that they know people are going to be drinking right outside their doors?

crime rates compared

Being a police officer is considered the most dangerous job in the US, but do you know what statistically is the second most dangerous job? Convenience Store Clerk! Because of a variety of factors convenience stores are magnets for crime that are unfortunately often times located right in residential neighborhoods. Although one of the easiest solutions is simply to limit night hours of these businesses the convenience store industry has fought to keep laws that would limit their hours off the books.

I've been reading a lot about the special traffic problems that face convenience stores. Because of their eclectic mix of candy for the kids, cigarettes for the teenagers, cheap beer for the drunks and quick gas for those in a hurry all crammed into a cost efficient compact space. Convenience store parking lots are a recipe for disaster and many large convenience store chains still only provide the most basic framework for safety in these areas.

abandon 

Convenience stores suck

I have an AM/PM mini mart gas station in my neighborhood that sucks and is causing a lot of problems in my neighborhood and I'm starting this blog with the hopes that other people out in the world will find it and be able to share similar problems and solutions and maybe even tips for dealing with these kinds of stores.

Although there is a lot of crime, the real problem is trash. There is trash all over the sides and back of their lot. It creates an environment where people don't care. And when people don't care it leads to more problems and more trash.

I've talked to the staff at this store several times and asked them to pick up the trash (or to at least report illegal dumping to the city) but have not been able to motivate them to pick up their property. If this was not enough, they also fenced off a side of their property making a convenient area for people to dump stolen cars and mounds of debris without being noticed. All things considered they are detracting from the quality of life in my neighborhood and I'm wondering if there are any others out there that have had similar experiences with convenience stores and how some of these issues have been addressed.