Circle K Bad for Inner City Neighborhoods Phoenix, Arizona

Over twenty years of experience dealing with downtown Circle K stores has convinced me that they are almost as bad for inner city neighborhoods as crack houses. (And we've had those, too.) Circle K makes good profits in these areas selling booze to bums. Several times Circle K has ostensibly yielded to neighborhood pressures and stopped selling cheap alcohol and single beers; in all cases, they have reverted within a year. Typically they locate on an alley - and do not monitor the back of their building. Transients collect behind the building, urinate and defecate in the alley (posing health hazards for others), scatter garbage, and indulge in criminal activities. A random police background check of 11 transients loitering behind Circle K uncovered the fact that over half of them had outstanding warrants! In some cases, Circle K allows free access to their dumpsters - bums haul out boxes to create homes in the alley. In addition, Circle K does not see a need to follow city code until they are forced. It took two complaints to the city before illegally installed razor tape was removed.

I can't complain about a single store manager or executive because the problems have been caused by a parade of many over the years. If Circle K wants to build in your neighborhood, fight it. The convenience isn't worth it.

Circle k neighbor
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.