Albertson's serves gasoline at new store

Customers were lining up during the final week of July to take advantage of an unusual coupon item at the newest Las Vegas Albertson's store -- gasoline.

The new Albertson's on the northwest corner of Craig Road and Decatur Boulevard is the first store in the area to come equipped with a service station, which was pumping out cheap gas for its first week of business. While the deal served its purpose of attracting customers to the store's opening, it was business as usual for Albertson's.

"It was just a special advertised rate we were running through the 31st," said Albertson's store director John Dubois, who made the move to the new location from the Lake Mead and Jones store. "It's really no different than having a sale inside on T-bones."

The gas started out with the store's grand opening July 24 at $1.19 per gallon, then the price went even lower to $1.17 for the final five days of the event.

Scott Dunn, a customer, said he was lucky to get to the sale before it ended.

"It's not so bad to wait for a few minutes to save money on something you need anyway," Dunn said. "It's a smart move by Albertson's. This way you get a lot done in one stop."

The Craig and Decatur store is not the first to accommodate customers with a gas station. Several locations around the Valley, including stores at Tropicana Avenue and Boulder Highway, Pecos Road and Desert Inn Road, and Eastern Avenue and Warm Springs Road, already include the service.

But the latest addition to the Albertson's family brings it to one of the fastest-growing sections of Las Vegas, the northwest.

Dubois said the store has plenty of other features designed to make shopping easier on its customers.

"The line (for gas) outside was pretty constant when the ad broke, but there's a lot to offer in the store as well," he said. "It's definitely not a normal supermarket. There's a Starbucks, a dry cleaners, and coming soon is a Silver State Bank."

The market also boasts a garden center and a 32-foot butcher block.

"Albertson's has gone a long distance to make it a more convenient experience to come shopping here," Dubois said.