How the money works

• Fuel barely pays. You sell a gallon for maybe 15–20¢ more than you paid. Card fees take ~2.5% of the price (about 7¢). What's left is a few cents a gallon.
• The store pays the rent. Coffee & hot food keeps ~75¢ of every dollar, snacks ~55¢. Tobacco (~13¢) and lottery (~6¢) barely pay, but they bring regulars in every day.
• The floating numbers during the day are this hour's average profit per car at the pump (amber) and per shopper at the door (green), after card fees, before wages. Red = losing money on each one.
• The store has news too (🛒 in the morning news): a lottery jackpot triples the ticket crowd, a work crew wants coffee at 6 AM, a food truck kills hot food, a distributor sale makes snacks cheap for one day, and a tobacco tax hike means packs bought the day before sell for $1 more.
• Price vs the rival. Drivers compare your sign with the station across the street. A few cents cheaper pulls a lot more cars — and more of them come inside. The rival follows the wholesale rack price a day late (the morning screen shows the sign they'll likely open with at 8 AM, and Match 8 AM aims at it), matches undercuts, and starts a price war if you undercut by 3¢+ two days running.
• Fuel orders. You buy at today's rack; it arrives tomorrow at dawn. The supplier drafts your account 3 nights after you order. The morning news warns of rack spikes and drops a day or two ahead (not always right). Fill up before a spike; run lean before a drop. Run dry and drivers go across the street.
• Clerks. One clerk handles about 26 customers an hour. Too few means lines (people leave), more theft, and drive-offs at night. No clerk on a shift = the station is closed.
• Reputation (0–100) grows with short lines, full shelves and fair prices. It brings regulars back, so early care compounds. Gouging and empty shelves burn it.
• Every 7th night the weekly bill ($2,600: loan, rent, utilities) comes out. If cash is below zero after it, the bank calls the loan. Game over.
• Last day (30, or 7 in a quick week): score = cash + fuel and stock at cost − what you owe the supplier.