For New Comers or Experienced Operators in Gas Station Retail Business. 

I will suggest you to learn more about this business before you get into it. You need to watch at least following things otherwise chances for success are very slim. Don't feel offended. I have no doubt about your intelligence or experience and I am not trying to discourage either. Its all time frame, you don't have much time to venture all these things. Its not easy to make 50 or 100 thousand dollars now a days. You can not afford to loose them. you got only one chance to make better living for your family. If you loose it once, may be you don't have a second chance for rest of your life. So you got to watch it and make every possible effort to protect the future of your family. &  investment.

When you go out looking for opportunity in this industry, this is the least you can do. 
Look for following:

1. Does this store has walk in customers or not.
2. If its off of Major or small highway, is this the first choice on right hand side of the road
    after coming out of highway. If not how much is the gap between the store passed before.
    Should be at least one mile if its populated area otherwise minimum 5 miles.
3. Store has easy and convenient in and out without disturbing the traffic and customer inside..
4. Store size is there if you need to add some more products or there is room to improve the size.
5. Utilities and overhead should be justified.

The Most important factors:
(Terms used : "Jobber" Wholesale Gas Supplier. "Rack" wholesale price.)

    a) if its a busy road, watch for a Jobber's retail outlet on same side of the road.
    b) if the road is not very busy then how far is your Jobber competition either side or the road.
    c) if it is before you, you are out. if after you , must be at least one mile away.
    d) what kind of gas supply agreement is in place (how many cents over the rack - 
Normal is 1 cent) (Net Rack or Gross - Difference is of 1.75 cents per gallon average). 
You need to read each single word of fuel  Supply Agreement.
    e) is there any investment made by the Jobber on this station. If yes, how much and 
how it will be recovered by the Jobber.
    f) when the tanks were installed. They are Metal, Fiber Glass, Single wall or Double wall., Leak detection system is installed or not. If yes when, was it inspected every year or after every three years.
    g) when was the last inspection done by EPA, what are the details of Release Letter from 
EPA for each inspection occurrence.
    h) is there any open Release Letter with EPA. if yes, how the sellers will take care of that.
    I) Look for (NFA) No Further Action, note from EPA.
    j) any corrective action required by EPA or not if yes what was done and how long ago.
    k) what kind of repeat inspections are suggested by installing company. It is done on time every time at per schedule or not.
    l) what kind of maintenance is done on the station, in the tanks, pipes, pumps, dispensers or system.
    m) how much life is left in the Tanks (approximately).