It's no wonder some folks in south Minneapolis reacted with familial empathy earlier this year at the news of a robbery at the Pump 'n Munch. Alex, the morning attendee who was robbed in mid-January by a guy wielding a screwdriver, has been greeting the same Kingfield-neighborhood customers at the corner of 44th and Nicollet for more than nine years. And the evening attendee, David, who wears a baseball cap and a permanent smile, has spent more than six years working at the little South Side gas station. In convenience-store years, that's the equivalent of approximately three marriages, four kids, six grand-babies, and an anniversary cruise to the Caribbean. It's unlikely you'll find such a warm spot anywhere else in the Twin Cities that doesn't require customers to dole out daily 30 percent tips to gain such a simple but heartfelt human connection. For those who need reasons besides amiable chit-chat about your cat, reasonable gas prices, and grins before 11:00 a.m., be advised that the P 'n M also offers up a sizable porn collection and a wall of conveniences like toenail clippers and tiny turkey basters. Who knows when you might need to snag that last-minute birthday present?

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