In the US at least, I feel like you hit that late 90s convenience experience.
While it's true they still do these things, or try to, in my experience nobody actually uses them because of understaffing and underpaying of employees to the point of them not caring.
Who wants a brown hot dog or dried out taquito that's been on a roller for who knows how many days? Who wants soda from moldy taps? Who wants to stand in line to change out propane, to be told there's only one person working, go out and wait til the line is gone? Air is still free, but you have to go in and ask for it to be turned on.
At least that's my experience, maybe each locale is different. I literally have never seen a person buy prepared food or exchange propane at a typical gas station(wawa/buckees excluded) in my adult life.
In Australia they have had a complete resurgence thanks to food delivery apps. Shit I even like our 7 Eleven petrol station coffee. And I am not the only one I often have to ask them to change the milk jugs over in the machine.
They are open 24/7 with just enough food at only triple supermarket prices.
Nearest 4 to me always have better than 50% empty gas bottles, and the second it gets cold they sell out of firewood.
2/3 of their air hoses have been vandalised however, which just leaves a line up at the third.
Is the air free in Aussie stations? In Canada it’s usually a charge and a $10 compressor you can store in your trunk will pay itself off and more reliably work when you need it (especially if you have a slow leak & need it frequently).
In a pinch I’ve used a bicycle pump (which is fine for a top up, not so much for fill-from-flat).
I havent seen a paid offering, but I would probably have paid rather than have driven to 3 looking for a working one.
> maybe each locale is different
It seems to be this. Many such stores near me offer a lot of prepared food (many thousands of calories at once on the heated display surface) and they’re not at loss-leader prices, so I have to assume it’s profitable.