Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Prepay For Gas After Dark

Yep, prepay for gas after dark is what the woman hollered out at me from her little pay window at the gas station tonight. I hollered back "What the hell! When did you start that?" You see I've been going to this same station for years now every day almost. I had to walk to the window in the drizzle and wind, then stand waiting behind a car at the window. Finally the car left , I prepaid, walked back and pumped my gas. While I was pumping the go juice I noticed a small note taped to the pump;

"Due to the recent rash of drive offs we regret we now have to request prepaying for fuel purchase. Thank you. The manager."

So I cooled off knowing they can't keep eating these drive offs. But I told the woman when I collected my change at the drive up pay window, (Which is really a joke now being you have to walk up and pay first at the drive up window):"I'm not upset with you but it does hack me off that these jerkoffs get away with stolen gas and we decent law abiding citizens have to pay the price of inconvenience."

"She said: "Yes it does and we the cashiers have to make up the lost difference out of our own pockets."

(Note: So these crooks think they're putting it to the big oil companies when actually they are putting it to the cashier who has to pay for the theft. The gas stations don't lose anything, it's the cashiers who do. I asked one of my brothers who worked at different mini marts and stations over the years and he confirms it. He had to make up the money in his drawer before shift was over or have it deducted from his check.)

Then I suggested to her that the pump manufacturers should make a slot that you have to put your license in before you can pump gas. It holds a copied image of both sides of the license until you pay then it wipes the record clear.
The woman's eyes lit up as she liked the idea and said I should contact someone about that. I can come up with great ideas, I just can't seem to pull them off.

Lastly, just think about those drive offs. The cashier/clerk is making minimum wage or not much more and then have to pony up for the stolen gas. One drive off can cost them a whole days pay. Is it right the cashier should pay?

4 comments:

RazorsEdge2112 said...

No, it is NOT right the cashiers should pay. They should not take the financial risk of theft. THAT should be the burden of the gas station owner.

When I first moved out here to Vegas in 1995 that was one of the oddest things to me; paying before pumping. It became second nature to me after a few years.

In 2008 when I rode to Kitty Hawk and back I stopped at some little rural gas station in Kansas (or maybe Colorado). I walked in, put a $10 bill down and said I would like a fill.

"Oh, you must be from a big city somewhere," she smiled. "Just fill it up first Honey, then come back in and pay."

Damn, that felt good.

Learning to Golf said...

At first blush it sounds like a crock to me to make the employee responsible for driveoffs.

But, than again how many young, or hell not so young, employees have told their friends/family, "Just come on down, fillup, and drive away." Crooks are everywhere and we ALL suffer for the bad apples everyday.

Out here in the wild West we have been prepay for more years than I can remember and it is a pain if you're paying cash to go inside twice on every fillup, but worse than that is finding a station who won't let you use a credit card at the pump and makes you bring it inside, checks your drivers license, and holds it until your done pumping the four gallons. Ahhhh the penalty of credit card fraud.

And it ain't the economy because this has been going on for over 15 years.

WooleyBugger said...

Georgia when I was young, where I was born and raised, other than most my summers spent on the farm in Alabama, service stations were just that - service stations. You didn't pump your own gas it was done for you. There are still states up north where pumping your own is a no-no. It's a wonder really why there are not more accidents from people pumping their own gas who are to inept to even obey basic traffic laws.

Word verifi: diesion
( these word verifies make me wonder if they somehow come from keywords in what you write.)

mq01 said...

pfffttt, get this, a few yrs ago in UT (just minutes from the mormom temple btw) they wouldnt even take my atm/debit card at sundown since it was an "out of state card". a nationwide bank card no less. imagine riding 700ish miles straight, bone tired, and no easy way to get gas.

yup, they have held cashiers responsible for YEARS. gas, hardware, bartending.... why, cause of the very reason azhd gives, even the cashiers can be crooks. its sad.