Self-Serve Gas Stations

Ok... I'm a small town guy who's been buying gas at the same station for about 10 years now. You know, the local place where the guy pumps it for you... knows your name and says hi etc etc...

Last time I used a self serve, you took the pump off the hook, flipped the lever up... started pumping... when it got close to $20 you slowly inched it up and then maybe 'accidentally' went over by a cent or two. You went in and payed just handed the guy your $20 and walked out.

Today, I go to Petro Canada. I pull the car in and get out.
I'm looking at a pump that looks like an ATM machine. I take the pump off the hook, go to flip up the lever and there's nothing there.
Ok... fine, I put the pump in the tank thing and pull the lever and nothing....
I hear beeping.... I pull the lever again... more beeping...
Finally I notice a little small screen that says something about selecting the 'grade' that I want. Ok... how the hell do you do that??
I look all over the machine and can't figure it out... finally I realize there's a big button like on a Coke machine that I have to press.
I press it... more beeps... more waiting....
Ok now what?? I start to pump and holy crap...it's actually working.

I sneek it up to $20 and accidentally get it to $20.01

I take the nozzle out and it beeps at me again. I'm thinking "now what??"
The display says "please pay inside".... well duh!!
I go inside and the guy says "what pump?"
"huh?"
"what pump"
"the one over there"
"what number is it"
"how the hell should I know... it's that one right there..."
"number 3?"
"I guess so"
"That'll be $20.01"
".... you actually want the 1 cent?"
"yes"
I look through my pockets... nothing.
I go back to the car and search the glove box and seats... nothing.
I go back inside the store... "I don't have 1 cent..can ya let it go?"
"no sorry"
"I pull out a $50 and say "you'll have to take it out of this then"

The guy actually takes my $50.... scans it through some device first to make sure it's real and then gives me back $49.99"
"Thank you"

Yeah right.

dude...you'd have saved the trouble and time if you had gone in first, gave the guy your $20 and told him to put $20 on pump whatever pump you're at.


either that or just use your debit card at the pump instead.

Usually gas stations have little cups with pennies in them for occasions like that. Of course I usually just do a pay at the pump so if I go over I'm not worried.

I went a week with paying for my gas in all change. The funny thing, is the most the time people didn't bother counting it. So I'd basically wasted my time counting it out, so eventually I kind of estimated.

i know exacley how you feel, im from a town of less than 200 people, but moved here, and there is like 22,000... everything here is starting to grow and "modernize". I hate it, i want to move back to my little bitty town, were there is alittle dish that says "take a penny, leave a penny" and people actually use that system, and take one when they need it, and put change in there when they dont.

what is this world coming to?

The most embarrassing part for me was pulling up on the plastic thing under where the pump goes, looking for the lever.
The guy behind me must have thought I was a total doofus.

Originally Posted by: 16andlifetogoi know exacley how you feel, im from a town of less than 200 people, but moved here, and there is like 22,000... everything here is starting to grow and "modernize". I hate it, i want to move back to my little bitty town, were there is alittle dish that says "take a penny, leave a penny" and people actually use that system, and take one when they need it, and put change in there when they dont.

what is this world coming to?

I dunno, I live in a city of 250,000 and a greater metropolitan area of over one million, and we still have the take a penny leave a penny thingy.

I think in Toronto right now they have 'take a penny, leave a bullet.. then take the rest of the money'

Originally Posted by: schmangeI think in Toronto right now they have 'take a penny, leave a bullet.. then take the rest of the money'

And it's not getting better.

Most gas stations where I live a full serve, but they end up being mostly self serve as you have to wait 5 minutes for someone to come out if you want them to pump it for you. :mad:

Originally Posted by: schmangeThe most embarrassing part for me was pulling up on the plastic thing under where the pump goes, looking for the lever.
The guy behind me must have thought I was a total doofus.

I had an experience similar, actually. For the longest time I'd been filling up at stations much like the one you described until one day I drove into a smaller town and stopped for gas. I'd looked around for a button or something to push and I just couldn't find anything. Eventually I got fed up, walked inside and asked if there was something wrong with the pump. They gave me a look that said you're a dumb ass and said "did you lift up the lever?" I was mostly shocked that they still made those things.

you small town folk are weird....full serve? just do it yourself ya lazy bastids!!! :p

I just don't like the idea of working for the gas company.
You don't save any money by doing it yourself, so why bother?

Originally Posted by: schmangeI just don't like the idea of working for the gas company.
You don't save any money by doing it yourself, so why bother?

The few remaining "Full Service" stations/pumps around here are ALWAYS more expensive than the Self Service ones.

Originally Posted by: RaskolnikovThe few remaining "Full Service" stations/pumps around here are ALWAYS more expensive than the Self Service ones.

The few full service ones I've seen are actually cheaper than the others by at least a nickel, oddly enough.

Originally Posted by: Cryptic ExcretionsThe few full service ones I've seen are actually cheaper than the others by at least a nickel, oddly enough.

Usually, what I see is that there's a set of "normal" priced Self Service pumps and a set of more expensive Full Service ones.


That, or I'm in New Jersey for some hideous reason and EVERY pump is mandatory full service, the gas is expensive and then I have to tip the guy.

Originally Posted by: schmangeI just don't like the idea of working for the gas company.

why not? they're such great people!

You tip the gas station attendant? Never heard that one before.
Gas is pricey enough as it is. How much do you tip him?
Does everybody tip at gas stations where you live?

I'm just thinking, if everybody tips the guy $2 and he has 200 customers a day, he's making over a hundred grand a year on tips alone.
Does he drive to work in a Ferarri or just a BMW?

Originally Posted by: RaskolnikovThat, or I'm in New Jersey for some hideous reason and EVERY pump is mandatory full service, the gas is expensive and then I have to tip the guy.

Tip? Screw that, I work hard enough to put my own roof over my head. Gas stations make enough money as it is.

Originally Posted by: schmangeYou tip the gas station attendant? Never heard that one before.
Gas is pricey enough as it is. How much do you tip him?
Does everybody tip at gas stations where you live?

I'm not exactly sure how it is all rationalized as I don't live near enough to New Jersey to deal with it any more than once or twice every few years, but that's the convention there.

Regardless: One of the many, many reasons I dislike New Jersey.

I don't even like tipping in restaurants.
Everybody says that the servers deserve it because they work hard and only get minimum wage
So what. When I was that age, I worked the night shift in a dirty, noisy factory for minimum wage lifting heavy pallets all night long. Nobody tipped me.