Tag: gas station

Posted in Life

Mixing it up at the gas pump

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash

I didn’t hear the bell, but suddenly, both fighters came out of their corners and began swinging. Sort of.

I wasn’t ringside at an octagon. I was just pumping gas at BJ’s Wholesale. I was feeling pretty good about filling the tank with fuel that cost about twenty cents less than the Racetrack just a few blocks away. My reverie was shattered when the woman on the other side of my pump released a barrage of obscenities at the guy in a white pickup truck directly in front of her.

She had finished her purchase, but couldn’t pull forward because the driver of the pickup had pulled right in front of her, blocking her exit. I have no idea why he was there. He just wasn’t moving. First she asked. Then she yelled. Then she started cursing. He didn’t budge. He just shouted right back at her.

Everyone else at the pumps paused to watch them spar. Finally she unloaded several f-bombs, backed up, and left, tires squealing. The man still didn’t move. For some reason, he decided to camp out there for a while. He wasn’t blocking me, so I just pulled away, glad that I wasn’t in the middle of that.

From my experience, most people aren’t happy at the gas pump. I’m not exactly sure why. It could be cost of fuel. It could be that they’ve been in the car together for way too long. Someone usually needs to go to the bathroom right now, but they know it’s going to be disgusting in there. There are people pulling in and backing out, making maneuvering a challenge. Any number of things.

I don’t think I’ve ever gotten into a heated argument with a stranger. I avoid such confrontations, preferring to find a different solution. Some, however, take on all challengers. I’m more than happy to just be a spectator.

Posted in Life

A crowded gas station: no rebate for you

Posted on by William Douthwaite

It was the perfect storm. I’m a big fan of filling my tank at gas stations where I can get rebates from apps on my phone. Seventeen cents per gallon back to me in cash? I’m on my way.

I couldn’t even pull into the parking lot of the convenience store. First, I encountered a garbage truck waiting to get to a dumpster blocked by a parked van. Who knew when that driver would come back out?

A jeep was parked in the middle of three pumps, blocking one side. A couple of guys with tools were working under the hood. They weren’t going anywhere soon.

On the other side of the pumps, a pickup with a trailer full of lawn-cutting equipment blocked off two of the pumps. Beyond him was yet another pickup and a person doing something with the underground fuel tanks.

Every parking spot in the front of the store was occupied, and construction trucks were parked on the sides of the road out front.

I watched for a few minutes as the driver of the garbage truck impatiently waited to pull in, the driver of the truck with the trailer tried to back out, the guys working on the jeep crawled underneath to get a look at what was going on, and no one was coming out of the store.

This out-of-the-way store rarely has customers. That’s why they offer larger rebates. Forget this. I’ll find another place to fill up.

Posted in Life

Pump your gas!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I saw this sticker attached to a gas pump at Keith’s Superstore in Semmes, Alabama.

My imagination shifted into high gear as I pictured the scenarios that prompted a convenience store manager to make and affix this sticker. Does this happen a lot in rural Alabama?

When Cletus pulled up to the pump in his big old F250, he told his wife, “We’re almost empty, so put eighty bucks on pump two.” When they both got back into the truck with surprisingly good coffee and a bag of snacks, they buckled up and pulled back out onto the road. Glancing down, he saw the gas gauge pointing to the E.” “Crap.” After a quick u-turn, they pulled back in, only to find an old Cadillac pulling away from pump two with a full tank. After a long, angry, red-faced conversation with the cashier and store manager, Otis walked out with $20 in change.

Or it could have been that time when Lilly answered her phone as she swiped her card at the pump. She punched in her zip code, unscrewed the gas cap, and was just about to press economy when she exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? OK, I’ll be right there.” As she pulled away Emmet pulled up in his old Crown Victoria, saw the pump ready to go. All he said was, “Sweet,” as he filled up his tank.

Jake usually tried once a week, when he saw a new cashier at the register. “Hey doll, this is embarrassing, but I gave the other guy fifty dollars this morning and never pumped my gas. I had this killer migraine and had to go home. I’m feeling better now, so can you set up pump five for me?” His story rarely worked, but he kept on trying.

I’ve heard a few stories of people who forgot to disconnect the nozzle from their car and drove off, tearing the hose off the pump. Others, thinking they could squeeze a few more ounces into the tank ended up with a puddle of gas on the ground around their car.

I want to meet the guy or gal who prepaid and forgot to pump.