O.K., we all go to the gas station and we all get irked at the $3.00 ++ per gallon. What can you do about; stop driving? Well, I can’t. There is no bus stop within 45 miles of the Winnebago. Riding a bicycle through the Ozark hills is not an option. Lance Armstrong would have trouble getting to the post office and back. So, I’m going to drive and keep paying the three bucks. That’s a reality, I know that. I can’t change the law of supply and demand. I can’t make a billion Chinese people get back on their bikes. I can’t build a refinery. I am powerless over the price of gas.
The price of gas irritates me but, you know what? What is starting to bug me more is the way that gas is sold.
First off, you have to know a little about my routine. I don’t remember the last time I bought gas when I had more than a quarter tank left. Usually, I fill up when I have an eighth of a tank or even when it gets down into the little red line. Actually, I normally wait until the yellow “Low Fuel” light comes on. Most of you probably think that’s foolish. A lot of you probably don’t even know that you have a little yellow light. Or, if you have seen it, it ran a chill down your spine and you don’t ever want to see it again. Not me, I like to know it’s working and, I like to prolong the period between fill-ups as long as possible.
When I do stop, I like to top it off, fill it past the brim. Every vehicle I have ever owned has had a permanent, gas residue streak running down the side, underneath the fuel tank. Once again, you may not approve but, that’s how I roll.
Also, I always get a pack of Pall Malls when I buy gas; whether I need a pack or not. I could choose to only by smokes at the tobacco store and save money but, I don’t. I get a pack when I fill up to support the local merchant because I know that even at $3.00 ++ a gallon, the station is only making pennies and the way they profit is from selling other crap. Here’s the thing about this too; At my local neighborhood store the P.M.s are $2.40, some places charge over four bucks for the same pack. I don’t mind because I feel that engaging in commerce is how the system thrives.
Now, about fifty percent of the time, I get out of the car and hit the unleaded button, undo the cap, insert the hose, pull the lever and I’m just standing there. I figure that the cashier is busy and hasn’t had the time to turn on the pump. I am being polite, standing there being polite. Well, at some point, I realize that I’m not being polite. I’m just standing there, in the wind, like a big old dork. It dawns on me that I am exactly that, a big…old…dork when I see the little sign, about the size of a 3X5 index card that says this.
Please Pay At Pump Or Pre-Pay Inside Thank You
Alright, now you have to know this. I’m not going to pay at the pump. While I embrace technology in some aspects, I do not have faith in the plastic card. I carry cash for my daily needs. Once again, you may disapprove or scoff. That’s how I go; cash. I will always be that way. Cash is king. Now, my first stop of the day may be the cash machine, where I estimate how much I will need, some days I have even hit the machine twice, but I don’t go anywhere without some gedi in my pocket. The one time I did try to pay at the pump, the card was denied and I had to go inside and pay cash. Lucky I had some in my pocket-see what I mean.
So, that leaves me with option #2, pre paying inside. This pisses me off to no end.
I am not a criminal-I have cash in pocket-here I am-standing around-in broad daylight-in the wind-and cold-like a big-dork.
Not only do I have to pump my own gas, I have to estimate how much I need to fill the tank, walk inside, put down a cash “deposit”, walk back to the pump, fill up, and finally, walk back inside to get change, in order to top off the tank. Usually, what I do is pay for twenty bucks worth, get the Pall Malls, pump, and drive away with an unfilled tank and a general sense of unfulfillment. I am the customer. I am always right; right? Wrong Jack, you are an insignificant micro-organism that matters not to the industrial complex.
So yesterday, I was running behind schedule, in a hurry, almost out of smokes and the little yellow light comes on. The wind is blowing like hell, it’s cold, I pull over at a Conoco, and sure enough, pretty soon, I’m standing there like a big…old…dork.
Please Pay At Pump Or Pre-Pay Inside Thank You
So as I’m walking inside, as I’m waiting in line, I’m thinking. This is what I’m thinking; “You know, I always get a little irritated by this but, I never say anything because, I don’t want to take out my frustration on the cashier. She is just an employee of a huge corporation. She doesn’t need crap from me to worsen her day. That being said, I am tired of being treated like a crook. There must be a way to show a mild form of protest, not cause a scene. I just want my voice to be heard, just a little bit. I am going to be polite but, I’m going to say something this time. I’ll say a little thing, pay my money, get some smokes and go on about my busy day. I will be nice. Maybe, when I drive off, I won’t have that sense of unfulfillment. After all, I am the customer and my voice, no matter how tiny should be heard.” That’s what I was thinking.
So, she smiles nice enough and says; “How can I help you?”. Even though she has just seen me standing out there in the wind and cold like a big…old…DORK.
I say; “Twenty dollars on pump six and a pack of Pall Malls.”
“That will be $24.80.”
Wow, a new record price for the smokes. I hand her a twenty and a ten and as, I’m waiting for the change, I say… “You know, I would fill up, but I really don’t want to walk back in here and wait in line again.”
All of the sudden, she took on an air of smugness and hit me with this gem of wisdom.
“Well, you know how it is. A few bad people spoil it for everybody else.”
That bitch.
Yet, I remained calm, at ease and said; “Well, it’s not ruining it for me because, in the future, I will be taking my business elsewhere.”
A small victory but, I did drive away with a better feeling.
Here is what I propose, if you like to pay at the pump and use the plastic and/or, you think I’m an idiot for carrying cash, waiting until the last minute to fill up, and smoking, especially Pall Malls then, I’m happy for you. Go on about your business. Get on with your bad self.
If, on the other hand, you are like me. If you think that cash is king, if you think that the customer should be the most important part of this commerce equation and you feel like you are a good and responsible customer. The next time you see this…
Please Pay At Pump Or Pre-Pay Inside Thank You
Go inside and get a Slim Jim or, a raspberry Slurpee or, a RockStar energy drink or, a pack of Pall Malls. Ask for $20.00 of gas and politely say this; “You know, I would fill up, but I really don’t want to walk back in here and wait in line again.” Then, go about your day in a serene manner. It will make you feel a little better about things, in general. And, it will make it easier to laugh inwardly about the time you just spent standing out there, in the wind and cold like a big…old…dork.
Maybe, the corporations will slowly get the message that they are losing money because we are waiting to top off the tank until we find a station where we are not assumed to be thieves.
UPDATE:I am not alone. Check out what Furious Frank, the Angry Blogger had to say about his pay at the pump experience.
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Tags: consumer activism
phlembol wrote,
I hear ya. I’m not sure what you did will change anything, but it can’t hurt.
When is the last time you saw a feedback card at one of these corporate branch offices? If they really cared, seems to me they would have them there for everyone to use.
I remember some years ago going through a drive-thru for some quick filler and when they handed me my change, they handed me a feedback card as well. I hadn’t requested it and didn’t really have any complaints at the time, but I had a few comments to later offer from a customer point of view. The management was very grateful for my taking the time to give them real feedback and sent me a personal thanks and several special coupons.
On the other hand, I buy old LPs with some regularity. One of the major nation-wide donation resellers insists on placing a price sticker on each item even though they are all the exact same price. If the plastic cover is still on, no problem. But if the plastic is gone, that little price sticker can be more trouble than it is worth, sometimes ruining the resale value of an otherwise good item.
Some of the stores are responsive when I calmly explain this to them and they make changes. Then there are the ones where they say, “It’s policy.” They do have the freedom to alter “policy”, they do it at other stores in the same chain. But it’s a sign of mindset. The customer is not always right, and some don’t even care if you are because there is always someone else in line behind you until enough people start voting with their dollars.
Link | January 16th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Pribek wrote,
Yeah phlembol, I don’t think what I did will change anything, other than it made me feel a little better. I just keep thinking that there are other people, like me, who end up not filling the tank because of this “policy”.
I mean, at this point, every time I go to a pre-pay joint, I am spending at least $10.00 less than I would have to top off.
I wonder how many people per day pre-pay and I gotta’ believe that the amount the station loses on each one has to outweigh the shrinkage due to drive-offs.
This is a pretty low crime area here too so, I can’t really imagine that the drive off rate is real high. I don’t know, maybe I’m nuts.
Link | January 16th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
phlembol wrote,
Come to think of it, I guess I do the same thing but I took the other path. Some time ago I gave in and got a debit card mostly for the purpose of buying gas because of the reasons you explained. So now I don’t even go in at all since gas is usually all I need. As you say, they make very little off gas, so they lose money on me also.
phlembol’s last blog post..The Real State Of Social Security
Link | January 16th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Patrick Darnell wrote,
That puts the self-serving in Self Serve, you guys. Brilliant; But did you know:
I am on quite a few unedited lists of acquaintances, which send out blanket gossip to patdarnell@aol.com, and 2900 others. I like how these blurbs always start with an apology, then prompt me how to read it, then asks for me to send around the world.
Side note: [By the way, if anyone needs a few names for your web business let me know... I will gladly give you more than a handful. A great many are from Alabama. Sometimes I’m just a hinge on a Dutch Door to other’s success.]
Thus, I throw this one out for you to discuss, or for you to just throw out. God love ya’ all, and God Bless Americans all.
________________________________________***
Starts like this: RUSSELL STANCIL wrote:
Apology…did not screen this through Truth or Fiction.com
We can make a difference if we all do a little bit. Let’s do this, buy our gas from America. Do your homework and find a station. A MUST READ…
WHERE TO BUY ONE’S USA-GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW.
READ ON– Gas rationing in the 80’s worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor. An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don’t import their oil from the Saudis.
Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends. I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.
These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell……………………… 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco……… 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil…………… 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway… 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco……………………….62,231,000 barrels
CITGO…………………..from South America, from a Dictator who hates Americans
If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 B ILLION! Oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel!
Here are some large companies that do not import Middle
Eastern oil:
Sunoco……………….0 barrels
Conoco………………0 barrels
Sinclair……………..0 barrels
B P/Phillips…………0 barrels
Hess…………………..0 barrels
ARC0………………..0 barrels
All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing. But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers. It’s really simple to do. Now, don’t wimps out at this point…. keep reading and I’ll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
I’m sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300) …and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) …and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers !!!!!!!
Apology #2: [Did not check the math at Law of Large Numbers.com]
If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it….. THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!
Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. How long would all that take? If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten more people within one day, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next eight days!
______________________________________*** Me now thinking:
Let’s see if I put my “AmScray Cut-Rate Bait” products online, and contact by email 30 people, who contact ten people, and those ten tens… +/- 300,000,000 anglers, or as above mentions that’s gas buying drivers…
That’s still only 10% of the population reported for China. Won’t Saudi’s just sell to the Orient? Did I make you smile? Good, …because sometimes I feel like I’m barking at the moon all alone. >pd
Patrick Darnell’s last blog post..2045 Grand Re-Opening of MooPig Wisdom; and Grandist Scale of Class Structure Oddity
Link | January 17th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Pribek wrote,
pd, I might even buy gas from Hugo if he eliminated pre-pay in his next salvo at populist reforms.
Question; Do you ever forward these e-mails?
See Frank, you aren’t barking alone.
Please send this comment to ten people.
Link | January 17th, 2008 at 10:29 am
phlembol wrote,
That very “boycott these oil companies” email has been bouncing around for 7 or 8 years now. I can’t see it doing any good. If you could get enough people together to make any difference at all, it would be better to have them vote to support drilling in ANWR. And to vote for letting us build a new refinery. Those items would make a difference.
phlembol’s last blog post..The Real State Of Social Security
Link | January 17th, 2008 at 11:26 am