This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Digital_Utopia on 2024-04-10 02:45:30.

(originally from 2018)

At work, older guy comes in to pre-pay for gas. Tells me $60 on pump #2. Tells me he has a fuel rewards card (automatic, minimum 5 cents/gallon off) Tell him his total, and he complains that it should be less - because of the rewards card.

Explain to this math genius that he is getting the discount - regardless of whether gas is $2/gal or $6/gal, he’s paying for $60 worth of gas.

The lightbulb in his head hits a momentary bright point, and we continue with this transaction. He takes out his debit card, and see him attempt to use the chip slot. Except our system isn’t set up for it, so we have a card in said slot, with the words “No Chip” written on it in Sharpie. Still he’s attempting to cram it in there.

He’s certainly not the first person to ignore that - which is why I tell customers to swipe. Every other time, this works. But this brain surgeon decides to double his efforts. By the fourth time of me saying “swipe” he finally looks up to me, and sees me pantomiming swiping the card. The light bulb flickers on one more time, and we can finally end the transaction.

Oh, but we are not out of the woods yet, friends. Because this credit to humanity, still has to actually pump said gas. At this point, I’m basically saying a silent prayer that he pumps all $60. If he doesn’t, that means I’m most likely going to have to deal with him, one more time.

He didn’t pump it all.

Now, since he pre-paid with a card, the change will automatically be credited back to his account. Many people, understandably, do not know this - so when such a thing happens, I already have the final receipt printed out, so I can prove it to them.

That wasn’t why he came back.

He came back to tell me that the “pump stopped” - an infrequent, but not unheard of complaint by people who don’t quite understand how gas pumps work. What he meant, of course, was the lever disengaged. This is something that happens when the pump doesn’t detect enough airflow - which should only happen if your tank is nearly full. Of course, this is supposed to prevent overflow/spillage. However, if the vehicle’s filler neck has a blocked vent, or there’s a similar issue with the pump handle, it will trigger this cutoff as well. But it’s usually a mixture of the two reasons.

It does not mean the pump stops - it just means that you usually have to reposition the nozzle to allow more airflow, so you can continue pumping. Of course, I wasn’t about to explain this to the guy - as I doubt it would’ve done any good. So I just handed him his final receipt, and shrugged.