I work in a petrol station - AMA!

[AskingForAnEnemy]

Ask away...

[UndergroundSun]

How many people drive off without paying?

[Orangepear]

Do you get Eddie Izzard coming in late night shopping?

[Danceintherain2018]

Do you ever clean the nozzles everyone uses to put gas in their car?!

[AskingForAnEnemy]

How many people drive off without paying?

Not many. Maybe once a month we get a drive off. But we get a lot of people who come in for shopping, forget they have got fuel then go without paying. I always ask as soon as people come to my till "do you have fuel" otherwise people just forget

[AskingForAnEnemy]

Do you get Eddie Izzard coming in late night shopping?

No generally just tourists buying last minute fuel lol

[AskingForAnEnemy]

Do you ever clean the nozzles everyone uses to put gas in their car?!

They do get cleaned regularly, I don't do it personally but other staff do

[ch0c0milkrox]

Do a lot of people come in to just use the loo and not buy anything? I feel bad when I do this

[AskingForAnEnemy]

Do a lot of people come in to just use the loo and not buy anything?

Yes and we don't mind at all

[BayLeaves]

Has your petrol station ever had one of those credit card skimming machines that steal people’s card details and PIN?

What would you say is the most common purchase other than fuel?

Have you got any favourite customers?

[AskingForAnEnemy]

Has your petrol station ever had one of those credit card skimming machines that steal people’s card details and PIN?

Not that I know of, but we have nothing to do with the cash machine, we often get people reporting problems about it but we literally just rent out the hole in the wall so it's nothing to do with us

What would you say is the most common purchase other than fuel?

Alcohol. We sell a lot of it. And milk. We are right next to a big housing estate so a lot of locals pop in for milk

Have you got any favourite customers?

Yes I have a few! We have ones that come in every single day and you get to know them, if you're off for a couple of days they will ask other staff where you are. Just genuinely nice people.

[HopelesslydevotedtoGu]

A passerby once told me off for using my mobile phone in the pumping area as it might cause an explosion... I'm assuming this is nonsense?!

[BentOutOfShape]

How many people put petrol in their diesel cars by mistake?

I'm hoping you say it's a lot 👀 and I'm not the only one to have done it

[AskingForAnEnemy]

A passerby once told me off for using my mobile phone in the pumping area as it might cause an explosion... I'm assuming this is nonsense?!

The chance of a mobile phone causing an explosion is pretty slim. A lot of people use their phones by the pumps, we generally wouldn't tell them to put them away. Although I did have to speak to a guy once who was walking over the forecourt with a lit fag in his hand.

Not filling your tank in hot weather in case the fuel heats up and explodes is a total myth though

[Imagingerbreadman]

It can’t be a busy petrol site if you just get one drive off a month or you don’t work many shifts so don’t realise how many there actually is 😂😂

[AskingForAnEnemy]

How many people put petrol in their diesel cars by mistake?

Ive seen it happen quite a few times (And I've done it myself!) If their insurance doesn't cover a misfuel incident then we have a company we can recommend who will come and flush the engine out but obviously you have to pay on the spot for that service.

The worst was a guy who had just bought a brand spanking new Merc and put £50 worth of unleaded in instead of diesel, I actually felt sorry for him watching the car get towed

[Fleurelle]

Do you work during the night. I always think it must be a bit scary at 4am if not many people are around.

Do your legs ache from standing a lot.

[AskingForAnEnemy]

It can’t be a busy petrol site if you just get one drive off a month or you don’t work many shifts so don’t realise how many there actually is

It's an extremely busy site. Deliberate drive offs are rare, most of the time it boils down to staff didn't ask if customer had fuel, customer forgot and just paid for shopping.

[lonelyatchristmas]

I worked in a petrol station at one stage and had someone try to fill his car while smoking.. couldn't for the life of him understand why I lost the plot with him...
Another time had someone fill there car and as doing so struck up a conversation with someone on the next pump which resulted in her not only forgetting to pay for her patrol but also driving off with the pump still in her car.. cue the whole forecourt and me being destroyed in diesel..
Another time someone was filling there car and for some reason we never found out why but where he was filling the car the car caught fire... panic stations but thankfully enough people around d to out it with all the extinguishers...
Never ever a dull moment in a petrol station...

[AskingForAnEnemy]

Do you work during the night. I always think it must be a bit scary at 4am if not many people are around

No we close at 10pm (thankfully)

Do your legs ache from standing a lot

They did when I first started, id get home and my feet and legs would be throbbing but your body soon gets used to it. It doesn't bother me now

[AskingForAnEnemy]

I worked in a petrol station at one stage and had someone try to fill his car while smoking.. couldn't for the life of him understand why I lost the plot with him...
Another time had someone fill there car and as doing so struck up a conversation with someone on the next pump which resulted in her not only forgetting to pay for her patrol but also driving off with the pump still in her car.. cue the whole forecourt and me being destroyed in diesel..
Another time someone was filling there car and for some reason we never found out why but where he was filling the car the car caught fire... panic stations but thankfully enough people around d to out it with all the extinguishers...
Never ever a dull moment in a petrol station...

Oh yes you see all sorts of things. The amount of times people almost get into fights on the forecourt is unreal. People who have no idea how the pumps work etc it's certainly interesting 🤣

[Oswin]

Do.you like the smell of petrol? I would be tempted to stand in the forecourt sniffing all day.

[Imagingerbreadman]

I have worked in 7 different petrol sites in different area so some nice areas and some that are bit rubbishy and each site had more than 1 genuine drive off a month

[AskingForAnEnemy]

Do.youlike the smell of petrol? I would be tempted to stand in the forecourt sniffing all day

I don't mind the smell of petrol, not keen on the smell of diesel though, you always know when there's been a diesel spill because it absolutley stinks

[headinhands]

What sort of things do people ask for that you don't stock?

[AskingForAnEnemy]

I have worked in 7 different petrol sites in different area so some nice areas and some that are bit rubbishy and each site had more than 1 genuine drive off a month

Great. Ok maybe one or two but it's few and far between unless they are all happening when I'm not on shift.