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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Re: petrol forecourt etiquette

87 replies

TickledOnion · 30/10/2011 18:15

First AIBU and I'm quite willing to admit IABU, but wondered what other people's opinions were.

Pulled up to a busy supermarket petrol station today. There were queues to use the right side pumps even though the front pumps were empty and only one car on the left side pumps, also with empty front pumps.

My petrol thingy is on the right and I struggle to pull the nozzle all the way round the car so I thought I would nip round the cars and use the left side pumps facing the other way. Got round to the front to find the left side pumps were out of order, so quickly reversed into a right side front pump. (Hope that makes sense).

A man came running up from the queued cars and shouted at me for jumping the queue. I didn''t fancy getting into an argument and realised I might have been in the wrong, so I just drove off.

My question is: why do people wait in a queue when the front pump is empty and was I wrong to nip round the front?

I await the MN verdict...

OP posts:
SandStorm · 30/10/2011 18:18

I've done that in the past. I thought everyone did.

mumblechum1 · 30/10/2011 18:18

YANBU. If they're too dumb to figure out that they can stretch the pipe over their boot or turn around to face the right way, well, they deserve to hang around all day. It's not as though you were stopping anyone from using it, it was clear, but they chose not to put a bit of effort in to fuel up.

Pascha · 30/10/2011 18:18

I'm always doing it. No-ones ever told me off.

SandStorm · 30/10/2011 18:19

Not facing the opposite way to everyone else though. Was it a one way petrol station?

scrappydappydoo · 30/10/2011 18:19

Well yes I do think YABU - if you were sat in the queue it would have looked like you were queue jumping.

VJaaarrrggghhh · 30/10/2011 18:19

I normally wait so that once the person in front has gone then two of us can move onto the free pumps together, hence moving the queue through quicker.

ZillionChocolate · 30/10/2011 18:19

I think facing the wrong way is wrong, but nothing wrong with going to the front pump if that's empty. Always check that it's not out of order though as that's Blush

ChippingInAutumnLover · 30/10/2011 18:20

I would have just asked him why he didn't do it himself then said I didn't have all day waiting around for numpties that are unable to reverse their cars....

YANBU just a little 'unbritish' Grin

OldGreyWassailTest · 30/10/2011 18:20

Yes, you did jump the queue, albeit inadvertently.

pebbledasher · 30/10/2011 18:21

Tickled onion, I'd do what you did. I'm always suprised how difficult people seem to find it to manoeuvre their cars around forecourts. Seems sensible to maximise use of available space.

MrsDalliard · 30/10/2011 18:21

Sounds fine by me. I often realise too late that I could have shuffled around a bit, and end up waiting in the queue, but it's fair enough if someone makes the effort to get to an empty pump. The man sounds like a silly billy.

Original poster
TickledOnion · 30/10/2011 18:21

Good to know I'm not the only one, even though I was too chicken to stay and fill up.
SandStorm - I didn't know petrol stations were one-way only.

OP posts:
squeakyfreakytoy · 30/10/2011 18:21

Got round to the front to find the left side pumps were out of order, so quickly reversed into a right side front pump

So you jumped the queue?

elesbells · 30/10/2011 18:24

yes you jumped the queue..

if the left sided pumps were working and you used that then fine (no-one was waiting for it so use it)

But they were out of order so you moved to the right hand pump....which the queue behind you were waiting for.....yabu

EllaDee · 30/10/2011 18:24

I wonder why no one else bothered to reverse? I would probably have hung back waiting for a bit, but if no-one moved, of course you can reverse in! It's dog-in-a-manger of him to be pissed off - he obviously either did not want to reverse, or wasn't confident of his ability to do so. So he couldn't use the pump that was free, and obviously no-one ahead in the queue had a car with the pump on that side or they'd have used it. So why on earth was it wrong for you to use it?!

I don't see how it's queue jumping ... the way you describe it, they weren't queuing for the pump that wasn't left free anyway, right?

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 18:25

you jumped the queue, although i think if you'd hung about you might have seen why tehre was a queue but nobody seemed to be using the front pump. perhaps they couldn't see that it was free or maybe they thought it was out of order or perhaps they couldn't get past the car before it.

gordyslovesheep · 30/10/2011 18:25

I would be a bit peeved with you if I had sat in a queue only for you to nip round the front and fill up - that is queue jumping

so yes YABU

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo · 30/10/2011 18:26

but Grin at you just driving off rather than apologising and explaining why you did it. are you 14?

Choconellie · 30/10/2011 18:29

I don't think I've ever been to a petrol station that WASN'T one way? Haven't you ever noticed this before Tickled Onion?

Original poster
TickledOnion · 30/10/2011 18:30

OK I probably was BU to reverse into the right side pump.

HeresTheScaryThingBooyhoo - feel a bit silly about that, but was with DD and didn't want her to be scared of the shouting man.

OP posts:
Original poster
TickledOnion · 30/10/2011 18:32

I know the entrance and exit one way, but I didn't know that you had to use the pumps in a one way fashion if there was room to turn round. Blush

OP posts:
Choconellie · 30/10/2011 18:32

And yes you did jump the queue. Etiquette states that you can jump the queue only if you're prepared to fill up with the nozzle on the wrong side and no one else is waiting. Yes the other drivers infront of you should've pulled forward but you should've just waited until the car left and then two cars could pull forward.

VivaLeBeaver · 30/10/2011 18:32

YABU. Wait your turn. Maybe if someone isn't confident enough to be zipping round the place and reversing, etc it doesn't mean they should be punished by everyone else shoving in front. And as for doing it so you're facing the wrong way, I'm shocked.

BreeVanDerTramp · 30/10/2011 18:33

Did you pay for your petrol before driving off? Shock

Rhubarbgarden · 30/10/2011 18:34

Hmm yes I think it would have annoyed me if I'd been queuing. But then I'm the sort of person who takes it as a personal slight every time another driver fails to acknowledge that I've pulled over for them/ let them in etc etc.