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AIBU?

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Original poster

Petrol Station Etiquette

95 replies

QueenOfMyWorld · 14/09/2018 16:25

Not aibu but my friend.She went to fill up her car and had to wait behind the car using it as expected.Man goes in to pay and doesn't reappear for a fair amount of time,friend is in a hurry.When he does return he's got 3 bags of shopping and a bunch of flowers so my friend goes "Are they for me?" Man says " No they're for my wife" she says "oh I thought they must be for me as an apology seeing as you've done all that shopping whilst I've waited to fill my car up,you should have parked up elsewhere!"
Was she in the right and he was being a CF or was she being unreasonable and he had every right to get whatever shopping he wanted ? I can see both sides tbf

OP posts:
feelingnothing · 14/09/2018 20:01

To be fair if I know I'm buying stuff I move away from the pump and park up. Always

butterflysugarbaby · 14/09/2018 20:07

@QueenOfMyWorld

I am going a bit against the grain here, but I don't think your friend was being unreasonable at all.

This happened to me the other day actually, and as I discovered, it's not that EASY to just 'move to another pump!' Not if someone is parked behind you, and there are cars at the side of you. Plus, why the fuck SHOULD you?

I was sitting at a pump the other day with 2 cars behind me, (and cars either side,) and the Astra in front had no-one in it, so I was assuming that the person would come back soon. TEN fucking MINUTES I sat there whilst 10 to 15 people filled up their petrol tank, (at pumps in other queues,) and went to the booth to pay, and then came back and drove off.

I was steaming, and was JUST about to get out of my car, and find out where the HELL the person was who owned the Astra, and this bloody fucking woman sauntered across the forecourt with THREE bags full of shopping, and took her sweet time putting it all neatly in the boot, then took about ANOTHER 2 minutes to fuck off.

If I hadn't been so gobsmacked at the silly bint, and found the whole thing utterly incredulous, I would have shouted 'take your fucking time you stupid cow! It's not like I have a job to get back to or anything!'

I don't give a shit what people think about me saying that. No WAY would the posters on here (having a go at the OP,) have been happy if the same thing happened to them.

The man was a rude, inconsiderate, entitled twat, and your friend did nothing wrong...

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 14/09/2018 20:07

I quite liked Mabel's post.
Should be made into a sticky.

butterflysugarbaby · 14/09/2018 20:07

@safariboot

And if there's a car at the pump and you're waiting too close to be able to pull out and go to a different pump then that's your own damn fault.

What utter rot.

Many times I have been to fill up, it is impossible to move to another pump. Unless the petrol station has half the pumps (or more) empty, it is very difficult (and often impossible!) to move pumps....

You obviously don't use petrol stations very often. Like a bunch of other posters on this thread!

Re what @bungaloid said...

I don't believe that the police would be called if someone moved to a parking space on the forecourt, and then went in to do a bit of shopping in the little petrol station shop. That would only (maybe) happen if it was a moderate to big service station, and you had filled up and then fucked off to another part of the service station... Even then, it would probably just be security who was called.

Are we supposed to believe that the police would take it seriously, if someone called and said 'this woman just put twenty quid's worth of fuel in her car, and hasn't come to the counter to pay; she has gone to the fridges at the other end of the shop?!' Do me a favour!!!

@sparklingbrook

There's three garages around here where there are no spaces to pull into after filling up so that wouldn't work.

Sometimes in life you have to wait a bit for stuff. No need for sarky comments or rudeness.

How about the person who has filled up (in front of you) and spent 10 minutes in the bloody forecourt shop, has some consideration and thought for others, and quickly pays for the fuel they had, and goes to an actual SUPERMARKET for their fucking weekly shop?! Hmm

PMSL at @rightsaidmabel 's grammar rant on the previous page!!! Grin

thenightsky · 14/09/2018 20:18

I may borrow Mabel's post for use on FB. Grin

Thesnobbymiddleclassone · 14/09/2018 20:20

I hate it when people do this, especially at busy times and they take nearly half an hour as sometimes once you get in that queue you can't move as other queue behind.

I also hate the people that stop at the only pay at pump and go in to pay

Sparklingbrook · 14/09/2018 20:24

I just don't get wound up by it butterfly.

hannnnnnnxo · 14/09/2018 22:41

"Are they for me?" Man says " No they're for my wife"

Grin how embarrassing for her

TheSassyAssassin · 14/09/2018 23:49

Hmmm a little warning though. I thought I was being nice in the summer and moved away from the pump I was at and into a parking space as I needed to do a shop. When I finally went to the till I was charged over £80 and after questioning it, find out the 4x4 driver behind me had paid for MY fuel and saved himself over £30 in the process! I thought I was doing the right thing as the forecourt was busy but some CF saw it as an opportunity to get free fuel! Hmm Garage were brilliant and sorted it out (& used numberplate recognition to blacklist the 4x4 driver) but I won't be moving in the future!

Boodapoo · 15/09/2018 00:56

Yes, your friend is a mouthy cow loser.

butterflysugarbaby · 15/09/2018 04:58

@Boodaboo

Yes, your friend is a mouthy cow loser.

I didn't see the OP say anything about her friend losing any cows..... Confused

actualpuffins · 15/09/2018 05:05

There should be a system of paying at the pump for your fuel, then moving to a parking space before entering the shop to make other purchases, in such places.

malmi · 15/09/2018 08:26

The profit margins on fuel are too narrow for the petrol stations to want to implement pay at the pump. They want everyone to go in the shop, whether they need to buy anything extra or not, and make impulse purchases.

The only real exception is supermarkets where they assume you'll probably have been in the main shop as part of your visit anyway.

Tutlefru · 15/09/2018 08:33

Hmm I'd probably quietly rant away to myself but I wouldn't have said anything. coward

One thing that annoys me is when you have two cars using the pump but the one in front finishes and leaves. Why on earth do some people not pull round to go to the first pump? There is always plenty of bloody space!

Original poster
QueenOfMyWorld · 15/09/2018 08:35

hannnnnnn she was being sarcastic 😁

OP posts:
Boodapoo · 15/09/2018 09:02

butterflysugarbaby Oh here's a pedantic one with too much time on her hand. She's a mouthy cow AND a loser. Better? Grin

BuffysFavouriteStake · 15/09/2018 12:23

Having once worked at a petrol station, I can second what a pp said.

Yes, the pump stops once the handle is replaced properly. The cashier then has to manually activate the pump again, which automatically resets the new transaction to zero.

Most pumps can take 2 separate transactions, and most cashiers won't panic if you signal to them before pulling forward, or park somewhere in clear view.

Customer or cashier error is the only way you can pay for the wrong fuel. The amount of customers who don't check what pump number they were on, or insist they were on a different pump, is amazing. And don't get me started on reading the litres instead of the cost.

We always asked customers to move their cars if it was busy and there was a queue. If all the other pumps were empty, and someone was getting arsey because they couldn't be bothered to move, we'd be much less likely to bother.

oh god I'm so glad I changed jobs

MissConductUS · 15/09/2018 12:51

They want everyone to go in the shop, whether they need to buy anything extra or not, and make impulse purchases.

In the US where pay at the pump is universal the attached shops still do just fine. People like the convenience of being able to pick up a coffee or a snack. I'd never get petrol at a station if I had to go inside to pay if there was a choice of somewhere I could pay at the pump. Most of the time I just want to fuel up and go. However on the way back from taking my son to university we stopped and got $25 in fuel and $10 in drinks and snacks. They did just fine with our trade.

The trend here is that petrol station are getting larger and larger. My BJ's Club (like Costco) recently opened up a 24 pump station for members only and it's 10-20p cheaper per gallon than anywhere else. It's always busy.

Seriousquestion09 · 15/09/2018 13:51

I would have been annoyed but said nothing... because why say anything at all? If that is what annoys them enough to engage in confrontation then I feel for them in real life.

yesornoworld · 15/09/2018 21:50

@@ChipsAndKetchup

I have worked at 2 petrol stations in the past. Shell and BP. So I know for a fact that is possible.

So not as smart as you think you are lol. (Know it all passive aggressive weirdos).

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