Petrol Station SC

[the lawsmeister]

Petrol prices jumped by 20 cents a litre in Sydney yesterday. Apparently the price of a barrel of oil went up. Funny how the price at the pump never drops as quickly when the price of oil goes down.

Anyway. There's a new petrol station on my way to work who didn't put their prices up. They're 20 cents a litre cheaper than everyone else so we stop to fill up. There's a car at each pump and another waiting behind each of them. Not too bad really, I've seen them line up onto the street for less. One of the cars at the pumps does't have anyone filling it so I figure they must have gone inside to pay, so we get in that line.
People are going in, paying and coming back but no-one gets in this car. It looks like the shop is empty now but this car is still there at the pump.
Then we spot a woman wandering about near the drinks fridge. She walks up the counter. FINALLY and then walks back to the drinks, then back to the counter. Eventually pays and strolls casually back to the car. Obviously they didn't have the drink she wanted because she's friggin empty handed.
When there's 2 cars waiting behind you to buy fuel don't stuff about. Pay for your bloody petrol and fuck off.

Then when I go in to pay I realise why there's been a delay in the store. Despite having 3 staff members on, only 1 register is open. WTF. Its peak hour in Sydney. You're on one of the busier roads into the city. You're 20 cents cheaper than every other petrol station. Open the second friggin register!!

[blas]

Please have a little more sympathy next time, as the employees at the store really couldn't do anything about the lady wasting time.

I hate to bring it up, because the topic itself annoys me, what with being 2 years later, but *clears throat*

During the Hurricane Katrina gas scare, gas prices soared. And since I worked at a mom and pop store, notorious for not changing gas prices if they went up, I was the victim of several nights of torture.

The owner and the manager figured it woudn't be THAT BIG of a deal so they didn't raise the prices. Gas went from $2.79 to $2.99 everywhere else. Before I knew it, there was a line going down the fucking street of cars. I only had 6 gas pumps and 1 diesel pump.

I could NOT leave my spot behind the register until a half hour before closing. It NEVER stopped. The rush continued for HOURS. I almost ran out of our stock of cigarettes (I'd never had time to go get more), the coolers were nearly bare (I couldn't stock them) and the floor looked like a hurricane had wiped it out. It was CHAOS and anarchy!

I called my manager to tell her there was no way I'd be able to close at regular hours because there was still a line going down the street. She didn't believe me. So she showed up and nearly had a heart attack when she could barely get into the parking lot. She let me go smoke and get a soda, and she covered the register while I cleaned the store and stocked everything. Eventually when it became closing time, she told me to quick shut everything off and we closed together.

Thank God for her. Otherwise I would NOT have been able to close that store until midnight or even later. People would NOT stop coming. The line never stopped. People were fighting over gas pumps. People were watching each other's vehicles like hawks, desperate to get that gas for $2.79. It was awful.

[the lawsmeister]

Please have a little more sympathy next time, as the employees at the store really couldn't do anything about the lady wasting time.

Blas, I held the store staff in no way responsible for this woman wasting time. The blame rest purely on her shoulders for wandering about the store looking at drinks while there's a line of cars behind her waiting to get some fuel.

My comments about the registers in the store were a completely separate item and not related to the SC at all.
I was just a little surprised that at a really busy time there was only 1 register open despite there being 3 staff members behind the counter. No issues with them there may have been something more important that they need to deal with but it just seemed odd.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

See, I never got that. In Blas' story, we're talking what? 11 cents? You could fill up a 50 gallon drum and still only save a little more than 5 bucks.

I don't know about you, but five lousy dollars is not nearly enough money to induce me to sit and wait in a chaotic mess for however long it takes to get to the pump. My time is worth something, and it's a damn sight more than 5 bucks. And I don't like aggravation, either. I will pay to avoid stress and crowds.

Maybe these people are even worse at math than I am. And that's saying something.

[protege]

Damn...and I thought we had it bad here during Katrina! Gas went from around $2.50, to well over $3.00 a gallon in only a few days. People were lining up at all the stations trying to get it before it went up further. In fact, at one station, my father was the *last* person who got it cheap--they actually shut off the pumps to raise the price. Let me tell you, people were pissed!

[blas]

Kinkoid, I can see where you're coming from. I'm still on a strict budget, but I agree, I'd NEVER wait at a crowded gas station where 3 cars are in line at each pump and people are arguing and fighting and threatening each other not to hog all the gas or waste time in the store.

[BlaqueKatt]

(on a side note, why is there no cents symbol on the keyboard?)

is this what you're looking for?

¢ ¢ ¢ ¢

ha ha I'm hoarding them

Actually hold down the ALT key then (while holding it) press (in succession) 0162

go here for more

[tollbaby]

hrm the one I use is alt-155 (¢)

[Jadedcarguy]

I don't know about you, but five lousy dollars is not nearly enough money to induce me to sit and wait in a chaotic mess for however long it takes to get to the pump.

I fill up at Chevron or Unocal 76 99% of the time, regardless of the price. The difference is only a dollar or two, which I will spend on smoky treats or beer anyhow. I am always amazed at the people who drive halfway across the city to "save" on their gasoline. Morons.

[MMATM]

We had a bit of an issue in my town (picture small-town in eastern MA where the senior citizens have the majority vote at every town meeting and there's still a law in effect that no building can be taller than the tallest church's steeple) with gas prices. One of the stations (there are 4 or 5) had their prices perpetually posted on the big front sign at 5 or 10 cents less than anywhere else in town. When you pulled up and got out of your car, however, the prices posted on the pumps were the same or more than the other stations. After about two months of this (and my resolution never to buy gas or anything else there ever again) someone mentioned to the station owner that posting incorrect prices is illegal (given adequate time to change the signs when the prices are changed) and the signs began to read correctly.

And with all the ellipses I just used, I could have fashioned a smiley-frowney army and taken over the world. I hope you would-be underlings (not peasants, however) appreciate my generosity to this board. Also, I just lost two more perfectly capable soldiers explaining my evil intentions to you. Damn!