Clarkin' It
It's September already?!?!?! Yes, it is.
It is also the first day of school, and I got stopped by a school bus this morning. I'm sure all of the kids are THRILLED to be back to the books. :)
With gas prices on the rise, I'm sure lots of people have pictures of gas stations with the incredibly high per-gallon rates perfectly in focus. Well, I don't have any of those. Instead, I have an interesting story to share.
In between work and church yesterday evening, I noticed my tank was just below 1/4, so I would have to stop somewhere to get gas soon. I figured that sooner was better than later, given how prices have been going up so frequently. I pulled into a Clark station, where the sign said that unleaded would cost me $3.249 a gallon. I was hoping to catch it for $2.999 a gallon, but oh well. I would still get a 4% rebate with my credit card.
BUT WAIT...
As I got out of my car and looked at the pump, I noticed that the price still said $2.999! Woohoo! How lucky I felt. (Yeah, feeling lucky to be paying almost three bucks a gallon. My, how my standards have slipped.)
BUT WAIT AGAIN...
As I removed my credit card and was about to insert it in the machine, a gentleman working at the station approached me. The following conversation ensued. I can't recall it word-for-word, but it went something like this:
Him: "Wait! The computer is doing an update!"
Me: "An update?"
Him: "Yeah, it'll just take a minute."
Me: "What kind of update?"
Him: (pointing at a clerk in the building) "He's doing it right now."
I looked at the message readout on the pump. It said 'Insert Card or Begin Fueling'.
Me: "How will I know when it's ready?"
Him: "It'll tell you."
Me: "Is it going to be $2.99 a gallon?"
Him: "No, it just went up."
Me: "Oh. How much did I miss it by?"
Him: (misunderstanding) "A quarter."
Me: "No, I mean -- if I had been here 20 minutes ago, it would have been $2.99?"
Him: "More like two minutes ago."
Awkward pause.
Me: "I'm kind of in a hurry. Do you mind if I just try it anyways?"
Him: (with a slight chuckle) "Well, you won't get any gas that way."
Me: "Okay."
Despite the employee's advice, I inserted my card, pushed the start button, lifted the nozzle, inserted it into my fuel tank, and depressed the lever. It worked like it always had before. I was purchasing gas at $2.999 a gallon.
As I watched the amount rising, I realized what was going on. The store personnel were trying to increase the price to $3.249, but for some reason, they couldn't do it quickly. For some strange reason, they also couldn't stop people from buying gas at $2.999 a gallon. As other customers pulled in to the station, the clerk who had approached me was doing the same thing -- telling people to wait. Most didn't listen -- especially when I told them that my pump was working perfectly.
I finished filling my tank, collected my receipt, and drove away.
It is also the first day of school, and I got stopped by a school bus this morning. I'm sure all of the kids are THRILLED to be back to the books. :)
With gas prices on the rise, I'm sure lots of people have pictures of gas stations with the incredibly high per-gallon rates perfectly in focus. Well, I don't have any of those. Instead, I have an interesting story to share.
In between work and church yesterday evening, I noticed my tank was just below 1/4, so I would have to stop somewhere to get gas soon. I figured that sooner was better than later, given how prices have been going up so frequently. I pulled into a Clark station, where the sign said that unleaded would cost me $3.249 a gallon. I was hoping to catch it for $2.999 a gallon, but oh well. I would still get a 4% rebate with my credit card.
BUT WAIT...
As I got out of my car and looked at the pump, I noticed that the price still said $2.999! Woohoo! How lucky I felt. (Yeah, feeling lucky to be paying almost three bucks a gallon. My, how my standards have slipped.)
BUT WAIT AGAIN...
As I removed my credit card and was about to insert it in the machine, a gentleman working at the station approached me. The following conversation ensued. I can't recall it word-for-word, but it went something like this:
Him: "Wait! The computer is doing an update!"
Me: "An update?"
Him: "Yeah, it'll just take a minute."
Me: "What kind of update?"
Him: (pointing at a clerk in the building) "He's doing it right now."
I looked at the message readout on the pump. It said 'Insert Card or Begin Fueling'.
Me: "How will I know when it's ready?"
Him: "It'll tell you."
Me: "Is it going to be $2.99 a gallon?"
Him: "No, it just went up."
Me: "Oh. How much did I miss it by?"
Him: (misunderstanding) "A quarter."
Me: "No, I mean -- if I had been here 20 minutes ago, it would have been $2.99?"
Him: "More like two minutes ago."
Awkward pause.
Me: "I'm kind of in a hurry. Do you mind if I just try it anyways?"
Him: (with a slight chuckle) "Well, you won't get any gas that way."
Me: "Okay."
Despite the employee's advice, I inserted my card, pushed the start button, lifted the nozzle, inserted it into my fuel tank, and depressed the lever. It worked like it always had before. I was purchasing gas at $2.999 a gallon.
As I watched the amount rising, I realized what was going on. The store personnel were trying to increase the price to $3.249, but for some reason, they couldn't do it quickly. For some strange reason, they also couldn't stop people from buying gas at $2.999 a gallon. As other customers pulled in to the station, the clerk who had approached me was doing the same thing -- telling people to wait. Most didn't listen -- especially when I told them that my pump was working perfectly.
I finished filling my tank, collected my receipt, and drove away.
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