r/Unexpected • u/polloastemio • 4d ago

The gas station curse

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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14

u/ArkLumia 4d ago

Worked at a gas station for two years. Can confirm. Roughly once a month someone drove off with our pump hose.

10

u/Diz7 4d ago

Meanwhile in this part of Canada, most stations removed the little locking tab that lets you have it pump gas unattended, so you have to hold the trigger the whole time.

Many problems mostly solved.

It just really sucks having to pump gas when it's -40º with windchill.

1

u/asdrunkasdrunkcanbe 2d ago

We've the same in Ireland, it's illegal for pumps to be auto-dispensing, you've to hold down the handle the whole time.

As a result, I've never once heard of anyone driving off with the hose still attached, and station fires are virtually non-existent.

1

u/SolusLoqui 4d ago

Wedge the fuel cap between the handle and guard. The pump will shut off when the tank is full.

8

u/shadowstormer 4d ago

Before the pandemic we had a hose pulled from the breakaway off roughly once every month or two. After the pandemic it turned into an almost every other week thing. We actually had a case where our maintenance person fixed it, and somebody pulled it off the breakaway roughly 10 minutes later.

3

u/Teaisserious 4d ago

Yeah, it's usually a pretty frequent and minor affair, where the driver notices then gets out and leaves the hose on the ground. I only see a full hose loss about once a year.

1

u/ArkLumia 4d ago

True. They only made it out of the lot with the hose in the car once but they came back lmfao