# Gas pumps slowing down when you get close to the purchase price.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547 "2014-12-30T17:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/21 "2015-01-01T15:40:58Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I don’t think I have paid cash for gasoline in 20 years. > > Heck, the only time I go in a gas station is to buy a lotto ticket. When the jackpot is high enough (pot odds) Same here. If people are concerned about saving a few seconds when the pump slows down when they pre-pay think of the amount of time they could save if they just pay at the pump. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/22 "2015-01-01T18:23:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > This thread raise an interesting question. How many people just hang up the nozzle and leave when the pump slows down? Similar to people just dropping change on the ground at a drive thru. > > I’ve always waited until the pump shuts off. But someone could just leave and not get that last 75 cents worth of gas. At todays prices (2.10 a gallon) thats less than a half gallon. I think only putting in a certain dollar amount of gas in your tank instead of just filling it up reflects a certain amount of cheapskatery. I’m guessing most people who do it are also the sorts who are going to make sure they get every picoliter of gas they paid for. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/23 "2015-01-01T20:00:28Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > I think only putting in a certain dollar amount of gas in your tank instead of just filling it up reflects a certain amount of cheapskatery. I’m guessing most people who do it are also the sorts who are going to make sure they get every picoliter of gas they paid for. Pre-paying and filling it up seems like the biggest time waster of all. You have to go inside, pay what you estimate is above what filling it up would cost, go outside and fill it up, then go back inside again to get your change. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/24 "2015-01-01T20:06:53Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Pre-paying and filling it up seems like the biggest time waster of all. You have to go inside, pay what you estimate is above what filling it up would cost, go outside and fill it up, then go back inside again to get your change. people will do that to save 10 cents a gallon. the stations like it because they hope getting people to come inside will entice them to buy something from the store which they actually make money on. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/25 "2015-01-02T15:11:47Z")
First World Problem! ---
**Author:** ![RID905](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@RID905](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RID905)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/26 "2015-01-02T15:34:12Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > I think only putting in a certain dollar amount of gas in your tank instead of just filling it up reflects a certain amount of cheapskatery. I’m guessing most people who do it are also the sorts who are going to make sure they get every picoliter of gas they paid for. The topic is about having to pre-pay. At certain times, and certain stations, such as during the early hours of the day, you can only pre-pay as a way of thwarting gas theft by drive-offs. Sometimes, you just have to pre-pay. ---
**Author:** ![RID905](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@RID905](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RID905)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/27 "2015-01-02T15:37:27Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I’ve noticed this for a while but its just hit me to post about it. When you prepay for gas, let’s say $20, then go out to pump, the pump will pump at full speed until about 20 cents before you reach your limit. Why?? > > We can put a man on the moon but apparently the gas pumps are too stupid to stop exactly at the purchase price? I can understand maybe 2 cents before or 5 cents before, but its consistently at like 20-25 cents before you reach the limit. Who designed this shit?? And don’t give me any guff about the station not wanting to overpump. Slowing the pump down at 5 cents does the exact same thing as slowing it down at 20 cents, plus it gets your customers out faster so more can come in during a busy period. Or just stop it exactly at the purchase price, I’m sure it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to design that Not sure if the sticker is still there, but on gas pumps up here in Canada, they used to have a sticker that said something like “Gas delivery correct at X Farenheight at a legal flow and pressure”. So as the original poster stated, is the last dribble a “legal flow and pressure” ? I doubt it. The counter is clicking off $$ but the gas is dripping out the hose. So, the stations scam you on the last bit. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/28 "2015-01-04T13:29:47Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I challenge the OP to go pour a glass or milk. Get it exactly level at the top of the glass. > > Did you slow down as you neared the edge? Why? > > I think you now have your answer for gas pumps too. Even machines are more precise when dispensing a gallon a minute instead of ten gallons per minute. This is anthropomorphism. If you’re buying $5 worth of gas, the pump is just as accurate dispensing from $1 to $2 as it is going from $4 to $5. The pump should be able to go “$4.70, $4.80, $4.90, _stop_”. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547/29 "2015-01-04T16:21:42Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > This is anthropomorphism. If you’re buying $5 worth of gas, the pump is just as accurate dispensing from $1 to $2 as it is going from $4 to $5. The pump should be able to go “$4.70, $4.80, $4.90, _stop_”. Not necessarily - even though the pump may be able to accurately measure the amount of gas dispensed when delivering at full speed, it may not be able to shut the pump off quickly enough to prevent over-dispensing. In other words, when going from $1 to $2, it might detect the $2 mark after $2.05 has been dispensed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-pumps-slowing-down-when-you-get-close-to-the-purchase-price/708547.md?page=1)