# Hot Spot gas station complaint **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 8, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147 "2013-04-08T13:01:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/21 "2013-04-09T00:43:01Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Prepay for cash has been SOP in the US for something like 2 decades, if not longer. It’s neither new nor unusual. There’s lots of places in the US where you don’t need to prepay, especially rural areas. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/22 "2013-04-09T01:25:37Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There’s lots of places in the US where you don’t need to prepay, especially rural areas. Such places are often full of people who all know each other…meaning if you drive off, they know who did it and the sheriff will be on your porch shortly. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/23 "2013-04-09T03:19:02Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There’s lots of places in the US where you don’t need to prepay, especially rural areas. Exactly. In metropolitan areas, it’s pretty much assumed you have to prepay. But when I’m in the sticks, it’s not unusual to find gas stations where you just pump the gas and then go pay inside, even in this day and age. ---
**Author:** ![Snow\_Pea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Snow\_Pea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snow_Pea)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/24 "2013-04-09T03:42:42Z")
> [@bmasters1](#): > > I sent my son in to the cashier with money in hand, and informed the cashier that I was on pump #11, and he would stand there and pay her when I got through filling the truck up. … My son was standing there, cash in hand, Why didn’t your son just UM, PAY HER??? Are you both retarded? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/25 "2013-04-09T04:46:37Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There’s lots of places in the US where you don’t need to prepay, especially rural areas. And even where it’s common now, it wasn’t necessarily common 20 years ago. It only hit my area around 2005 when gas prices started going up. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/26 "2013-04-09T05:01:21Z")
[they won’t even let you pump your own gas in Oregon](http://perspectivesonthenews.blogs.deseretnews.com/2012/07/26/why-cant-i-pump-my-own-gas-in-oregon/) I think the\*\* OP’s\*\* head would explode if he had to deal with that ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/27 "2013-04-09T10:16:21Z")
> [@Snow\_Pea](#): > > Why didn’t your son just UM, PAY HER??? > > Are you both retarded? I’d ask you the same question. Guy sees something he doesn’t like. Guy refuses to subsidize activity he doesn’t like. You somehow think that’s the wrong way to handle things. No wonder you guys constantly have things in life that you have to pit. The idea of actually doing something about something that upsets you is beyond your comprehension. Heck, I’m pretty sure that’s why my cheese thread went south. I was upset that I couldn’t do anything about being wronged. Because I normally do stand up for myself when that happens, but couldn’t in that specific instance. That pissed me off enough that I needed to blow off steam in the Pit. You guys have apparently internalized this broken ethic where it’s a good thing to just sit back and take it. Now I finally understand why you called me a baby, when you guys are the ones who act like babies because you are too afraid to act. Apparently I’m supposed to have been wronged all the time without having at least tried to do something about it. It’s just a fundamentally different way of looking at the world. If I see a part of the world that is broken, I do what I can to fix it. I make it as hard as I can on the person enforcing the rules until I am forced to do otherwise. You guys just sit around and complain. I wonder which strategy works better. And see if you guys can figure out for once why I have no problem making this thread about me… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/28 "2013-04-09T11:56:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Heck, I’m pretty sure that’s why my cheese thread went south. :eek:Link? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/29 "2013-04-09T12:09:16Z")
I am absolutely appalled they didn’t pick you out from everyone else and treat you special. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/30 "2013-04-09T12:30:28Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’d ask you the same question. Guy sees something he doesn’t like. Guy refuses to subsidize activity he doesn’t like. You somehow think that’s the wrong way to handle things. No wonder you guys constantly have things in life that you have to pit. The idea of actually doing something about something that upsets you is beyond your comprehension. > > Heck, I’m pretty sure that’s why my cheese thread went south. I was upset that I couldn’t do anything about being wronged. Because I normally do stand up for myself when that happens, but couldn’t in that specific instance. That pissed me off enough that I needed to blow off steam in the Pit. You guys have apparently internalized this broken ethic where it’s a good thing to just sit back and take it. Now I finally understand why you called me a baby, when you guys are the ones who act like babies because you are too afraid to act. Apparently I’m supposed to have been wronged all the time without having at least tried to do something about it. > > It’s just a fundamentally different way of looking at the world. If I see a part of the world that is broken, I do what I can to fix it. I make it as hard as I can on the person enforcing the rules until I am forced to do otherwise. You guys just sit around and complain. I wonder which strategy works better. > > And see if you guys can figure out for once why I have no problem making this thread about me… Why is pre-pay broken? Seems pretty logical to me. Most customer transactions require the purchaser to pay for the item prior to taking possession of it. Pumping gas into your car certainly qualifies as taking possession of the item. Seems like a pretty logical and reasonable request. Just because you as in individual sees something as a problem doesn’t make it so. Sometimes a little perspective is a good thing. Plus, making the job harder for someone who has no power to change the system and and it’s a system that most people navigate without problem seems like a dickish move. Pay the cashier and call the manager or write a letter to corporate office if you actually want to “fix” what you see as a broken system. Leave the cashier alone. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/31 "2013-04-09T12:32:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > If I see a part of the world that is broken, I do what I can to fix it. I make it as hard as I can on the person enforcing the rules until I am forced to do otherwise. You guys just sit around and complain. I wonder which strategy works better. I think writing to the gas station manager and telling him/her that you find pre-pay insulting (and apparently, that he should just deal with the cost of driveoffs) and won’t return to the station again would be a **hell** of a lot more productive than bitching at some cashier-jockeying peon who has fuck-all to do with the situation, and if s/he conveyed your complaint to the manager would probably get bitched out for not making the experience all better for the poor dear who got their pwecious feewings hurt by having to hand over cash up front. Or maybe you could buy gas in a “better” neighborhood so you don’t have to think about things like Bad People destroying any profits that gas station independent owners manage to make by doing driveoffs. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/32 "2013-04-09T12:48:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > :eek:Link? Never mind. [Dude, that didn’t “go south” as much as it began its life in Antarctica.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=685370) ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/33 "2013-04-09T13:03:53Z")
I worked at a convenience store when pre-pay was becoming the norm about 25 years ago, and it was the biggest headache I had. People took it personally, as if I was questioning their honesty. A big sign on each pump said, “Must prepay before pumping,” and people still jiggled the damn pump trying to get it to work, getting angrier and angrier, until they stormed in. I don’t know how many times a day I got yelled at. Look, I know it’s a pain, but I’m just the poor schlub who has to answer to my manager for each drive-off, and when the profit margin is so razor thin, a $20 loss makes a big difference. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/34 "2013-04-09T13:22:58Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’d ask you the same question. Guy sees something he doesn’t like. Guy refuses to subsidize activity he doesn’t like. You somehow think that’s the wrong way to handle things. No wonder you guys constantly have things in life that you have to pit. The idea of actually doing something about something that upsets you is beyond your comprehension. > > Heck, I’m pretty sure that’s why my cheese thread went south. I was upset that I couldn’t do anything about being wronged. Because I normally do stand up for myself when that happens, but couldn’t in that specific instance. That pissed me off enough that I needed to blow off steam in the Pit. You guys have apparently internalized this broken ethic where it’s a good thing to just sit back and take it. Now I finally understand why you called me a baby, when you guys are the ones who act like babies because you are too afraid to act. Apparently I’m supposed to have been wronged all the time without having at least tried to do something about it. > > It’s just a fundamentally different way of looking at the world. If I see a part of the world that is broken, I do what I can to fix it. I make it as hard as I can on the person enforcing the rules until I am forced to do otherwise. You guys just sit around and complain. I wonder which strategy works better. > > And see if you guys can figure out for once why I have no problem making this thread about me… Because in life most people choose their battles carefully. Additionally, what the OP is describing has been the norm for most people for a long time. I can’t remember the last time I saw a station that wasn’t a pre-pay station even in the ritzy expensive neighborhoods. As was explained above, the requirement to pre-pay makes perfect sense from a common sense perspective. Most consumer transactions require you to pay first in order to get the item, I can’t see why this would be different, especially when you consider how easy it is to drive away once you’ve filled up. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/35 "2013-04-09T13:53:25Z")
> [@bmasters1](#): > > I’m wondering if it’s the same policy if I have to prepay before I can get merchandise in a Hot Spot store. I’m pretty damn sure you’re going to pay before you get to take any merchandise out of the shop and put it in your car. That said, there are big differences with pay before you pump that do not apply to normal merchandise. When doing a “fill 'er up” you don’t actually know how much gas you’re getting, so you have to walk in, pay, walk out, pump, walk in, get change, then walk out again, which is a real hassle. Note for future reference, buying gas with cash is a real hassle. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/36 "2013-04-09T15:01:41Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Never mind. [Dude, that didn’t “go south” as much as it began its life in Antarctica.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=685370) I spotted a package of the item that started off that whole thread the last time I was in the grocery store. Pretty sure nearby shoppers were wondering why I was giggling at “cheese.” 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/37 "2013-04-09T16:04:35Z")
Umm, just don’t fill it up completely. Hand the cashier like $50 knowing it won’t fill up the tank then you can gas up and not have to go back inside for change ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/38 "2013-04-09T16:14:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s just a fundamentally different way of looking at the world. If I see a part of the world that is broken, I do what I can to fix it. I make it as hard as I can on the person enforcing the rules until I am forced to do otherwise. IMO this makes you a jerk. The person enforcing the rules usually isn’t the one who made them or has the power to change them; he has no choice but to enforce the rules or lose his job. Even aside from the fact that just because you don’t like the rules doesn’t necessarily mean they’re wrong, unjust, or illogical. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/39 "2013-04-09T16:18:12Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > That said, there are big differences with pay before you pump that do not apply to normal merchandise. When doing a “fill 'er up” you don’t actually know how much gas you’re getting, so you have to walk in, pay, walk out, pump, walk in, get change, then walk out again, **which is a real hassle**. > Note for future reference, buying gas with cash is\*\* a real hassle\*\*. “a real hassle”? Really? Walking an extra hundred feet, maybe, is “a real hassle”? Walking an extra hundred feet so that you can drive hundreds and hundreds of _miles_ in a climate controlled bubble with music and news and maps that change to show your location in realtime is “a real hassle”? And walking that extra hundred feet so that the merchant can continue to give you the lowest possible price on gasoline without going out of business is “a real hassle”? [Louis CK is right](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8m5d0_everything-is-amazing-and-nobody-i_fun#.UWQ_Kr_ZzGI). ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147/40 "2013-04-09T16:41:54Z")
Well, the very next time I’m in the area of the Greenville landfill, I’m taking my gasoline business elsewhere than the Hot Spot! (harummph) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-spot-gas-station-complaint/655147.md?page=3)