My parents are elderly: my dad will be 92 in a couple of months, and my mom is 85. Particularly over the last year or two, both of them have become more easily confused, and their ability to navigate an unexpected, novel, or complex situation has declined dramatically. As I read the OP, I immediately thought of my parents.
Even though, ten years ago, both of them were capable of using and understanding computers and electronic devices, that’s also declined greatly – it seems to be a combination of their impaired cognitive function, as well as the fact that most electronic devices have become more and more complex, with more and more functions and buttons.
On the one hand, my parents both realize that they are no longer able to do some of the things which they used to be able to do without thought or worry: for example, they’re realized that they shouldn’t drive on the highway anymore, and they only get behind the wheel for short trips to locations where they know the route well, and only during daylight hours. On the other hand, they struggle with the loss of independence, and I can see that they still want to be able to assert “I know how to do this,” so it doesn’t surprise me too much that the couple in the OP refused an offer of help, especially from a stranger.
Even if, as @Czarcasm notes, the pump has “easy to follow instructions on the pump screen,” the couple may not have seen those, or they may not have understood them.
Yes, they created a frightening situation. Ridicule isn’t appropriate, IMO, and as Beck noted: most of us are going to be in that same boat at some point in the not-so-distant future.
Sadly, i recently bought a pair of cheaters to leave in the car. The eyes are getting to the point that I need reading glasses with my phone most of the time (not while driving, but to look up an address or read new emails when I stop somewhere, etc) . Up until now, they were only necessary for reading or (sometimes) the computer, which was basically at home or work. As someone who only has reading glasses I could sympathize with someone how couldn’t read instructions in an unexpected place.
I HATE restaurant menus one needs to read on their phone because I don’t typically take reading glasses out with me; hence the car cheaters.
To my observation, they also tend reduce speed prematurely before a turn lane, perhaps as much as a quarter of a mile, as though it’s going to sneak up on them unawares. Most commonly noted on left turn lanes, and so may cause irritation to some other drivers in the left lane who just want to go like hell because they’re in through traffic in the “fast” lane.
It looks weird with two pair of glasses on one’s head; the (non-prescription) sunglasses are up there when inside.
As for Lasik, I’m still somewhat new to glasses & have heard about enough horror stories that I’m hesitant to consider it.
More specifically, mapping programs that change the scale on you when you get close to a turn. I think I’ve got a couple of hundred yards to the next turn but then it changes & :: it’s right there.
I can’t imagine many really elderly persons clicking up sat.nav before a trip.
I think of my Daddy when he first was able to have access to GPS in his car. He never could make it work, it was beyond him and as he said “I’m too old to learn new tricks”.
Oh, that’s the odd part. I knew it was Oregon but Washingtonians ought to know better.
At my local Oregon station, now all supposedly self-serve, they always have one guy around who RUSHES RIGHT OUT to help everybody fuel up if they need it. I bet they have seen just about everything in the past year or two.
There is a local battered women’s shelter that has a ‘walk a mile in her shoes’ fundraiser event where you wear heels for the race. Could that be considered a (partial) drag race?
* No, I’ve never done it so I don’t know if they have heels for you or if you need to provide your own; only heard it being talked about on the radio station.
As far as I know, registers which support tap-to-pay always have the “Contactless Payment” symbol displayed. Have you encountered tap-to-pay registers that don’t display the symbol, or non-tap-to-pay registers that do display it?
The card readers at one of my local grocery stores offers tap-to-pay, and the LCD screen reads something like “Insert or Tap Card to Pay” when the cash register is ready to receive payment. But, that symbol doesn’t appear anywhere on the device, nor is there any indicator on the device as to exactly where to tap one’s card on the device (which is about 6" wide and 5" tall).
I’ve sussed out that the “tap point” is at the top center of the device, but there’s nothing on it to say so.
Same with the card reader at my corner store. Also, even when a reader has the symbol it could be ANYWHERE, so I often lose a beat while I look for it. POS systems is such an apt designation.
I always forget tap to pay and stick the card in. I’m not so convinced it takes that much more time. Now the ones that still require a PIN typed in or a signature kinda drive me nuts.
I know that most card readers will default to debit cards being read as credit cards if no PIN is given, but doesn’t verifying a PIN mean that the card reader service charges the vendor differently?
About the machine in the OP: It asks you to insert a credit card, and shows you a picture of how it wants you to insert it. it tells you to leave the card in. It tells you to either enter the amount you want to spent or hit the “ENTER” button to fill up. after that it tells you to enter the PIN then take the card out. it then tells you to lift the nozzle, hit the button for the type of gas you want, put the nozzle in the gas hole, and squeeze.
Oh, heck, I’ve been doing that for a decade or more. You won’t be the only one.
It’s not for everyone. I have always been cautioned by ophthalmologists and eye surgeons that I am a terrible risk for LASIK and at extremely high risk of multiple side effects. So I never had it. So approach it with caution should you ever be interested. Many people have excellent results but not everyone does.
At the cheap unbranded gas station I sometimes stop at on the way home from work, for some reason the pumps have been really sloooooow to process credit/debit transactions lately. Like, I insert my debit card like it instructs me to, and nothing happens for a long time. The first time that happened to me I was kind of befuddled. I tried to remove my card, but it was locked in the card reader like it does when it reads the chip. I pressed cancel, and it released my card, and I tried again. While I was standing there trying to figure out what to do, finally the machine asked for my PIN. So that was how I figured out that at that station you have to insert your card, and then wait like a minute*, and then enter your PIN.
*It’s probably not literally a minute, but that’s how long it feels like.
I believe so. Many gas stations around here advertise separate prices for cash vs. credit, but will charge you the cash price if you use debit (with a PIN). I assume that’s because it’s cheaper for them to process a debit transaction.
In fact, that’s why I always insert my card into the card reader at the station I mentioned above, even though their pumps do have tap to pay. If I tap my debit card the pump just treats it as a credit card for some reason and charges me the credit price. If I insert it the pump recognizes it as a debit card, asks for my pin, and gives me the cash price.
) off your head to read a menu.
: it’s right there.
