# I have to say, I don't get it..... \[cars by gas pumps that are not being filled\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651 "2019-06-17T19:23:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/21 "2019-06-18T13:40:43Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Seriously though I usually buy a drink or something before or after I get gas, does anyone really pump gas, and then move their car to a parking space and then go inside and buy whatever they need? Yes, because I’m not a self-centered jerk. Blocking the pumps so others can’t get gas is just rude. In busy gas stations leaving a car there might really jam up the pump area that no one can get through to the open pump. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/22 "2019-06-18T14:11:41Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Also, an employee might park at a pump to deter crime. A holdup is less likely if the robber thinks there are customers inside. This makes sense. It also explains why I sometimes see more cars at the pump than customers in the station, which I’ve seen even at stations with no bathrooms. > [@pool](#): > > Seriously though I usually buy a drink or something before or after I get gas, does anyone really pump gas, and then move their car to a parking space and then go inside and buy whatever they need? I do. The only time I won’t move my car is if I expected to be able to do all my business at the pump but I have to go in unexpectedly. Like to get a printout of the receipt. Or to pay cash because the station didn’t prominently post their unreasonable premium for card charges. Or to get change from the preceding. In those cases, the station’s reduced ability to service customers is the price they pay for needlessly inconveniencing me. > [@minor7flat5](#): > > This is odd, I don’t think I have seen this behavior ever here in New Jersey…finally something that this fine state does well. > (though I would gladly put up with it if I were allowed to pump my own gas and get on my way) It should be pretty obvious that New Jersey customers aren’t going into the station to pay when the attendant is right there pumping the gas. That cuts down on the majority of empty cars by the pumps. If any other customers were tempted to park at the pumps to shop, the nearby attendant yelling at them would pretty well eliminate them. New Jersey isn’t doing anything right though. I’ve wasted way more time waiting for an attendant to pump my gas or give me my card back in New Jersey than I have waited at others stations for seemingly abandoned cars to be reclaimed by their owners. All New Jersey has done is reduced the effect of an occasional bottleneck at some stations by creating a far worse bottleneck at all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/23 "2019-06-18T17:04:06Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > If you’d just switch to an all electric vehicle this wouldn’t even be a thing for you. Charging takes longer, so it would be worse. People at work already leave their cars charging more than the allowed 2 hour limit, although they are billed a nominal fine for doing so. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/24 "2019-06-18T19:19:29Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Seriously though I usually buy a drink or something before or after I get gas, does anyone really pump gas, and then move their car to a parking space and then go inside and buy whatever they need? Uh, yeah. Because it’s the right thing to do. If you were in a self-checkout at a grocery store, would you pay for all your items, and then just leave them there blocking the scanner while you went to the bathroom? ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/25 "2019-06-18T20:15:54Z")
There is a difference in _where_ people are buying gas. Like some others have said, it would never occur to me that there could be a problem with leaving my truck at the pump to go inside(though I rarely go inside at all)simply because I never see a gas station that busy. If I pulled into a gas station and people were lined up waiting for pumps, I would think there was a hurricane approaching and I somehow missed the news 🙂 Now that I think about it, if I do go inside, most often I’ll start the pump and leave it filling while I go in to get a drink or whatever. Depending on the pump it usually takes somewhere between three and four minutes to fill my tank. When I come out the pump is still running so no precious time is lost for anyone. But even if I filled the tank first there are still plenty of pumps available so no one has to wait. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/26 "2019-06-18T20:25:58Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > There is a difference in _where_ people are buying gas. Like some others have said, it would never occur to me that there could be a problem with leaving my truck at the pump to go inside(though I rarely go inside at all)simply because I never see a gas station that busy. > > … Yeah, if it were THAT busy, I’d pull to a parking space. The only examples I can think of would be the station nearest to the airport rental return lots. I occasionally pass REALLY crowded gas stations - mostly Friday or Saturday afternoons. In those situations, yeah, occupying a pump when not pumping would be a dick move. ---
**Author:** ![Helmut\_Doork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e8c25b/32.png) [@Helmut\_Doork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helmut_Doork)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/27 "2019-06-18T21:32:49Z")
If the number of pumps is plentiful enough to the point where I will not be keeping someone from using one, depending on the layout and business of the station I may park at the pump if I am shopping but not buying gas, because I’m not the best at backing up and maneuvering around other people and cars in tight spots. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/28 "2019-06-18T22:47:11Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > It should be pretty obvious that New Jersey customers aren’t going into the station to pay when the attendant is right there pumping the gas… Woosh! ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/29 "2019-06-18T23:44:26Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Uh, yeah. Because it’s the right thing to do. > > If you were in a self-checkout at a grocery store, would you pay for all your items, and then just leave them there blocking the scanner while you went to the bathroom? Well, something similar does happen at the grocers - people leave a self-serve register while they run to some aisle for that one thing they forgot. As far as gas stations, what I see around here is people panhandling at the pumps. I pull in and notice a car with people in it, just sitting in their car. I go in, get a drink and pay for my gas, return and pump it and, just as I’m about to leave, the people at the other pump hop out and begin a sob story about how they’re from some small town nearby and just need a few bucks for gas to get home. There are three different stations I use between my job and home and I’ve seen this at all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/30 "2019-06-19T00:32:03Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Well, something similar does happen at the grocers - people leave a self-serve register while they run to some aisle for that one thing they forgot. Yes, that would be similarly annoying. I liked the gas stations on AF bases when I was still in. You could yell at people who went inside without moving their car. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/31 "2019-06-19T00:52:42Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Assholes. Plain and simple. No, these are not plain and simple assholes. These are the assholes that take five fucking minutes at the cash register buying lottery tickets. Several levels above (below?) your common simple assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/32 "2019-06-19T00:56:12Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Well most of the gas stations I go to the cashiers and or the customers are incompetent buffoons so the line inside can get really backed up with a long wait, you know granny needs her cigarettes and scratch-offs, and the card reader is down. > [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > No, these are not plain and simple assholes. These are the assholes that take five fucking minutes at the cash register buying lottery tickets. Several levels above (below?) your common simple assholes. Why do some people default to cigarettes, scratch-offs, and lottery tickets? People buy all kinds of stuff at gas stations/convenience stores. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/33 "2019-06-19T01:40:39Z")
Because, in the case of scratch off lottery tickets, there are 20 different types, and the assholes are, at the same time, both very specific and quite unsure of which ones they want and how many. It is a tax on stupid people, but you really need to watch these guys in action to realize just how stupid they are. ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/34 "2019-06-19T19:10:42Z")
Yea, I now never go inside and always pay by card at the pump. Not every single one, but most have the dumb as dirt clerks and the customers are no better. I’ve seen people take as long as five minutes to purchase lotto and cigs. I’ve been the third person in line and stood there for twenty minutes just to pay for my gas. They forever lost a customer with me by not streamlining all their bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/35 "2019-06-19T20:36:34Z")
In almost twenty years of driving around the greater Chicago area, I can maybe recall half a dozen times I’ve ever had to wait for an open pump at a gas station, period. It surprises me that this is apparently a common enough occurrence to cause outrage. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/36 "2019-06-19T21:37:40Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > In almost twenty years of driving around the greater Chicago area, I can maybe recall half a dozen times I’ve ever had to wait for an open pump at a gas station, period. It surprises me that this is apparently a common enough occurrence to cause outrage. I’ve seen it half a dozen times this year. Not all of them blocked traffic, because the stations weren’t busy. But the cars still sat there empty the whole time I was there, so if anyone did come in, they couldn’t use the pump. It’s a much bigger issue if you stop on interstate gas stations, with all the traffic. They are often full. It’s still rude. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/37 "2019-06-19T21:52:17Z")
I think it is just unthinking rudeness, or the zombie apocalypse. A gas station/convenience store attempted to open on my town. To have the store they needed a certain number of parking spots. They justified that by including the 6 or 8 spots at the pumps as parking for the store. While their permit was accepted, local pushback caused them to abandon the idea, and our long standing local gas station quickly updated to modern standards. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/38 "2019-06-20T07:10:42Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > At the local convenience store W.A.G.S. in Vermont there is a very specific instruction at the pump to pump your gas and then move to a regular parking spot to pay since there are only two pumps and there is no pay at the pump. When I see a place with specific instructions about paying after you pump and a convenience store, sometimes it’s “move the car before paying”, but more often “don’t move your car until you’ve paid”. If the first, the next person can’t pump after you’ve paid anyway, so if you pump, go in, help your kids use the bathroom, use it yourself, wash your hands and make sure every kid has, get snacks, then pay… the next person is standing at the pump, sighing and wishing you’d get a move on. ---
**Author:** ![irrelephant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/edb3f5/32.png) [@irrelephant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irrelephant)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/39 "2019-06-21T02:30:24Z")
If there are three or four empty pumps and it’s hot as Hades outside as it often is in the southern US, we will park at a pump to be in the shade while we go inside to buy our things. If it’s a busy station or a peak pumping time, that’s a different story. But if it’s not going to cause an immediate backup, I’ll park there because I don’t like to sit and burn gas to keep it cool while I’m not in it. You could argue that it’s a a dick move. But if I’m not preventing someone else from getting to the pump, then it’s not causing a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651/40 "2019-06-21T20:58:54Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > But seriously, I’ve never noticed the OP situation. Probably just means I’m unobservant and will be easily mugged one day. Hell, it may have already happened but I was too clueless to notice. Those aren’t muggers, those are pickpockets. Where’s your wallet now? :eek: > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I vote assholes with no self-awareness. “I got mine” types with no empathy. If you explained exactly to them why what they are doing is bothersome, they wouldn’t get it. Or, for the latter, they’d not only _get it_, but they’d mentally chalk up a star in the WIN column. > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > A holdup is less likely if the robber thinks there are customers inside. Yeah, 'cause it might be Phil in be there, getting doughnuts. [It’s a slight hijack, but it seemed obligatory.] [![](https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/536398495-8ea112fb7de16c0adb490ba8d8ac2068ee92c9548044a644ebaf60e982d43432-d?f=webp "Marvel One shot - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer") ](https://vimeo.com/140163807) —G! You were not put on this earth to _get it_, Mistah Burton! …–Lo Pan …Big Trouble In Little China [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-say-i-dont-get-it-cars-by-gas-pumps-that-are-not-being-filled/835651.md?page=3)