Pay at the pump
Pump your gas, go inside grab a coke, and pay.
That used to be the way it was in Virginia anyhow. Sure you'd find the occasional bad spot of town that would force you to pre-pay your gas, but by and large it was a commonplace practice. Definitely different from places like New Jersey, where people pump gas for you (then expect a tip).
Hurricane Katrina hit in September 2005, and gas prices soared. Drive-off's all of the sudden became a scourge to be dealt with, and with the $5/gal rates came the mandated pre-pay for gasoline.
October came. Gas prices subsided. Pre-pay still was enforced.
November.
December.
January.
February...
I can't be the only one who is tired of having to pre-pay for gasoline. Cameras at gas stations have by and large mitigated most theft. Why should I be forced to pre-pay for gasoline anymore?
Frankly, it was a charming tradition of trust that separated this part of the country from points north.
When will it resume? I haven't a clue as to whom to ask. I fear we may never see it again, though I certainly hope that some business executive out there is willing to prove me wrong (and earn my business as a result).
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Shaun Kenney 
3 Comments:
You used to be able to pay after you pumped. No longer...
I have to say, though, prepaying isn't nearly as bad as the imbalanced penalty levied against people who steal gas as opposed to people who steal any other kind of market item. Theft is theft, and gas is the only item protected to the point of revoking your ability to travel freely. Now THAT is unfair!
Not that I've stolen gas or anything ... 'cuz I haven't.
And I have a Ford F-150... we're talkin' gallons to the mile kind of fuel efficiency!
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