Buying Petrol

166man

Today, I did my weekly €50 petrol put into the car. I pulled into the forecourt and the minute I got out of the car, I was being watched by 3 different petrol attendants in the store. Now I am no thief and put the petrol in and paid in-store. I noticed as I was paying every few seconds the attendant would be glancing out the window and staring at whoever had just pulled in.

Now, petrol like anything else is a good that everyone buys, why is it that I (and indeed many others I'm sure) are made to feel as if we are being watched at every angle? Why can't I go into a petrol station and buy fuel the same way I go to Tesco and buy bread, without being made to feel uncomfortable?

It was only really today I noticed quite how annoying it is and won't be visiting that petrol station again. I do understand that there is the % of people who do drive off without paying but even still, it was too much for me.

What think ye fella's?

Stheno

Never really took any notice of it to be honest, I wonder if that place you were today didn't have decent cameras and stuff, and are relying on the staff keeping an eye out?

Be a bit strange though in this day and age.

That said my not noticing being watched could be due to the fact that my head is usually elsewhere when I'm getting petrol

CiniO

I assume normal procedure is to full-up and walk to the shop/counter to pay for fuel before driving off the pump.
It seems reasonable that petrol station people were looking at you while you filled up and drove off.

lau1247

does it really matter?? as long as you are legitimate customer, then you shouldn't have any uneasy time..

I'd put it down as "keeping an eye out for people who would drive away without paying".. at the end of the day it is a business, if this is my business and have experiences of people 'stealing' I'd do the same too..

Slunk

Can't blame them really. I was putting petrol in the car for my gf a while back and they wouldn't engage the pump because there was someone in the driver seat. Guy came out and explained the situation. Don't bother me really. Its when they keep watching you in shops that bugs me.( No jokes about looking bogey please )

corktina

perhaps their cameras had failed. Id have no objection, people who steal petrol only increase the cost for the rest of us

MuppetCheck

I wouldn't take it so personally. Maybe they just had someone rush off and got a bollocking over it or something. Nothing at all wrong with them keeping an eye out imo.

johndaman66

Having worked in a filling station for a number of years it was alarming the number of people who would "forget" to pay. Many of them resepctable people who you would not expect it from, many not so respectable, and plenty in between.

For smaller amounts management didn't follow up on cases....I'm sure this may have changed since. Considering the margin for petrol and diesel is so small for the vendor, if somebody makes off with €20 worth even it'll take some considerable time to make that back.

Cameras cant be monitored all the time either. I can see very much how management are dependant on the assistance of shop floor workers in keeping an eye on the punters.

MugMugs

I think you're being paranoid frankly.....

spiggotpaddy

MugMugs wrote: »

I think you're being paranoid frankly.....

That's unfair maybe the OP is whats known in forecourt terms as

A real dodgy cove.

DanWall

If you get petrol (gas) in the USA you have to pay the money before you fill up. It's a fact of life now that there are dishonest people around us who will try and get away with it.

RustyNut

Next time try taking off the wet suit,gimp mask and tutu and you might not get the "look".

Pottler

Reading the title I thought the OP had a diesel and was planning to change to a petrol to lower maintenance costs... Drive-offs have gone through the roof, so petrol sellers are wary, seems fair enough to me.

mgbgt1978

CiniO wrote: »

I assume normal procedure is to full-up and walk to the shop/counter to pay for fuel before driving off the pump.
It seems reasonable that petrol station people were looking at you while you filled up and drove off.

Cinio, The OP made no mention of driving off (or any where else) before paying for their fuel.
He/she did mention that other people may "drive-off" without paying.
Personally, if this particular outlet has a big problem with Drive-off's then perhaps they should simply introduce a pay-in-advance scheme.

Also in many busy forecourts (because they're cheaper) I often move my car away from the pump before paying to allow the person behind me to fill up while i am paying. I never had a problem with this , and often wish more people would do the same for me.

Pottler

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Cinio, The OP made no mention of driving off (or any where else) before paying for their fuel.
He/she did mention that other people may "drive-off" without paying.
Personally, if this particular outlet has a big problem with Drive-off's then perhaps they should simply introduce a pay-in-advance scheme.

Also in many busy forecourts (because they're cheaper) I often move my car away from the pump before paying to allow the person behind me to fill up while i am paying. I never had a problem with this , and often wish more people would do the same for me.

I'd do this where I get fuel, but cleaning the pump attendant off the windscreen would probably get old after a while. He'd be hopped on the bonnet in about 2 seconds flat drive-offs are so common:D

McGrath5

A lot of employers will deduct a percentage of the staffs wages if there is a drive of, that might be the reason they where keeping a close eye on you OP.

mgbgt1978

You have to move your car further inwards on the forecourt Pottler...they don't like it when you move out onto the road to leave room for the next guy;)

tinofapples

I recently popped into a shop in Finglas (I'm a Galwayman), not far from Nothern Cross Bus. Park to buy a few very small items. I've never seen a security guard as intimidating as the beefed up foreign-looking dude on duty there. I thought he was gonna stand right over me while I browsed, paid for, and exited the premises. Gob****e.

A sign of the times perhaps ?

georgefalls

They were watching your car while you were in paying for it as well..?
If someone started interfering with your car, then the staff would be in a position to warn you.
Fair play to them, I say..

MadYaker

I work in a petrol station at weekends and we average about 1 drive off a day. It can range from €5 to about €120 which is the most I've ever seen. We try to keep an eye on who is at what pump so when they come to us at the till we know they got fuel and can remind them if they "forget", but it isn't easy, there are 12 pumps and its a very busy shop always full of people.

You'd be amazed the amount of people who forget to pay because they spend a few minutes wandering around the shop picking up other stuff. It's usually hard to know if they are genuine or not. Generally if somebody leaves without paying you don't notice until after they are gone so its a case of checking the cameras and then calling the gardai who follow up on it. The Gardai are actually surprisingly good at this. Usually after calling them the person who didn't pay either comes back and pays or calls us.

dgt

If you think a bit of looking is bad, I once sold a pair of cats (not kitty cats) outside Dungannon. I was made feel so terrible and couldn't do a thing about it. Demoralising stuff. Never, ever again

bobin fudge

yeah its very common with certain garages, I have no problem whatsover with peoples eyes literally touching me when im filling up as Ive nothing to hide and know its them looking out for the business

ION I was stopped and searched by a guard car 2 days ago which was a little embarassing to say the least, they were very polite and so was I, I was in a tracksuit and being an adult they must have thought I looked dodgy. I was literally on my way home from the gym

point is I have no issue with example a and was a little pissed off with example b but will teach me to not wear a tracksuit in public again :pac:

MadYaker

Why did they stop you? I doubt they could see you were wearing a tacksuit while you were in your car?

Were you driving a white range rover sport commercial with 25 inch chrome wheels and tinted windows???

DylanII

I never had any issue before, but then twice in one week the attendant shut the pump off on me while I was filling up. Said I would have to prepay if I wanted any more.

Then in another station they wouldn't turn the pump on. I went in and asked, I said I wanted to fill it right up and I was paying by card so I needed to fill it first. They said no. So I just put €5 in to get me to the next garage.

I don't know why, I dont look like someone who would drive off without paying.

CiniO

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Cinio, The OP made no mention of driving off (or any where else) before paying for their fuel.

He said the following:
Today, I did my weekly €50 petrol put into the car. I pulled into the forecourt and

I assume that he drive to the pump, filled up his tank, and then drove off the pump just to the front of the building. So he drove off the pump - that's what I meant.

He/she did mention that other people may "drive-off" without paying.
Personally, if this particular outlet has a big problem with Drive-off's then perhaps they should simply introduce a pay-in-advance scheme.

Also in many busy forecourts (because they're cheaper) I often move my car away from the pump before paying to allow the person behind me to fill up while i am paying. I never had a problem with this , and often wish more people would do the same for me.

I think that in most stations they don't want people to drive off the pump before paying, as this is making even more mess, and it's harder to control who paid and who didn't.
I also think that in most stations, once you fill up your petrol pump can't be unlocked again before it's paid, so there is no point in driving off the pump before paying, as next person won't be able to fill up anyways.

snubbleste

DylanII wrote: »

I don't know why, I dont look like someone who would drive off without paying.

What does this someone look like then?

bobin fudge

MadYaker wrote: »

Why did they stop you? I doubt they could see you were wearing a tacksuit while you were in your car?

Were you driving a white range rover sport commercial with 25 inch chrome wheels and tinted windows???

no I was on foot, probably not worth mentioning it in hindsight, just was a little surprised at being stopped. What made it worse to me anyway was that a woman got out her car and was looking for a parking meter and I pointed her in the direction only for a second later to be stopped -god knows what she was thinking I was

MadYaker

DylanII wrote: »

I never had any issue before, but then twice in one week the attendant shut the pump off on me while I was filling up. Said I would have to prepay if I wanted any more.

Then in another station they wouldn't turn the pump on. I went in and asked, I said I wanted to fill it right up and I was paying by card so I needed to fill it first. They said no. So I just put €5 in to get me to the next garage.

I don't know why, I dont look like someone who would drive off without paying.

Maybe they didn't have cameras? Which is stupid tbh. If you can't show the gardai what happened on the cameras they will do sweet f*ck all if you call and tell them someone drove off without paying.

DylanII

snubbleste wrote: »

What does this someone look like then?

bobin fudge

quite like that burberry tracksuit, going to see if I can order one in time for xmas

suave.4u

Have to agree with the OP. I too feel uncomfortable when people are "looking over their shoulder" for no apparent reason; but I have started to ignore then completely.
I have seen this more in O'briens wines. The security guard keeps staring at you as if you are gonna run away with something (I have more than 800 O'briens points and I get this).
I have stopped going there now; just buy it off supermarkets now; peace of mind, you can do all the research and buy .

dmc17

166man wrote: »

Now, petrol like anything else is a good that everyone buys, why is it that I (and indeed many others I'm sure) are made to feel as if we are being watched at every angle? Why can't I go into a petrol station and buy fuel the same way I go to Tesco and buy bread, without being made to feel uncomfortable?

Well if it was a €50 loaf of bread I bet they'd be watching you. Thus why expensive items have security tags on them.

Stheno

suave.4u wrote: »

Have to agree with the OP. I too feel uncomfortable when people are "looking over their shoulder" for no apparent reason; but I have started to ignore then completely.
I have seen this more in O'briens wines. The security guard keeps staring at you as if you are gonna run away with something (I have more than 800 O'briens points and I get this).
I have stopped going there now; just buy it off supermarkets now; peace of mind, you can do all the research and buy .

Jaypers I must look innocent as a lamb, I've never come across this in O'Briens either, one of my favourite places to get booze!

Pottler

Stheno wrote: »

Jaypers I must look innocent as a lamb, I've never come across this in O'Briens either, one of my favourite places to get booze!

You don't have 800 O'briens points. After 500, they start watching you - even o'briens are worried for you at that stage.:D

Stheno

Pottler wrote: »

You don't have 800 O'briens points. After 500, they start watching you - even o'briens are worried for you at that stage.:D

My fecking card got stolen when my wallet was stolen

I'd about 900 points on it

The Royal Scam

In the Maxol near the curragh in Newbridge , you can only pre-pay for your fuel all the time.
i was chatting to them about it and the dude was saying they were getting 2-3 drive offs a day! He said cameras were pointless, as most of the reg plates they were recording on drive offs were bogus.

Stheno

The Royal Scam wrote: »

In the Maxol near the curragh in Newbridge , you can only pre-pay for your fuel all the time.
i was chatting to them about it and the dude was saying they were getting 2-3 drive offs a day! He said cameras were pointless, as most of the reg plates they were recording on drive offs were bogus.

I've used that station and I really like the prepay option to be honest

Wouldn't mind if it was in all stations

mgbgt1978

CiniO wrote: »

I think that in most stations they don't want people to drive off the pump before paying, as this is making even more mess, and it's harder to control who paid and who didn't.
I also think that in most stations, once you fill up your petrol pump can't be unlocked again before it's paid, so there is no point in driving off the pump before paying, as next person won't be able to fill up anyways.

Quite the opposite. Almost every petrol station nowadays has a Computer Till, where any transaction can be paused while another one is put through, and multiple transactions are very simple.
Also the cctv quality and monitoring methods have improved so much that it's now very easy for the Guards to follow up on most drive-offs...apart from false plates & a baseball cap, which can be a drive-off regardless of whether the person in front has politely moved out of the way or not.
Not looking to discredit you Cinio, just pointing out that the technology is there.

mgbgt1978

Stheno wrote: »

I've used that station and I really like the prepay option to be honest

Wouldn't mind if it was in all stations

I can't see why we don't have more stations similar to a lot of the French ones. At night there are no staff, you pay by credit card (you put your card in to the pump to activate it), and there are loads of cameras watching everything to deter any vandalism.
No drive-offs, and if you don't have a credit card then simply fill up during daylight hours when there are staff present to take your cash.

CiniO

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Quite the opposite. Almost every petrol station nowadays has a Computer Till, where any transaction can be paused while another one is put through, and multiple transactions are very simple.
Also the cctv quality and monitoring methods have improved so much that it's now very easy for the Guards to follow up on most drive-offs...apart from false plates & a baseball cap, which can be a drive-off regardless of whether the person in front has politely moved out of the way or not.
Not looking to discredit you Cinio, just pointing out that the technology is there.

I know technology is there. And I know it deadly easy to check on video recording who didn't actually pay.
But serving many customers at one pump at the same time just makes mess, and more change for someone to just genuinely forgot to pay.
Imagine.
Johny fills up for 10 quid at pump 5 and drives to the parking. Then he goes to pay but on a way he goes to the toilet.
Then Paddy drives to pump 5 and fills up by 20 quid. He drives off as well, and goes to pay, but he meets Sue on the way and starts chatting.
Then eventually Mikey drives to pump 5 and fills up for 50 quid.
He leaves his car there and goes to the till to pay. But in the mean time Paddy finished chating with Sue and he goes to the queue before Johny.
Attendant asks him what is he paying for, so he says "petrol from pump 5". But unfortunately he couldn't remember the amount. Then attendant has a bit of a problem, because there are 3 transactions on this pump and no one knows which one is which.


There is no reason to make such mess.
System where you fill up, go to pay, and then go back to the car to drive off, and then pump is unlocked for next customer makes lots of sense.
That's how my local station works where I fill up the most often.
I filled up very few times around Dublin, so I don't know if they do it differently.
But my experience from most places in Continental Europe shows it's nearly always like that - fillup, pay and drive off. Not the opposite.

166man

Well just to clear things up, I pulled into the forecourt, put the petrol in and walked into the shop. Now obviously I always pay for my petrol, but it just bothered me being ''watched'' like that.

Call me paranoid or whatever you like, but when I'm paying €50 for something, it's nice to have to attendant look at you for more than 2 seconds before staring out the window and then looking back at his till. I swear, in the time I was paying he stared out the window about 5 times.

I understand of courser there are those people that drive off and clearly no staff member want's to be out of pocket, but I guess it was the intimidating way in which I felt I was being stared at when I was buying their goods, that put me off.

It was just something that struck me while I was paying and I was thinking about it as I drove home, I was merely curious to see if others thought the same, apparently not.

Stheno

166man wrote: »

It was just something that struck me while I was paying and I was thinking about it as I drove home, I was merely curious to see if others thought the same, apparently not.

More I've never noticed it to be honest

I've had it in some shops with security, but never at a petrol station, but I can be a right space head, I fill petrol, go in, faff about, get a drink, pay and leave.

They could be hovering over my shoulder and I'd not notice

I think I'm too willing to believe in the goodness of people

mgbgt1978

CiniO wrote: »

I know technology is there.

That's the complete opposite of what you said earlier Cinio.

once you fill up your petrol pump can't be unlocked again before it's paid

edit. Just get all your stereotypical Irish friends (Johnny, Paddy & Mikey) to pay for their juice before their chat about the weather and everything will be grand.

CiniO

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

That's the complete opposite of what you said earlier Cinio.

once you fill up your petrol pump can't be unlocked again before it's paid

OK, you got me.

What I meant by quotation above, is that they don't unlock the pump until it's paid.
I didn't mean that technologically it's impossible.

Stheno

CiniO wrote: »

There is no reason to make such mess.
System where you fill up, go to pay, and then go back to the car to drive off, and then pump is unlocked for next customer makes lots of sense.
That's how my local station works where I fill up the most often.
I filled up very few times around Dublin, so I don't know if they do it differently.
But my experience from most places in Continental Europe shows it's nearly always like that - fillup, pay and drive off. Not the opposite.

Does work differently here at most petrol stations, they keep track, you come in and give the approximate amount you put in and they charge you, so others can fill while you pay?

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

That's the complete opposite of what you said earlier Cinio.

once you fill up your petrol pump can't be unlocked again before it's paid

In fairness that's one example he gave, the tech. is there to allow people to fill up after someone who hasn't yet paid.

166man

Stheno wrote: »

More I've never noticed it to be honest

I've had it in some shops with security, but never at a petrol station, but I can be a right space head, I fill petrol, go in, faff about, get a drink, pay and leave.

They could be hovering over my shoulder and I'd not notice

I think I'm too willing to believe in the goodness of people

Neither did I until today either. Maybe that's because the staring was quite blatant I don't know really.

I do believe in the goodness of people but fuel theft must be very common for it to be necessary, suppose it makes sense, I still don't like being stared at when I'm spending my money on their fuel though.

Stheno

166man wrote: »

Neither did I until today either. Maybe that's because the staring was quite blatant I don't know really.

I do believe in the goodness of people but fuel theft must be very common for it to be necessary, suppose it makes sense, I still don't like being stared at when I'm spending my money on their fuel though.

I'd not like it either, the odd times I've had it happen has made me uncomfortable in shops and I leave, never had it happen in a petrol station so far, that said I only use about three and I'd be a "regular"

Was it a station you don't normally use?

The Royal Scam

CiniO wrote: »

I know technology is there. And I know it deadly

There is no reason to make such mess.
System where you fill up, go to pay, and then go back to the car to drive off, and then pump is unlocked for next customer makes lots of sense.
That's how my local station works where I fill up the most often.
I filled up very few times around Dublin, so I don't know if they do it differently.
But my experience from most places in Continental Europe shows it's nearly always like that - fillup, pay and drive off. Not the opposite.

Cinio, there is nothing messy about it at all, seriously lad, your thinking too much about it.
As you may have noticed that all during the boom most indepentent fuel providers went to the wall , now the big 5 fuel suppliers are using the most up to date technology and systems . I use a company fuel card and honestly would not know when I go in to pay what amount is at the pump, I regulary get asked for my reg to confirm which transaction was mine as I normally park up after filling up.

challengemaster

166man wrote: »

Neither did I until today either. Maybe that's because the staring was quite blatant I don't know really.

I do believe in the goodness of people but fuel theft must be very common for it to be necessary, suppose it makes sense, I still don't like being stared at when I'm spending my money on their fuel though.

You're watched in just about every shop, the difference is most garages won't have a dedicated security person (or anyone bar till staff) to keep an eye on things. In Tesco, Dunnes, etc etc, there's always security keeping an eye either themselves or with store cameras.

People steal things, and that includes fuel. And that's only going to get worse over the next few years tbh. That's why there's a need for it. And I wouldn't be surprised if the store manager is telling staff to be vigilant keeping an eye.

I think you're making a big deal out of nothing tbh. If you want to keep the "I don't like being watched while I'm spending money" attitude, forget about going into shops...

Procrastastudy

166man wrote: »

Today, I did my weekly €50 petrol put into the car. I pulled into the forecourt and the minute I got out of the car, I was being watched by 3 different petrol attendants in the store. Now I am no thief and put the petrol in and paid in-store. I noticed as I was paying every few seconds the attendant would be glancing out the window and staring at whoever had just pulled in.

Now, petrol like anything else is a good that everyone buys, why is it that I (and indeed many others I'm sure) are made to feel as if we are being watched at every angle? Why can't I go into a petrol station and buy fuel the same way I go to Tesco and buy bread, without being made to feel uncomfortable?

It was only really today I noticed quite how annoying it is and won't be visiting that petrol station again. I do understand that there is the % of people who do drive off without paying but even still, it was too much for me.

What think ye fella's?

Having worked in retail for many years I can assure you every shop you go into, that's managed correctly, you're being watched. Do you think thieves have it tattoo'd on their forehead?

Merch

Perfect Choice wrote: »

A lot of employers will deduct a percentage of the staffs wages if there is a drive of, that might be the reason they where keeping a close eye on you OP.

That cant be legal