Pressing For Cash When Pressed For Cash
GAS STATION | WORKING | JULY 5, 2014
(My husband and I stop by a gas station to fill up after picking up my daughter from her grandma’s. I’ve had my card number stolen from this location before, so I decided that I was going to go ahead and pre-pay inside while my husband waited by the pump.)
Clerk: “What’s up?”
Me: “I just need $30 on pump three, please.”
Clerk: “Okay, hold on.” *hits buttons on screen* “Cash or card?”
Me: “Card, please.” *I pull out my card, ready to swipe*
Clerk: “Oh, s***. Yeah, I pushed cash. It’s already gone through. Hold on, let me get my manager.”
(He turns to the side and the manager is just on the register next to him.)
Clerk: “Yeah, um, I hit cash, but it was supposed to be card.”
Manager: “All right, I’ll fix it.” *pushes buttons on screen* “Hey! $4.05 has already been pumped!”
Me: “What? Oh! My husband must have already started pumping.”
Manager: “You have to pay cash now.”
Me: “I don’t have cash because I was planning on using my card. It wasn’t—”
Manager: “You pay cash now!”
Me: “I don’t HAVE cash! I need to use my card! Your clerk is the one who let it go through as cash!”
Manager: “What about your husband? Does he have cash? You need to pay in cash, now!”
Me: “No, my husband doesn’t have any cash. That’s why I was going to use my card! You really can’t do anything about this?”
Manager: “Fine, you do cash back!”
Me: “Well, do you have an ATM?”
Manager: “No, you can do cash back at the register.”
(He sets up the register to do a cash back charge of $4.05, but he adds a $0.25 charge to the total. I assume it’s a fee for doing cash-back only. He tells me to swipe my card for the cash back and I do so.)
Manager: “Okay. Now, how much do you want?”
Me: “Well, I guess $25. Pump three.”
Manager: “Okay, go ahead and swipe card.”
(I swipe my card and it goes through just fine, then he hands me my receipt.)
Manager: “Next time have cash!”
(I take a look at my receipt and it shows the $0.25 charge as a ‘grocery item.’)
Me: “Wait, what’s with this 25-cent charge?”
Manager: “That’s the stupid fee, for messing up our register. Now move; I need to get the next customer.”
Me: “Excuse me? I don’t think so! This all started because your employee hit the wrong button! 25 cents may not be much, but I can’t afford to waste even a penny. Give me my 25 cents back!”
Manager: “Fine.” *tosses a quarter at me* “Now get out!”
(I took my change and receipt and left. I hate that gas station. Too bad it’s the only one in the area.)
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