When filling up my car, I usually use prepaid pumps where you run your card, a certain amount gets reserved, and once you’ve finished pumping, you can simply close your fuel cap and drive off.

Today, I was at a fuel station where you pay afterward with a real person. Unfortunately, my mind was on autopilot, so I drove off without paying. I realised this a few minutes down the road, so I turned around and went back. 

When I got back, a police car was parked in front of the shop, and inside, the officer was chatting to the cashier.

Me: “Hi, I’m here to pay. I drove off about fifteen minutes ago. I’m terribly sorry; I usually use prepaid pumps, and I totally blanked out. I hope I’m still good?”

Cashier: “Ah, thanks for coming back. The amount is [amount].” *To the officer* “I think we can cancel the report then.”

Me: “And could you also add a double espresso, please?”

The officer burst out laughing.

Officer: “Sounds like you needed that a little earlier, man!”

I am talking to my manager. He is facing outside toward the pumps. His eyes go wide, and he rushes out toward a customer. My manager is Korean-American.

Manager: “Sir! Sir! No smoking!”

Customer: “Chill, Mr. Miyagi. I’m allowed to smoke outside.”

Manager: “You’re not allowed to smoke anywhere at this gas station. It’s a fire risk!”

Customer: “Pfft. That’s an urban myth. Cigarettes aren’t hot enough to ignite gas.”

Manager: “Sir, rules are rules. Put the cigarette out.”

Customer: “Chill, I’m almost done with this one.”

My manager calls over to me.

Manager: “Call the police. Tell them we have an unruly customer.”

I nod and the customer starts shouting.

Customer: “Hey! It’s just a f****** cigarette, you [slur for an Asian person].”

Me: “Leave. Now.”

Customer: “You wanna die?

Manager: “Sir, with all due respect, I’m not the one trying to light a cigarette next to a tank of gasoline.”

Thankfully, he left without incident.

Related:
Where There’s Smoke…, Part 3
Where There’s Smoke…, Part 2
Where There’s Smoke…

I was working at a gas station when this man came in with a gun and demanded all the money in the cash register. I had just done a cash drop, so I only had about $30 in the register. He wasn’t happy about it and demanded the money from the closed register. I thought that was odd that he knew that there was money in it.

Since it was a computer register, I had to log in, which takes time.

Robber: *Pointing the gun at me* “Go faster!”

Me: *Tired and annoyed* “You’re so impatient over $45! If you can’t wait, then you can leave the store!”

Robber: *Muttering* “Sorry.”

And he waited quietly until I handed him the money.

The police watched the surveillance video multiple times and laughed at how the robber jumped at my going off on him. Between giggles, they reprimanded me for doing something so dangerous with a gun pointed at me.

It turned out that the robber had done a job interview with our store manager a few days before, and she had basically given him the information he needed to know when we had the most money at night and that the closed register always had money in it for the morning shift. She didn’t realize that I was a stickler for only having $30 at my register the majority of the time when I worked overnight.

This happened a few years ago. I was working the last shift at a gas station along a major highway. The manager shouldn’t have put me on the last shift, which went very late, as I was only eighteen years old and studying for college, especially considering that the gas station was a short drive out of town, but he did.

Twenty minutes before closing time, I am behind the counter when I see a smartly-dressed woman in her forties come inside followed by two younger women a few years older than me. They are both scruffily dressed and their clothes do not fit. One of them is wearing a T-shirt and trousers that are about two sizes too small. Both are carrying those cloth bags that you buy from a supermarket to reuse.

Woman: “Can my daughters look around quickly? I promise we won’t be long.”

Me: “Okay.”

I need to tidy the shelves anyway, so I leave the counter. I notice that wherever I go, the woman stays in the same aisle, even closer if one of the two girls is nearby. The girls keep looking at the bars of candy or browsing the rows of clothes. One of the two young women picks up a pretty dress.

Girl #1: “Do you think she’ll let us get this?”

Girl #2: *Sniggering* “The woman who makes you, me, and [Other Girl] wear three bras between us?”

The first girl also starts to giggle, putting the dress back.

Girl #1: “Who knows what’ll happen by the time [Other Girls] starts puberty?”

They keep glancing over chocolate and magazines while I go to count stock. The older woman comes up to me with a T-shirt.

Woman: “Sorry, but could you please take the security tag off for me? I want to pay.”

I go over to the register while the woman keeps going on about the difficulty of finding a good outfit. I soon feel as if she is distracting me. Then, I hear a shout from the two girls. I run over and see that the first girl has fallen on the floor.

Me: “Are you all right?”

Girl #1: “No. My leg hurts.”

I couldn’t see any damage, but I started going into protocol. As I said, I was the only person on shift. My manager had his phone number on a sticky note behind the counter, but my phone was back there. When I tried to get up to leave, the girl whined again.

After what seemed like forever, the woman was standing next to me. I turned to her for help, but she pushed me into a rack of clothing. Before I could get up, I felt the kick of her boot in my face. I heard the three of them running away. When I got up, I found that several items had gone missing and the till was empty.

I called my manager, who then chewed me out for leaving the till unmanned. A total of $316 had been stolen from the register, as well as $276 in goods. Thankfully, my manager didn’t make me pay back the money, but I left that job as soon as I was able to.

A customer comes into our petrol station looking a little grumpy.

Customer: “You’re charging me 50p to use the air pump! 50p! I remember when it used to be 20p!”

I look at the customer directly in the eyes. Did he really just set me up for this? I can’t believe I actually get to say it.

Me: “Well, that’s inflation for you.” 

The customer stared back at me… and ever so slowly, a smile crept across his face. He walked out giggling, leaving me amazed that the universe had gifted me such a perfect setup.