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Back in the days of working at BP this one is.
It’s summer (it always seemed to be when the interesting stuff happened) and I’m sitting on the counter, slushy in one hand, book in another when, for some reason, I look out onto the forecourt. No one was there but I still occasionally look some times. I see this Blue, 2001 Registered (or Y-Reg, if you live in the UK) ford focus struggling on the road. She’s obviously out of petrol, I can see that. Finally, she runs out of juice. We’re on a downhill slope so she coasts onto the station forecourt. Thing is, in a car, when you lose the engine, you also lose power steering and the break servos. No power steering means the car is incredibly heavy to steer and no break servos means that you have no hydraulics on your breaks. You have whatever pressure you hit the pedal with. She makes it up to a pump, narrowly avoiding the pump its self, and stops.
As she gets out, I climb back to the till stide of the counter, expecting her to pick a pump up, but no, she comes into the shop
FD: Focus driver
Me: Petrol station attendant extraordinaire
FD: Excuse me, I really need your help
Me: Out of fuel I take it. It’s not a diesel is it? (I was expecting her to say yes, in which case there was nothing I could do except give her the phone to call the AA, RAC or greenflag)
FD: No, no. It runs on unleaded. All I have is this *hands me a gold necklace*
Me: I can’t accept this as payment
FD: Please. I’m desperate. I have left my purse at home and I have no fuel left. I need to get home
It’s not uncommon for people to fill up with petrol, realise they have forgotten their wallet, then have to come back later to pay. We have a procedure for it and it’s called “A.O.D.” (I have NO idea what that stands for) we hate AOD’s because half the time, they don’t come back. However, what has NEVER Happened is someone coming in and actually asking before they fill up if it’s okay to do that
Of course, I’m in 2 minds what to do. One half of me can she she’s shaking and she can’t control it. She’s clearly out of fuel and rather upset. The other half of me has been working in a petrol station FAR to long at this point and knows what could happen
I have to make a decision
Me: Okay. You can put £10 worth in but I can’t take your necklace. I’ll write your number plate and VIN number down.
FD: Thank you! I’ll be back later tonight, I promise.
I’m on a double shift and I’m right at the start of it, so that’s not a problem. She’s got 10 hours. She put £9.99 in and left.
I didn’t think anything of it until about 9:30pm and I’m trying to balance the shift before I shut down the till and start it back up for the night guy. Of course, I find its out by 9.99 and remember what’s happened. I give it a few more minutes but after that it got to the point, I HAD to start getting things ready for Andy.
Just as I am about to press the button that says “Close shift” I hear “CLACK!! BEEEEP-BEEEEP!” I look up and there she is, £10 note in her hand, purse, and this time a walking stick.
Me: You have no idea how happy I am to see you
FD: Sorry I’m so late. Family emergency, my dad got taken into hospital
Me: It’s okay *takes the tenner as she hands it to me*
FD: Can I fill up? I have my credit card with me this time
Me: Just let me do the shift change over. It’ll take about 2 minutes then yeah, go ahead. I’ll call you on the PA system when you can pick a hose up
FD: Thank you
You’d think that was it wouldn’t you?
Several days later, I turn up for a shift and I find something pinned to the wall under my stab vest (yes, we wore stab vests after the first time I got held up)
Advancedflea
BP-Supermart
Town Name
Postcode
I open it up and this is what I found
Dear Flea
Thank you for what you did for me a few days ago. I was rather ill as, you see, I have M.S. I will be forever grateful. Please accept the enclosed as a token of my gratitude
Yours sincerely
Ford Focus Driver
Out drops a £10 note
It’s summer (it always seemed to be when the interesting stuff happened) and I’m sitting on the counter, slushy in one hand, book in another when, for some reason, I look out onto the forecourt. No one was there but I still occasionally look some times. I see this Blue, 2001 Registered (or Y-Reg, if you live in the UK) ford focus struggling on the road. She’s obviously out of petrol, I can see that. Finally, she runs out of juice. We’re on a downhill slope so she coasts onto the station forecourt. Thing is, in a car, when you lose the engine, you also lose power steering and the break servos. No power steering means the car is incredibly heavy to steer and no break servos means that you have no hydraulics on your breaks. You have whatever pressure you hit the pedal with. She makes it up to a pump, narrowly avoiding the pump its self, and stops.
As she gets out, I climb back to the till stide of the counter, expecting her to pick a pump up, but no, she comes into the shop
FD: Focus driver
Me: Petrol station attendant extraordinaire
FD: Excuse me, I really need your help
Me: Out of fuel I take it. It’s not a diesel is it? (I was expecting her to say yes, in which case there was nothing I could do except give her the phone to call the AA, RAC or greenflag)
FD: No, no. It runs on unleaded. All I have is this *hands me a gold necklace*
Me: I can’t accept this as payment
FD: Please. I’m desperate. I have left my purse at home and I have no fuel left. I need to get home
It’s not uncommon for people to fill up with petrol, realise they have forgotten their wallet, then have to come back later to pay. We have a procedure for it and it’s called “A.O.D.” (I have NO idea what that stands for) we hate AOD’s because half the time, they don’t come back. However, what has NEVER Happened is someone coming in and actually asking before they fill up if it’s okay to do that
Of course, I’m in 2 minds what to do. One half of me can she she’s shaking and she can’t control it. She’s clearly out of fuel and rather upset. The other half of me has been working in a petrol station FAR to long at this point and knows what could happen
I have to make a decision
Me: Okay. You can put £10 worth in but I can’t take your necklace. I’ll write your number plate and VIN number down.
FD: Thank you! I’ll be back later tonight, I promise.
I’m on a double shift and I’m right at the start of it, so that’s not a problem. She’s got 10 hours. She put £9.99 in and left.
I didn’t think anything of it until about 9:30pm and I’m trying to balance the shift before I shut down the till and start it back up for the night guy. Of course, I find its out by 9.99 and remember what’s happened. I give it a few more minutes but after that it got to the point, I HAD to start getting things ready for Andy.
Just as I am about to press the button that says “Close shift” I hear “CLACK!! BEEEEP-BEEEEP!” I look up and there she is, £10 note in her hand, purse, and this time a walking stick.
Me: You have no idea how happy I am to see you
FD: Sorry I’m so late. Family emergency, my dad got taken into hospital
Me: It’s okay *takes the tenner as she hands it to me*
FD: Can I fill up? I have my credit card with me this time
Me: Just let me do the shift change over. It’ll take about 2 minutes then yeah, go ahead. I’ll call you on the PA system when you can pick a hose up
FD: Thank you
You’d think that was it wouldn’t you?
Several days later, I turn up for a shift and I find something pinned to the wall under my stab vest (yes, we wore stab vests after the first time I got held up)
Advancedflea
BP-Supermart
Town Name
Postcode
I open it up and this is what I found
Dear Flea
Thank you for what you did for me a few days ago. I was rather ill as, you see, I have M.S. I will be forever grateful. Please accept the enclosed as a token of my gratitude
Yours sincerely
Ford Focus Driver
Out drops a £10 note
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