Lady gets her "essentials" before the oncoming storm

[greensinestro]

I live in South Florida, so this week we dealt with the possibililty of Tropical Storm Fay hitting us. Fortunately, it passed by, although it hit areas north of me. In any case, I decided to fill up my car on Sunday, as did other people. When I arrived at the Shell station, the wait time was a few minutes, and there were at least one or two cars waiting behind another. I pulled up behind this woman who parked, then got out and went into the store. I figured she was paying with cash, being you can't pump until you pay first. Well, I waited, and waited, and waited, and she never came out. After waiting five minutes, another pump opened up and I was able to get in there to it. Another five long minutes went by while I pumped my gas, and this woman still did not come out of the store. After I finished pumping, I got in my SUV and right as I was driving off, the woman finally came out with three 12 packs of Budweiser, and four cartons of Winstons. Then, I waited a couple of minutes for the light to change, being the station has one there at the entrance. Still, she had not pumped her gas yet, because she had to get her beer situated, then had to light up. On top of that, as I was pulling away on the green light, she then started to pump her gas, with a lighted cigarette in her mouth!

I don't know about anyone else, but this is beyond having manners, not to mention it tells where a person's priorities are. Here we had a storm coming, and people are buying essential items like gasoline, water and batteries at Publix, and this woman is at the gas station, hogging up a pump that someone else could be using, and she's buying beer and smokes. Of course, I'm sure she's back there today trying to get a refund, which many people try doing on their stuff once the storm passes.

[LostMyMind]

I do have to ask.... Why the hell it was called a Tropical Storm. I'm starting to think that the insurance lobbyist got into the weather agency. Just so they can say, "it falls under hurricane/tropical storm, which we don't cover".

That storm shouldn't have gotten an name, imo. 10 years ago, the weather man would have said. "Hey, we're going to get rain. Lots of it. Sucks to be you if you bought swamp land."

And yes, I know people who think beer and smokes are essentials. Sadly, my idiot brother is one of those. Constantly complaining about not having money for rent, but can afford to drink 12packs and smoke 2 packs daily.

[Muses_nightmare]

she then started to pump her gas, with a lighted cigarette in her mouth!

What?! Was she in an area that the attendant couldn't see? Because when I was working for a gas station if someone lit up while pumping gas we hit the big red emergency stop button, and told all the customers that we couldn't allow gas to be pumped while the person at Pump X was smoking, and asked the person to put out their smoke.

The amount that safety was emphasized at my store was crazy though. I still cringe when I see someone with the hose wrapped around their car because they parked the wrong way.

[blas]

Did she park at a pump, then proceed to spend forever in the store, blocking the pump from other customers?

I hated when people did that at the gas station. They'd pull up to a pump, waltz in, and bark "Packocamels!".........why did you park by a gas pump then?

[greensinestro]

Did she park at a pump, then proceed to spend forever in the store, blocking the pump from other customers?

I hated when people did that at the gas station. They'd pull up to a pump, waltz in, and bark "Packocamels!".........why did you park by a gas pump then?

Yes, this is what I think happened. The place was packed as it was, as it usually gets when a storm is approaching. She was there to get gasoline, but also there to get shit she didn't need, plus I think she was in there bullshitting for a few minutes with friends. It didn't end being she had to get her beer situated, then open up a carton of cigs, get one out, spend a moment getting it lit, and THEN pumping her gas. My guess is she probably spent at least twenty minutes doing all of this, and meanwhile, other cars came and went, let alone others that had to wait for her sorry ass to finish up. As I said, it's beyond rude and having no manners.

[One-Fang]

The amount that safety was emphasized at my store was crazy though. I still cringe when I see someone with the hose wrapped around their car because they parked the wrong way.

'Scuse my ignorance, please enlighten me - what is the safety issue with that? Aren't they designed to be able to deliver gas to either side of the car? I'm constantly driving unfamiliar cars and sometimes get it wrong as I drive up to a pump. Should I back out and take the one on the other side?

[Kogarashi]

The hoses on the pumps at the nearest Sam's Club seem to have been designed extra-long for just that purpose, since the pumps have one-way lanes leading up to them.

[Muses_nightmare]

'Scuse my ignorance, please enlighten me - what is the safety issue with that? Aren't they designed to be able to deliver gas to either side of the car? I'm constantly driving unfamiliar cars and sometimes get it wrong as I drive up to a pump. Should I back out and take the one on the other side?

It's a safety hazard in that the hose could snap back at the customer, either spraying them with gas some way, or injuring them another way. Generally we just asked people to go to the other side, or turn around, whichever was easier for them, but we wouldn't let them pump with the hose wrapped around the car.

[Muses_nightmare]

The hoses on the pumps at the nearest Sam's Club seem to have been designed extra-long for just that purpose, since the pumps have one-way lanes leading up to them.

That seems odd to me, then again, the ones where I worked weren't designed like that, and we had 10 pumps, no one way drive ups.

[Kogarashi]

That seems odd to me, then again, the ones where I worked weren't designed like that, and we had 10 pumps, no one way drive ups.

Yeah, this is the only place around here where I've seen such long hoses, and I think it's because it's the only place with the one-way lanes. I've seen those hoses reach all the way around an SUV (or over, as the case may be) and still have slack in the hose. There is no going the other way, and often if there's lines you can't get out easily and get on the correct side.

I still think they should either standardize which side the tank access is on, or put access on both sides of the car.

[trunks2k]

I do have to ask.... Why the hell it was called a Tropical Storm. I'm starting to think that the insurance lobbyist got into the weather agency. Just so they can say, "it falls under hurricane/tropical storm, which we don't cover".

That storm shouldn't have gotten an name, imo. 10 years ago, the weather man would have said. "Hey, we're going to get rain. Lots of it. Sucks to be you if you bought swamp land.

Labeling is based on wind speeds. A tropical storm has a sustained wind speed between 39 and 73 MPH. Below 39MPH, and it's a tropical depression. Above 73, and it's a hurricane.

And ten years ago was 1998, we were using the same classification system as today.

[LostMyMind]

Man, the years go fast. Yes, same classification. But not the same media coverage.

I've lived in Florida nearly all my life (except for the first 2 years of it). This is the first fart of a storm to get this kind of media hoopla. Yes, it drop a shit load of water on everyone. Great, we needed that water. The wind... please. It's Florida, if the that wind did anything to your house. It need to be demolish and rebuilt because this is Florida. It will happen again.

Oh I'm sorry your crappy county government didn't keep the storm drain working in that swamp land they filled in. Shouldn't have bought swamp land.

I'm sorry, I have no pity for someone who buys swamp land and wonders why it flooded. Same for people who build houses too close to the beach and wonder why the ocean getting closer to the house. These things aren't a mystery. Swamp land floods when shit load of water gets dump on it. Beaches erodes....