Do you keep gas receipts? __ interesting comment from African American coworker

[underpants]

I have a friend who I'm sure keeps gas receipts - he's a one man shop small business owner.

A few days ago my coworker and I were having a regular type conversation when she said something that puzzled me.

Her: "...and they didn't have in paper in the Pump so I couldn't get my receipt..."
Me: "why do you need the receipt ?"
Her: "Being black in America. I don't want anyone accuse me of not paying for the gas"

I was quite surprised. Aside from not understanding how a Pump would work without already paying, I had no idea.

Is this a common perception in the African American community?

[Kirk Lover]

1. How do you get the gas to pump without paying for it first?

[mythology]

4. Every once in a while you come across it.

In the early 2000s when I was regularly driving across Kansas, most gas stations weren't prepaid. Also places that are full service often pay at the end.

[Kaleva]

29. Most gas stations where i live allow u to pump first and then pay inside.

[rurallib]

30. here also

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

35. Where are you?

I haven't seen a gas pump that allows you to pump first, pay later in years. That includes living in two different states and driving across the country more than once.

[Jim Beard]

40. You can if it is a small town and the clerk can see you.

[Kaleva]

41. Upper Michigan

I don't know of a gas station in this whole area where one has to pay first before pumping.

There may be some but I haven't run into one yet and I've gotten gas in many towns here over the past few years.

Most gas stations allow one to scan their debit or credit card before pumping but they all give the option to pay inside after pumping. There a few where one has to pay inside after pumping as their pumps don't have card scanners.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

48. How genuinely fascinating.

It makes a lot of sense that in a small town you can pump the gas first, then pay. But do be aware that outside of such small towns, you pay first. I have never had the pleasure of visiting the UP, and I really really want to get there some time reasonably soon, so I know I don't know much about it, but I'm going to guess that pretty much the entire UP is small towns where everyone knows everyone else. Sigh. It's been a very long time since I've been to a place like that.

And thank you, and other respondents for reminding me that things can be quite different in other parts of the country.

[Ms. Toad]

49. Most of the stations around here are pump first, pay later - especially if the pump

isn't set up to accept credit cards. The exceptions are the ones that have pumps out of the line of sight of the cashier. Some are manually turned on - pretty much automatically by the cashier when you drive up either because they recognize you, or you look honest.

[tammywammy]

2. Don't you have to pay first to get gas?

Either at the pump or give cash inside?

[trof]

18. Credit card reader malfunctions

I've had it happen a couple of times.
Insert card, remove card, pump gas.
For some reason the card reader didn't work properly.

One time an alarm and flashing lights went off as I started to drive away.
The other time the attendant came running out waving his arms at me.

[lapfog_1]

3. Haven't seen a gas pump like that in many years

but yes, at one time ( 1960s ? ) you could roll up to a pump, start pumping gas, and pay the attendant at the end. No credit or debit or cash in advance needed.

And I'm sure there was a stereotype of the "blacks" not paying at the pump and the sheriff or police chasing them down to "make them pay" or arrest them for stealing.

[shraby]

5. In the 1960s, the stations hired someone to pump the gas, and then you paid him/her,

usually him.
Gas was something like 25 - 29 cents a gallon in 1960.

[lapfog_1]

8. But not always

or sometimes the attendant was busy with another customer.

You could roll up, hop out, and stick the nozzle into your tank... Turning on the pump was a bit more complicated than it is today... and sometimes required a large key... but I do remember that some people would not pay (in my small town in Kansas) and there would be a big to-do about it.

[crazycatlady]

10. That still happens

Minus the prices. Just go to New Jersey.

[Dave Starsky]

17. Oregon does it this way.

In fact, you can't pump your own gas there.

[dixiegrrrrl]

34. Why is it you cannot pump your own gas?

I've heard of that, but not been in a place with that rule.

[Dave Starsky]

39. Takes jobs away from gas pumpers, IIRC.

There's probably some environmental reason, as well. A lot of people don't do it right, and they spill gas or release harmful fumes into the air.

Anyway, it's kind of nice not having to get out of your car, run the money in to the cashier, etc.

[ProudLib72]

45. It makes you feel all regal having a lackey pump for you

I've driven down the Garden St Parkway a few times and got gas. It's true, the law is you don't get to handle the gas.

[trof]

19. And we got free glasses.

[fescuerescue]

11. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong

But "open" gas pumps were standard until at least the early 90's. This was in Ohio where I lived at that time.

Seems like they started vanishing around the time of the first Gulf War when gas spiked and gas thefts started to become a problem.

Back then I would hit a button, and over the loud speaker I would either ask for a "fill up on pump #x, or $10 on pump x". ($10 being pretty darn close to a fillup). I would then fill up, then go inside and pay.


But to the OP's question. I always get a receipt for the same reason (Im white though). Its funny - its something I never have questioned, even though as I type this out, I'm realizing that it's an irrational reason since "open" pumps are non-existent now.

[MaryMagdaline]

6. My eyes were opened

About 20 years ago, friends of ours had a child, who at 18, was coming into money, then in trust for him. His mother said, "we can't let him think he has money. Get him a used car at 18, maybe a Volvo. No red car, no sports car, so he won't get pulled over and shot by police." The child was 5. Mother already thinking how he might get murdered by police. College plan. Check. Good school district. Check. No car that will get you killed? Check.

Had never heard the words "white privilege" then, but I fucking learned what it was. Right then.

[Solly Mack]

7. Driving while black. Shopping while black. Walking while black.

Existing while black.

Yeah, it's not uncommon.

White people kill their spouse or their children and then blame a mysterious black person. Why? Because it plays on the racism of the person telling the lie and the people hearing the lie. Some white folks are all too willing to believe the lie because the make-believe suspect is black. It plays into the fears of racists. You know, black folks will do anything - rape, rob, mug etc.. So of course they will steal gas.

In a country where you have to worry about the police stopping you because of your skin hue and then killing you for the same reason, yeah - you save your receipts.

Because the sad fact is, you never know when some racist asshole will accuse you of stealing gas and you never know what kind of cop will respond. A racist cop or?

Better safe than dead. Even then, you could end up dead.

[Wellstone ruled]

15. Sad to say,seen this type of behavior

several times. Both local Metro Officers and Store Security.

[Solly Mack]

16. Me, too. :(

[underpants]

21. Thanks

That was the general gist of her point.

[crazycatlady]

9. Just go to NJ

You can't even pump gas. Makes paying cash VERY easy.

[fescuerescue]

12. Once or twice a year I'll fill up in NJ

On some sort of trip.

It feels -so- weird just sitting there in the car while someone fills my tank.

It as if I paid someone to brush my teeth or comb my hair for me.

[jberryhill]

13. Wait... people comb their own hair?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

36. Yes. I haven't been to NJ in a while, but I've been to Oregon.

Same thing. It feels quite bizarre not to pump my own gas.

Several years back I was visiting Oregon and (alas, I've forgotten some of the details) pulled up to a gas pump in the middle of a state park, or some such. No one around. I cautiously got out, saw I could insert my credit card and pump my own gas. I did so, very furtively, feeling like a criminal. Filled the tank and then sneaked away, convinced I'd be caught on camera and arrested for illegal gas pumping.

[Mister Ed]

14. Seems as though most replies are missing the point of the OP.

I don't think it was meant to spark a discussion of how gas pumps work. I think it was meant to start a discussion on how America works for different people.

[underpants]

20. Thank you

[RobinA]

33. Gas Pumps

around here nor anywhere else I’ve in at least 10 years don’t dispense gas until you’ve paid no matter who you are, so I wouldn’t really have had a response the poster’s coworker.

[Mister Ed]

43. I think what the poster's African-American friend was saying was...

...that even if she couldn't have dispensed gas without paying, she fears that she might still be challenged upon driving away.

I would guess that she furthermore fears that, if someone called the cops on her as she drove away and they subsequently stopped her to question her, that receipt might all that prevents the situation from spiraling dangerously downward.

It's not the pump mechanism that has her worried. It's her life experience that's made her cautious and circumspect.

As a white guy, it's hard for me to imagine feeling so much fear and worry as I go about my ordinary, day-to day routine. I think the point of the OP might be that black folks have it a little different than I do.

[KitSileya]

52. Yeah, it's amazing how even people on a progressive message board shy away from this.

They're probably not even doing it on purpose, they're subconciously avoiding the serious discussion on what it's like to live as black in America. However, it illustrates how ingrained "soft" racism is, and shows us how important it is that we white folks (I am one of them) call other white folks out on it.

Hey, folks, discussing payment methods at gas stations in this thread is as relevant as claiming bridge construction is the theme of the fairy tale 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff', which is to say, while the goats walk over a bridge, it's not relebant to the story and detracts from the message about bullying, and the strong protecting the weak. Your gas station payment methods discussion detracts from the very vital discussion we should be having on how stressful it is to be black in America, and how it makes it more difficult for African-Americans to succeed.

In other words, stop contributing to racism, folks.

[Angry Dragon]

22. SO SAD!!

[Thor_MN]

23. It's becoming more common to pre-pay, but many stations in MN allow one to pump and then pay inside.

If they require pre-payment, I'll either use a card at the pump or find another station. I refuse to go inside, pay and then go out to pump the gas. I'll often get a cup of coffee when I fill up, but if they can't trust me far enough to fill up and then pay, they don't get my business for any extra purchases.

I once, maybe 30 years ago, drove off without paying. I was working a night shift, groggy, and always went to the same station. The people working knew me, called my home and told me to stop in and pay the next day. I think those days are long gone.

[Kaleva]

26. The 3 gas station in town allow you to pump then go inside to pay.

I usually pay at the pump but one day stopped at the gas station where that isn't an option. I gassed up and took off. Several blocks later I realized I hadn't paid so i turned around and went back. The lady laughed and said she knew who i was and was sure I'd return when I realized what I had done.

[irisblue]

24. I kept gas receipts.

I would enter them monthly into a notebook.

[sarcasmo]

25. I do the same thing, save my receipt until I fill up the next time.

[jrthin]

27. NPR's "Racism's Chronic Stress" by Rae Ellen Bichell. Nov. 11/17.

Interesting article to check out.

[MattP]

28. Once i prepaid and went to the restroom and a uhual had pulled up and filled up on my charge

And the gas station refused to do anything aboit it, they refused to release the video the police wouldn't do anything either so i just never went back to that station

[Corvo Bianco]

31. That is unfortunate.

[tonyt53]

32. A couple of years ago, I hit the "No" button when the prompt asked if I wanted a receipt or not.

I was using an Amex card - it was for my business but I have since retired. I didn't need their receipt as I had the Amex statement linked to my business accounting software. A store employee came running out and blocked my exit when I started to leave the convenience store lot. He said I didn't pay. I advised him that he really should look at their cameras and that he was making a mistake. The moron kept on and on and was getting more and more agitated. Another clerk came out and asked him what was wrong and he told her to call the police. He said he wasn't letting me back into my vehicle. I told him I would wait for the cops, but if I wanted back into my vehicle, he sure wasn't going to stop me. As the city cops were on their way, a state trooper pulled in to gas up. The clerk yelled to him to come and arrest me for theft. The trooper, calm as could be, told the clerk that he is lucky that he wasn't arrested himself for blocking my exit. Then he asked him to check his cameras. There I was, paying for my gas. HOWEVER, I would highly encourage anybody, and especially people of color or people that appear poor, to get that damned receipt. nobody can pull any info off of the receipt, so it won't hurt if you lose it later. Since I've retired, I take the receipts.

[Generic Brad]

37. I always collect my receipts

Then I match them up with my statement once a month to make sure there is no fraud or unauthorized charges on my account. Race does not have anything to do with for me. I'm just anal about my money.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

38. When I get gas I almost always go inside and prepay with cash.

That's mainly because of the way I budget, setting aside a specific dollar amount in cash for various things, one of which is gas. Sometimes when on a driving trip I'll use my credit card, but it has never occurred to me that I might be accused of not paying for the gas. I suppose that's yet another example of white privilege, the kind we white people just don't recognize, and it makes me genuinely sad and angry to realize how difficult it must be for my brothers and sisters of color.

[d_r]

42. keep the reciept

my mother got accused once

[Jim Beard]

44. I don't know so much about not paying for gas is a problem.

During the "Farm Crisis" I had to make some money so I worked for a convenience store. I started noticing that black people always wanted a sack, even if they just bought a candy bar. It started pissing me off because of the extra work so one day and elderly black man came in and I ask him why "Why sacks?

He told me

...It being in that sack means its paid for!

[ProudLib72]

46. I never pay at the pump, ever

That's the easiest place for someone to install a skimmer or read your number.

[Sailor65x1]

47. How silly

If she were truly fearful all she had to do was walk inside and the attendant could print her a receipt.

[ecstatic]

50. Honestly, that thought has never occurred to me

I always select Yes when prompted for a receipt; but sometimes, when the machine is out of paper, I don't bother to wait in line to get the receipt. The rare times when I do wait in line to get a receipt, my concern is about them cheating me as far as what they deduct from my credit card. Of course, I never actually follow up or check.

It has never occurred to me that someone could accuse me of stealing gas. After reading these posts, I will make sure to always get the receipt. Maybe.

[MarvinGardens]

51. Its a smart move.

When I first got my license, most pumps allowed you to pump without paying. When I started paying with a credit card, it felt weird to just drive off without interacting with the clerk. The receipt made me feel better. "Yep, you definitely paid," it said.

Nowadays, I keep all my receipts, from everything. See, my wife watches 48 Hours Mysteries, which means I watch 48 Hours Mysteries. Quite often the initial suspects are not the guilty parties, and have an alibi (such as receipts) to prove it. My receipts not only prove I paid, they prove I was there, at that time, and not somewhere else.

I recommend everyone to get receipts and keep them for a reasonable time, regardless of your race.

[Hekate]

53. I keep receipts from everything until I get home -- all my purchases. Always have, and I'm white...

I'm just cautious. It surprises me how many retailers now ask if I want a receipt at all, given the potential for misunderstandings about how many items there might be in your shopping bag as you walk around the store or the mall.

I can certainly see how the level of caution might rise to hyper-vigilance for any African American in this benighted land, though.

[raccoon]

54. Tell him next time that happens to go inside

Tell him next time that happens to go inside and ask the clerk for a receipt for whatever pump he used.