Posted on 12/10/2007 10:08:19 AM PST by John Cena
(AP) Dozens of drivers made a mad rush for cheap gas after a station employee accidentally changed the price to 33 cents a gallon.
An employee closing Trig's Minocqua Shell for the night mistakenly entered the price of a gallon of gasoline as 32.9 cents instead of $3.299 on Monday night.
He left about 10 p.m., but drivers could still use their credit cards to buy gas.
Word of the bargain spread fast in the rural northern Wisconsin community, with 42 people buying 586 gallons of gas in an hour and 45 minutes. One person had pumped 27 gallons and two purchased 18 gallons.
Local police saw the horde at the station and called store manager Andrea Reuland, who went to the station and pushed the emergency stop.
"There were cars two deep at each of my pumps," said Reuland, who knew many of the drivers and told them they were being dishonest _ the main store sign had the correct price.
"I was very upset that there's that many dishonest people," she said. "They knew there was a problem, and they took advantage of an employee's mistake and I think that's terrible."
The employee, who has been there for about six months, had changed the gas prices 25 times in the past six months.
"It was an honest mistake," Reuland said. "I could have done it."
Area residents were still talking about it Friday morning.
"Was it you guys?" a woman in the station asked Reuland. "Why do I always miss the good stuff?"
That isn't what I asked. I asked whether you thought it was wrong to swap price tags. It's not beyond the realm of possibility to believe that there are some places that don't use bar codes. Just this weekend, in fact, at was at such a place when I bought my Christmas tree.
I remember three of us in my AH Sprite and having 30 cents between us and getting a little over a gallon PUMPED
Based on what some of my acquaintances who own gas stations have told me, if they're charging $3.299 they probably paid something like $3.259 for it.
Dance like nobody’s watching means dance in front of folks like you do when you’re alone.
Without being self-conscienous or worried.
Which has not one think to do with gas (though some may claim that watching me dance gives them gas).
OK, any other questions?
32.9 cents is the state gasoline tax - per gallon.
Which makes me curious about whether or not a price was entered at all. It would seem that the tax is one preset value and the “cost” of gas would be another.
A full on giveaway.
a) The street sign says 3.29, not .329.
b) Being 90% off normal gasoline prices should tip off the common-sense meter that something is wrong.
You’re not the only guy who was a dumb s—t at times when he was young. Go the extra mile today. Let go of it. Merry Christmas.
Honestly,
I’m so used to buying gas at the same station without even looking at the sign.....I’ve been doing this for sheesh, forever.
So no, I don’t notice the sign or even the price on the pump. Its “I always stop here for gas”....that’s it.
Wrong up a price? You're a poet and didn't know it. :)
They deliberately took advantage. There were huge lines going to this station but nowhere else.
And you can’t say you don’t notice a 90% difference in gas price.
Yeah, and you'd think that cops wouldn't participate in looting, too...
Yes....(sorry if I missed that) .... it is wrong for the CONSUMER to swap tags. That is criminal as it shows intent to commit fraud / theft of a product. No I wouldn’t do such and would contact the owner or authorities if I was witness to such. As to the incident discussed in this thread.....it was morally wrong for them to knowingly do such yet it was NOT ILLEGAL......:o)
Agree not all Mom & Pop Shops have modern anti theft / tamper protection in place.
Stay safe ....gotta go for now will check back this PM !
I keep coming back to more of your replys so ..
Dance like nobody's watching is yours, yours, yours, yours, yours .... ... even though it's a quote attributed to everyone from Satchel Paige to Mark Twain.
Enjoy your weed covered pond and pure heart.
I hope you at least notice the stop sign when I’m crossing the street in your town.
Now I know why you haven’t been on FR much lately Grin)
“When the big sign casting its fluorescent glow across the station and nearby streets has foot-high bold black letters showing the price as “$3.299,” then they really knew that the price was not MEANT to be that low.”
Well with that logic I suppose people pumping gas at $3.19 a gallon at one station who see the station across the street with gas at $3.09 a gallon are either fools or being ripped off? What I’m saying is who knows what’s going on with gas prices, be they “too low” or “too high”? Who knows if they ain’t getting watered down gas (which happens, too) at $2.99 per gallon or receiving less gas that they think they are paying for? To me, it’s a crap shoot and I stand by my notion that most people late at night are not really paying attention to signs or numbers, they just need gas right away.
Talking to your peers that way, is one of the most difficult things a young man can do. He gets kudos from me on several levels. Thanks for telling the story.
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