With gas prices on the rise, I'm sure lots of people have pictures of gas stations with the incredibly high per-gallon rates perfectly in focus. Well, I don't have any of those. Instead, I have an interesting story to share.

SETTING: Southeast Wisconsin (about 30 minutes away from Milwaukee)

In between work and church yesterday evening, I noticed my tank was just below 1/4, so I would have to stop somewhere to get gas soon. I figured that sooner was better than later, given how prices have been going up so frequently. I pulled into a Clark station, where the sign said that unleaded would cost me $3.249 a gallon. I was hoping to catch it for $2.999 a gallon, but oh well. I would still get a 4% rebate with my credit card.

BUT WAIT...
As I got out of my car and looked at the pump, I noticed that the price still said $2.999! Woohoo! How lucky I felt. (Yeah, feeling lucky to be paying almost three bucks a gallon. My, how my standards have slipped.)

BUT WAIT AGAIN...
As I removed my credit card and was about to insert it in the machine, a gentleman working at the station approached me. The following conversation ensued. I can't recall it word-for-word, but it went something like this:

Him: "Wait! The computer is doing an update!"
Me: "An update?"
Him: "Yeah, it'll just take a minute."
Me: "What kind of update?"
Him: (pointing at a clerk in the building) "He's doing it right now."

I looked at the message readout on the pump. It said 'Insert Card or Begin Fueling'.

Me: "How will I know when it's ready?"
Him: "It'll tell you."
Me: "Is it going to be $2.99 a gallon?"
Him: "No, it just went up."
Me: "Oh. How much did I miss it by?"
Him: (misunderstanding) "A quarter."
Me: "No, I mean -- if I had been here 20 minutes ago, it would have been $2.99?"
Him: "More like two minutes ago."

Awkward pause.

Me: "I'm kind of in a hurry. Do you mind if I just try it anyways?"
Him: (with a slight chuckle) "Well, you won't get any gas that way."
Me: "Okay."

Despite the employee's advice, I inserted my card, pushed the start button, lifted the nozzle, inserted it into my fuel tank, and depressed the lever. It worked like it always had before. I was purchasing gas at $2.999 a gallon.

As I watched the amount rising, I realized what was going on. The store personnel were trying to increase the price to $3.249, but for some reason, they couldn't do it quickly. For some strange reason, they also couldn't stop people from buying gas at $2.999 a gallon. As other customers pulled in to the station, the clerk who had approached me was doing the same thing -- telling people to wait. Most didn't listen -- especially when I told them that my pump was working perfectly.

I finished filling my tank, collected my receipt, and drove away.

EPILOGUE: What's up with a price increase in the middle of the day? And how come it was impossible for the store to stop the pumps while updating the prices? Crazy.

Jump "my first post in a LONG time" Man