Why do people queue at petrol stations?

Why do people queue at petrol stations?

Author
Discussion

Impasse

15,099 posts

240 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
okie592 said:
rambo19 said:
What is it with 'the correct side' mob, every garage ive used in the last 10 yrs has hoses that will reach either side.
I used to be the same untill I got my golf, you cannot get the fuel to despence properly by brining the pump around, I've done it 3 or 4 times and it clicks all the way though, I'm happy to wait now
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Ooh, that's 38 pence worth.
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Ahh, 50p. Marvellous.
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. 81p yay! I'm so glad there were people on the internet who were insistent I could use the pump on either side or I'd be wasting my time here.
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. A quid.

Wills2

22,669 posts

174 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
a4cabrio said:
daemon said:
Patrick Bateman said:
daemon said:
If theres already a queue, join the queue. Dont be a prick and decide your own rules on what that queue should be and drive round everybody.
So everyone should wait on the one person at the front who's taken it upon themselves to decide for everyone that they'll wait until the next pump is available? Choose a pump and drive over to it, don't hold everyone else up.
If thats whats happening and theres already a queue of people doing that, then yes.

Would you do it in a bank or post office? Just walk past everyone and stand behind someone getting served?
Pathetic, banks and post offices have a queuing lane which the front person goes to the next window, there aren't many banks or post offices that will have 10-15 or maybe 20 windows open like a garage will have pumps so your arguement is ridiculous.

When you go to a petrol station that's busy, pick a pump and wait at it, if it takes longer than some others that's tough, who are you to determine how quick the queue moves???

Me me me me me me as always
Exactly it's the equivalent of going to a supermarket and trying to stand in front of all the tills until one comes free. laugh

okie592

2,711 posts

166 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
rambo19 said:
What is it with 'the correct side' mob, every garage ive used in the last 10 yrs has hoses that will reach either side.
I used to be the same untill I got my golf, you cannot get the fuel to despence properly by brining the pump around, I've done it 3 or 4 times and it clicks all the way though, I'm happy to wait now

daemon

35,724 posts

196 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
Exactly it's the equivalent of going to a supermarket and trying to stand in front of all the tills until one comes free. laugh
You mean like tesco and asda do for self serve tills?

jbudgie

8,843 posts

211 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
petrolsniffer said:
Never had this issue for years now.

Why? because I goto the shell thats always nearly empty on the way to and from work.

Never qued,never had to wait for fktards wanting the right pump or doing their weekly shop.

I'd rather pay the premium of a few p than experience filling up at a supermarket petrol station.
thumbup

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
If it's busy, I just run round screaming FIRE then grab the first pump that's vacated in panic.

There's always a woman prone to hysterics at one of the pumps.

Tally Ho and all that....smile

oldcynic

2,166 posts

160 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
baccalad said:
Saying that, I've more than once saw a traffic police BMW 3 series pull into an empty petrol station, in the dead of the night, and pull up to a pump that's on the wrong side of the fuel cap and proceed to stretch the hose to its limits right round the car and fill up. Why they do it I have absolutely no idea??? :/
Perhaps because it's not their usual car? Having got out and realised their mistake they couldn't be bothered to get back in and start again?

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
oldcynic said:
erhaps because it's not their usual car? Having got out and realised their mistake they couldn't be bothered to get back in and start again?
I see no other explanation that wouldn't mark them out as a mentalist.

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

203 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
I can't wait to get an electric car

80 miles of range magically while I sleep

No petrol stations

TankRizzo

7,247 posts

192 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
Impasse said:
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Ooh, that's 38 pence worth.
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Ahh, 50p. Marvellous.
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. 81p yay! I'm so glad there were people on the internet who were insistent I could use the pump on either side or I'd be wasting my time here.
Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. Brrr Click. A quid.
Maybe all my cars have not been particularly wide (although the Alfa certainly feels it) but I've never had this issue. Just park as close as you can, stretch the hose out and hold it off your car as you fill.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
McWigglebum4th said:
I can't wait to get an electric car

80 miles of range magically while I sleep

No petrol stations
You might be able to generate more electrickery by wiggling your bum one day.

Edited by mybrainhurts on Sunday 19th October 20:36

okie592

2,711 posts

166 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
TankRizzo said:
Maybe all my cars have not been particularly wide (although the Alfa certainly feels it) but I've never had this issue. Just park as close as you can, stretch the hose out and hold it off your car as you fill.
It's not the length of the hose, it's that you have to put it in upside down and it fits as it would if your on the right side, but the misfuling thing makes it click all the time. There was one occasion where I went into a services, went to the wrong pump as we have to use the hgv pumps with our fuel cards, so I had to move the car, then I was parked too far away and had to move it again, then I had the issue of dripping the fuel it, took at least 5 mins to get the £70 in, where as normally it takes 2 mins max. That was a embarasing day.

Impasse

15,099 posts

240 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
TankRizzo said:
Maybe all my cars have been not particularly wide (although the Alfa certainly feels it) but I've never had this issue. Just park as close as you can, stretch the hose out and hold it off your car as you fill.
Gosh. I wish I'd thought of parking as close as possible.

That was very pithy of me and I apologise. But some on this thread seem to think that if something is applicable to their car it is applicable to every other car ever made in the world ever.

For what it's worth both of my cars display the behaviour I've previously detailed. So I will always head for the pump on the side of the appropriate filler cap and the naysayers can masturbate furiously about how they know better.

TankRizzo

7,247 posts

192 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
Impasse said:
Gosh. I wish I'd thought of parking as close as possible.

That was very pithy of me and I apologise. But some on this thread seem to think that if something is applicable to their car it is applicable to every other car ever made in the world ever.

For what it's worth both of my cars display the behaviour I've previously detailed. So I will always head for the pump on the side of the appropriate filler cap and the naysayers can masturbate furiously about how they know better.
Actually, I was just after a reasonable response to tell me if it was an occurrence on fairly wide cars, or something to do with the angle, perhaps. There's no real need for a pissy reply, but up to you of course.

TankRizzo

7,247 posts

192 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
okie592 said:
It's not the length of the hose, it's that you have to put it in upside down and it fits as it would if your on the right side, but the misfuling thing makes it click all the time. There was one occasion where I went into a services, went to the wrong pump as we have to use the hgv pumps with our fuel cards, so I had to move the car, then I was parked too far away and had to move it again, then I had the issue of dripping the fuel it, took at least 5 mins to get the £70 in, where as normally it takes 2 mins max. That was a embarasing day.
Thanks. This makes things clearer.

delboy735

1,656 posts

201 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
okie592 said:
TankRizzo said:
Maybe all my cars have not been particularly wide (although the Alfa certainly feels it) but I've never had this issue. Just park as close as you can, stretch the hose out and hold it off your car as you fill.
It's not the length of the hose, it's that you have to put it in upside down and it fits as it would if your on the right side, but the misfuling thing makes it click all the time. There was one occasion where I went into a services, went to the wrong pump as we have to use the hgv pumps with our fuel cards, so I had to move the car, then I was parked too far away and had to move it again, then I had the issue of dripping the fuel it, took at least 5 mins to get the £70 in, where as normally it takes 2 mins max. That was a embarasing day.
What ???? I drive a Seat Leon ( like a Golf but better looking ) and I regularly fill up from the wrong side with no issue whatsoever.....and I've been doing it for years, not just since many pumps have extra long hoses.
I'm with the OP by the way. Simply drive up to your chosen pump and wait...in my case it doesn't matter which side smile

baccalad

220 posts

114 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
Patrick Bateman said:
I see no other explanation that wouldn't mark them out as a mentalist.
I know. Creepy, huh?

MGJohn

10,203 posts

182 months

Monday 20th October 2014
quotequote all
okie592 said:
rambo19 said:
What is it with 'the correct side' mob, every garage ive used in the last 10 yrs has hoses that will reach either side.
I used to be the same untill I got my golf, you cannot get the fuel to despence properly by brining the pump around, I've done it 3 or 4 times and it clicks all the way though, I'm happy to wait now
said:
Just like a Golf
... wink

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Monday 20th October 2014
quotequote all
I'm with the pick a pump line and join it brigade. However, observe closely and you will find that most cars less than 10 years old are not evenly split 50/50 as to which side their fuel cap is on.

Debaser said:
I always use pumps on the 'correct side'. If that pisses people off, so be it.
Far from pissing me off, I'm more than happy that a great many people have this 'must have the filler cap next to the pump' fixation because it means that the pump lines are seldom equal length - see above. It's an advantage to fill from the 'wrong' side as I have frequently paid and gone before the rest of the sheeple have even got as far as their chosen pump. I have more interesting ways of using my limited time on this earth than frittering it away in a filling station. The real trick is trying to spot who the inveterate 'mini-shoppers' might be. A couple of those ahead of you in the pump line can really screw things up.

One thing that does grind my gears is women in the queue for the till because, almost without exception, they wait until they are stood in front of it before making any effort to locate a means of payment. It then invariably takes them another 3 minutes to find it at the bottom of all the other detritus they cart around in their handbag. And half of them seem to have temporary amnesia about their pin number. I remember one recently who had to dive into her bag again to find her diary where she had written it down!

Munter

31,319 posts

240 months

Monday 20th October 2014
quotequote all
I'm with the OP. Just drive past the muppet blocking the entrance and queue up behind any car where the owner isn't filling it up. (e.g. they are inside paying)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.6295439,-2.12613...

Take the above petrol station. There is one car at every pump. There is a car stopped over the manhole at the entrance waiting to see which pump becomes free.

Is there anybody who things stopping behind them with the car in the road is the best option?