Frustration at Fuel Forecourts

[Glassman]

Fuel stations partnered with retail shops. A convenient idea, but fundamentally flawed. They're just not practical.

Classic example: you need fuel. The forecourt is busy; a vehicle at every pump. You then take your pick on which once you queue behind, but, the driver is:

1. trying to order a latte (but the checkout bod is busy running two tills)

2. doing a mini shop;

3. filling the khazi with what looks like Bungle's fingers;

4. praying to god to 'make him a winner' as he tries his luck on multiple scratch cards;

5. all of the above, or basically doing anything but pay for fuel;

6. a driver for a food app and his collecting an order.

I get it, fuel kiosks are not making much money from dispensing fuel. They need to sell coffee, sandwiches, tinned fruit drops and jerrycans, not to mention boxes of chocolates (and wilting flowers) for those en route to dinner who suddenly realise they'll be turning up empty handed. Whether it's impulse buying or necessity, if they're not there for fuel, there (usually) are parking spaces provided. But, they aren't solely to blame.

The issue is that after filling up, a lot of people go from a pitting-in motorist and morph into a retail shopper (and we all know how supermarkets and their marketing people try to sell you stuff you didn't really need). Add to this the generally lower than a snake's belly level of self-entitled inconsiderate and ignorant human being, and those who want to dive in to derv up have to wait until the driver whose car or van you are parked behind has bagged up their shopping and swiped their loyalty card.

On my travels some time ago - I can't remember where it was, somewhere in Hampshire perhaps - I pulled in to an Asda fuel station and it was just for fuel; unmanned too. It was brilliant. Want to buy some goodies? There's a mini shop over there when you get out of the forecourt. Need more than that? Can we tempt you with our purpose built shop where we can help you fill up your trolley with products you didn't know you wanted. The fuel station worked. In; fuel-pay-drive-out; done. The average BP/M&S partnerships seems to be the busiest forecourts for anything but filling up. Sometimes you have no choice and you have to endure.

Last week I pulled in to the BP on Cockfosters Road on my way to the M25. All but one of the pumps had a vehicle parked next to them but someone else - a builder in a van - got to it before I could. He jumped out and headed straight for the shop. I took a deep breath in the hope that it'll just be a coffee, but no. He went for a dump first and THEN ordered his coffee. Whatever happened to parking considerately? Even after I've filled up, if I can see someone waiting behind me, I'll roll forward a couple of metres (or even jump into a parking space outside the shop). It really can be that easy to promote a bit of cooperation and harmony. It won't solve the issue and I can't see what will but people not being s would be a good start. There's a Tesco Forecourt near where I live. Even though there are dedicated parking spaces for shoppers, they will dump their car as close to the entrance as possible which invariably means: at a pump. Sometimes the queue of cars tails back to the main road as if there is a fuel crisis on the horizon. If only it was solely for fuel they perhaps wouldn't need to offer other products.

I'm trying to pass the hours. I have gout in my knee. It's as painful as fk and I needed to vent.



As you were.

[Spare tyre]

I try to avoid petrol stations when it’s busy as it’s just full of selfish tossers

Our local Sainsbury’s hasn’t really evolved since the 70s so the forecourt layout simply doesn’t work

I try to only fill when around 1/3 of a tank left and when it’s quiet, if it’s busy I try not to bother


Thankfully my folks live near a supermarket that has a petrol station open until 10, so typically I try and coincide with an evening visit to them

We also have an ev that is used for local driving, simply magic - plug it in once a week and forget about it

[darreni]

Just use the pay at the pump option.

[shakotan]

darreni said:

Just use the pay at the pump option.

Makes no difference, if its busy, people will stop at the Pay At Pump islands, pay for their fuel at the pump, and then wander inside for a st and a Kit Kat. Seen it a thousand times.

[normalbloke]

Asda Chandler’s Ford.

[AB]

Yeah it's an irritation if you are in a bit of a rush but can't say it happens too often in any of the PFS I use tbh.

Handily, most of them round here have separate parking areas which people tend to use, the one local to my office is an M&S I go to for my lunch and I'm actually surprised by how few people park at the pumps to use the shop.

[Magooagain]

I used to get diesel for my truck and petrol in cans at the same time. What a palaver having to go in, que to pay for diesel then come back out unlock back of truck and get petrol in the cans then go back in and pay. The person waiting to use my pump used to get irate at times.

Now it’s pay at the pump for my local fill ups but still have to use the card twice.

[Mammasaid]

Get an EV and wake every morning to a full tank of 'fuel' with the added bonus of never having to go to a petrol station again.

[s p a c e m a n]

shakotan said:

darreni said:

Just use the pay at the pump option.

Makes no difference, if its busy, people will stop at the Pay At Pump islands, pay for their fuel at the pump, and then wander inside for a st and a Kit Kat. Seen it a thousand times.

Island?

Use the app, I'm in and out of a BP in under 2 minutes on my bike.

[WH16]

Move north, or at least out of the overcrowded cities. My local BP is never more than half full, and I can't remember the last time I had to wait for a pump.

[Cfnteabag]

There is an Asda fuel station near me in Havant, Hampshire. It might be the one you are referring to which just has fuel and nothing else. I haven't used it in a while as it isn't on any route I use regularly but before it was pay at pump it had a drive through kiosk with two windows for payment and no option to buy anything else

[Freakuk]

I had the unfortunate experience of this a few weeks ago. Tiny Shell station, 4 pumps all in use when I arrived, queued behind a car and waited and waited, probably 10 mins plus had passed before they returned to their car with carrier bags worth of shopping.

There are a few spaces they could have moved to, but no let's inconvenience people because they can.

[rek]

I like the unmanned Petroprix fuel only stations in Spain. pre-auth card only never had to queue.

[Richard-390a0]

normalbloke said:

Asda Chandler s Ford.

Which then leads on to the local numpties who use it moaning on social media how they're now skint as the £99 charge on their card hasn't credited back yet.

[normalbloke]

Richard-390a0 said:

normalbloke said:

Asda Chandler s Ford.

Which then leads on to the local numpties who use it moaning on social media how they're now skint as the £99 charge on their card hasn't credited back yet.

Not my circus.

[Castrol for a knave]

I find the fuel queue is a good indicator of intelligence.

Empty pump but 3 people queueing for their offside one.

I just rock up at the empty one and pull the fuel hose over.

[bnseven]

I saw a guy park a Tesla at a fuel pump in front of me recently and then obviously just went in for a shop. there were parking spaces available if you didnt want fuel so heaven only knows what he was thinking, force of habit maybe, less walking??

[alangla]

As much as I appreciate the frustrations here, I can also understand some of what’s being perceived as idiocy.
Firstly, given the ANPR based anti-bilking cameras a lot of forecourts have, are they intelligent enough to deal with the situation where someone fills up, moves to a parking space & then goes shopping?
Secondly, I pull the hose round to the far side of the car as well if I can’t get a pump on the correct side, but I’m always a bit nervous after a previous car got some paint marring from a fuel pump hose that I was never able to correct, no matter what I tried. Now I usually end up pulling the hose behind my body when I’m stretching it to the far side, but there’s no way I’m doing that in a suit.

[JoshSm]

Could be worse, local Shell has a Greggs in it now so you get cretins not just dumping cars at the pumps but on any bit of empty space too, usually wherever is closest to the door so in the road and exit all over the double yellows.

Then staying sitting there to scoff whatever they bought for another 20 minutes.

Plenty of parking available, just lazy morons who can't be bothered.

[Galibier]

I will never understand the mentality of the absolute weapons who pull up at a pump but who don't need fuel and are instead getting some shopping, usually because they can't be arsed to walk 30ft from the car park spaces.