Pump your gas, go inside grab a coke, and pay.
That used to be the way it was in Virginia anyhow. Sure you’d find the occasional bad spot of town that would force you to pre-pay your gas, but by and large it was a commonplace practice. Definitely different from places like New Jersey, where people pump gas for you (then expect a tip).
Hurricane Katrina hit in September 2005, and gas prices soared. Drive-off’s all of the sudden became a scourge to be dealt with, and with the $5/gal rates came the mandated pre-pay for gasoline.
October came. Gas prices subsided. Pre-pay still was enforced.
November.
December.
January.
February…
I can’t be the only one who is tired of having to pre-pay for gasoline. Cameras at gas stations have by and large mitigated most theft. Why should I be forced to pre-pay for gasoline anymore?
Frankly, it was a charming tradition of trust that separated this part of the country from points north.
When will it resume? I haven’t a clue as to whom to ask. I fear we may never see it again, though I certainly hope that some business executive out there is willing to prove me wrong (and earn my business as a result).