Here’s to you, gas station attendant!
You know those scenes in movies where the guy is on a date or has a big important business meeting at some fancy restaurant and when he tries to pay his card gets declined? The waiter always approaches awkwardly, pulls the gentleman aside and tactfully informs him that “there must be something wrong with our system, but your card has been declined.” They never actually come right out and tell the guy, “hey, you’re broke and can’t afford to pay for this.” That’s excellent customer service. I know someone who could use a lesson in that.
I had pulled up to the gas station at a Kroger near my office because my truck was literally running on fumes. It was fairly busy and I had taken the last available gas pump. I inserted my debit card, as instructed, and immediately received a “See Attendant” message on the screen. Odd. Before I could even put my card back into my wallet, the attendant, sitting in her little glass box, yells over the PA system, “INSUFFICIENT FUNDS, NUMBER 6!” It takes a second to comprehend what she just said and I look up to see that I am currently trying to use pump number 6. Did she really just announce to the entire gas station that my card was declined due to insufficient funds? Yes, she most certainly did.
I calmly approach the little glass box where she sits with a wry smile on her face. It just made her day to announce to everyone that I’m broke and can’t afford to refuel my vehicle. She leans forward and says once again, “Insufficient Funds.” I inform her that there is no way that this is the case and ask her to try the card again for an specific amount, like maybe $20. She takes the card, rolls her eyes a bit and with a smirk processes the transaction, expecting to once again inform me that I’m broke. She was giddy with excitement. But, to her surprise, the transaction was approved. How about that?
So here’s to you, gas station attendant, for having an obvious look of disappointment as you hand me my receipt and I proceed to fill my vehicle with $20 worth of gas that I can, in fact, afford. What do you do for fun? Do you go down to the unemployment office and ask people what they do for a living just to see their reaction? I can say without a doubt that you, ma’am, are one of my least favorite people of all time.
That is awesome!