Costco members are some if the most highly educated consumers in the USA, but why is pumping their own fuel so foreign to most of them?

[alarmguy]

I think it was a GM brand.

67 Pontiac GTO
(I miss that car and the girls I had in it)
Hope my wife doesnt see this

 

[loneryder]

Costco members are some if the best educated consumers in the USA. Probably the retailer with the highest number of STEM customers.

But I have to ask, why do so many COSTCO members seem clueless everytime they pump their fuel at Costco?

It blows me away a group could be so well educated, very often STEMs from very good universities, but every time they pump fuel, it's like the first time they ever pumped fuel. And of course, they use Costco almost exclusively for their fuel, so it's not like it's a new station to them.

I know exactly what you mean. They have to be the slowest gas pumpers in the world. They are some of the busiest stations around with the slowest people. Really bad in FL during the winter. Get out of the car, go to pump, realize they need their card, look for card, have trouble getting card to work, look for attendant to help, have trouble setting the auto flow, take their time replacing gas pump nozzle, shuffle back to drivers side, very slow to start car and drive off. Women are even worse!.
All Costcos have tap and go. The lines are always long.

 

[loneryder]

Great question. I am a member of both Costco and Sams Club, and observations and life experience suggest they have a different foundation of customers.

Thanks for correcting my STEM definition- stay young my friend....

I have no statical data that validates COSTCO members are among the highest educated consumers on a MACRO level in the USA, but I would take a bet they are seven days a week. COSTCO members nail it in the store, are super-efficient and focused. These same members hit the fuel pumps, that they visit on a regular basis- and it is like they never pumped fuel before. Inside the store they operate like heroes, at the pump they operate like zeros.

I disagree about in the store. Cashier finishes checking them out quickly, then the customer realizes she needs her car and proceeds to look for it in her purse. Then there are those who walk in the store and stop in the doorway. I’ve started saying excuse you for blocking the door. People today are so self centered they are unaware of any people around them.

 

[loneryder]

Costco keeps building on major roads - then drops the gas pumps right at the intersection knowing it causes traffic issues.
No interest in that chaos … They do the opposite of Buc-ee’s who has lots of space and pumps …

Costco’s are hard to get into.

 

[JGmazda]

Listen... Costco (and Sam's) are usually crowded for a reason. That is to be expected. When I buy gas there, I expect to wait in line. I'm okay with it.
This thread made me think there was something wrong with "Educated people pumping gas..." But not really. I've never experienced what the OP suggested.

Patience. What happened to people having patience? Apparently people want instant EVERYTHING these days.

 

[tbm5690]

My theory is that only because you are waiting in line do you notice the lack of competence in pumping gas... I would imagine that this happens at every gas station but you don't notice because you're not waiting behind somebody.

 

[gman2304]

For reference, does anyone remember which brand of cars had the gas fill nozzle under the license plate?

I’ve had many cars with this sensible feature. IMO, The most logical place to have the fuel filler. It would at least get rid of the gas pump two step. However, I’m sure the designers would have a hissy fit!

 

[JeffKeryk]

I’m not waiting 20 minutes at gas station to save $2

I get there at 8:30AM or earlier; no waiting. When you are saving 40 cents per gallon, it adds us. My cars are mostly gas hogs, so there's that.

 

[PimTac]

I’ve had many cars with this sensible feature. IMO, The most logical place to have the fuel filler. It would at least get rid of the gas pump two step. However, I’m sure the designers would have a hissy fit!

It would work for sedans which are becoming extinct. The crossover hatch style won’t allow it.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

@GON how would you classify Walmart shoppers?

Hope my wife doesnt see this

I doubt she'd be bothered by this. Women like to know that they got a real catch.

 

[Blackstack]

My former Mechanical Engineer boss was the most intelligent person I have ever known. He is also one of the most idiotic, self-sabotaging people I have ever met and am still not convinced he is even able to dress himself for the day. Intelligent and smart are two entirely different things. My Grandpa was smart as a tack and had an 8th grade education. And guess what, my former boss went to Costco quite often. I'm sure he made a scene there too.

 

[ls1mike]

Listen... Costco (and Sam's) are usually crowded for a reason. That is to be expected. When I buy gas there, I expect to wait in line. I'm okay with it.
This thread made me think there was something wrong with "Educated people pumping gas..." But not really. I've never experienced what the OP suggested.

Patience. What happened to people having patience? Apparently people want instant EVERYTHING these days.

I spent years going to sea on submarines. I am as patient as they come (kind of have to be being stuck in the tube for months at a time), what happened to people being prepared and considerate of other people's time? There is no reason if you know you are getting gas to have as many problems as I have seen at my local Costco. I am ok with lines and busy and I am not ok with people who have no situational awareness. That is my issue.

I am not trying to be mean, I guess I should not expect all people to have a healthy amount of situational awareness. It is beat into you in the Submarine Navy. I know getting gas isn't going to kill you, well I guess it could, but you can look around and maybe be aware of your fellow human beings.

 

[97K15004WD]

For reference, does anyone remember which brand of cars had the gas fill nozzle under the license plate?

Pontiac.

 

[ls1mike]

Pontiac.

There was lots of GM stuff, Mercedes had some so did Ford, not sure about anyone else. I think is a great place for it.

 

[Rmay635703]

Apparently other states don't have elderly or disabled people. Or just don't care about them?

50 somewhat united states, 50 ways of doing things it seems...

This is like the states that force us to paint yellow diesel tank caps green.

For 100 years
diesel tanks = yellow
Gasoline = red
Kerosene = blue
Oils = green

But some states had a yahoo make it legally required that the gas caps be wierd colors that don’t match the color of the fuel tank standard.

Even nicer gas stations stopped following any standards making the handle color random and meaningless.

And we wonder why airplanes get misfueled

Again, what are you observing?

A thing recently are services and apps that deliver gasoline to parked cars located anywhere similar to grub hub but for gasoline
usually while the person works.
Several apps reported that over 90% of their users were also Costco members, some areas had tie ins between Costco card services and the app.

If your so lazy you can’t be bothered to fill your car…


Worth noting my mom had never put gas in a car in her entire life until my dad died, she was crying at the gas station.

 

[spasm3]

For reference, does anyone remember which brand of cars had the gas fill nozzle under the license plate?

Several in the 70's. I had a '76 buick regal, flip down the rear license plate to fuel up.

 

[AZjeff]

We had a Sam's nearby that closed due to some weird policy about how many Wallys and Sam's per population density baloney so we joined the Costco that's a bit further away but never liked it as well and unjoined. Now I know why, low IQ.

 

[tbm5690]

And we wonder why airplanes get misfueled

Airplanes rarely get misfueled, and when it happens it has nothing to do with color of caps or tanks. Usually when this happens JET-A is pumped into tanks of a piston aircraft, and to even do that you need the wrong nozzle installed on the hose as the filler holes are smaller than the hoover style nozzle on the JET-A hoses.

 

[GON]

@GON how would you classify Walmart shoppers?


I doubt she'd be bothered by this. Women like to know that they got a real catch.

RK,

I haven't observed gas pump cluelessness at Wal-mart gas stations. And of note, most every COSTCO gas station has a like configuration/ process, so after a few times, fueling up should be almost a muscle memory.

Since you mentioned Wal-mart, years ago there was a web-site called something like "people of Wal-mart", that took pics of customers in Wal-mart, often dressed in poor taste, etc. Maybe one could start a tik-toc series of "gas pumpers of COSTCO". I suspect one could be putting out a lot of videos every day.

 

[GON]

Worth noting my mom had never put gas in a car in her entire life until my dad died, she was crying at the gas station.

My Wife doesn't pump gas either.