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?

Don't know why all this Costco talk reminded me of this...

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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 feel I stuck behind them often also. Seems like having to use 2 different cards mess them up
 
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.


I’m trying to think of any Walmart in our area that has a gas station. Don’t think there are any.


I don’t use Costco and have generally avoided gas lines since the early 70’s. 😆
 
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.
Agree 100% I'm with you on that point. It's definitely a problem. Sometimes people don't think about how they are affecting those around them.
 
There are a lot of presumptions and GONism's on here his crystal ball must get over heated.
 
I’m trying to think of any Walmart in our area that has a gas station. Don’t think there are any.
We have one that has a Murphy's inside the Walmart parking lot and they give you like a 3 cent discount (IIRC) if you're signed up for Walmart+, lol.
 
I sold some floor liners to a couple who had just bought a $60-70k or so Tahoe. Each floor liner had a little molded in indicator of its placement in the vehicle. I know this because I had to install the liners for them. Blew their minds.
 
1) There have always been those who look normal but purchase as if it's their first time.
What I can tell you is that the line is so frequently long, I just drive on by.
Two stations near me have lower prices for regular than Costco.
Fractions containing jet fuel and gas are delivered to any region with 5 airports so there's the occasional "mini-glut"; so the story goes.

2) Add Dad's '66 Olds 98 LS to the list of CRBLFFLV's (Central Rear Bumper Located Fuel Fill Location Vehicles).

3) Shouldn't've looked at that Walmart patron site. Now I'm horny.

4) I'm a Garden Stater most of the year and one joke reason for no self serve is that Jersey girls don't want to break their stiletto nails.
 
The license plate fillers were great, had one on my 66 Biscayne. There was a lot of cool stuff on that car, including chrome bumpers directly mounted to the frame so you could sling-tow them without breaking anything.

Gas tanks sandwiched between the rear axle and bumper aren't considered all that safe anymore.
 
Not allowed?!?!

Some kind of environmental spill hazard cleanup area, perhaps? Wow.

I don’t think I’ve seen a full-service option in at least 20 years, let alone a place staffed sufficiently to even suggest the option of full serve!
Try New Jersey for the answer. :)
 
Yes, New Jersey is the last bastion of full serve. Just sit in the car during the entire process. On the rare occasions I travel out of state the self serve pumps are like learning a foreign language.
Lived there around four years and could count on one hand the times I had full service. Always filled up on base, which did not mandate self service.

AAFES couldn't have staffed full service at the pumps even if they wanted to! :)
 
Perhaps it is the primary member of the household who normally fills up isn't the one who normally does grocery shopping, leading the less familiar person to be at Costco, and then filling up since they're "already there".
 
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



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.
Wife's grandma was the same way. It's super tough.
 
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