I Drank Your Gas Pump

You probably recognize the title of this post – or if you replace “pump” with “milk shake” you should.  It’s from the movie “There Will Be Blood,” which is an American tale against the backdrop of the southern California oil boom of the late-19^th century, it tells a story of greed and envy of biblical proportions.

This morning I thought about this movie as I pumped my gas at the local Shell station.  I noticed as I pumped it was going slow or at least monetarily slow.  I noticed that my tank was filling up normal but the price was remaining low.  I looked closer and I was getting gas at .36 cent/gallon.  I asked others around me and they too were getting the same price – now aware they smiled with greed.  I guess the gas attendant forgot to put the extra three in the beginning (3.359 instead of .359).  So I filled my Xterra full (17 gallons) for $6.20.

Here is the question I thought before I got in my truck, “Should I go tell them about their mistake?”  About two years ago when gas prices were sitting at $2.50/gallon I got gas for $1.50/gallon at a Citgo.  I went and told the attendant and he was shocked, wondered who else got gas that cheap, and questioned if he should charge me the difference (I didn’t let him).

What was the right thing to do this morning?  I don’t know but by the time my neighbor got there the price was corrected.