Are Maverick Gas Stations Being Deliberately Duplicitous?

 

   Take a look at the above picture of a sign for the Maverick gas station located at the intersection of Colfax Ave. & Kipling Ave in Lakewood, Colorado.

   Note that the price for a gallon of unleaded and the price of a gallon of diesel is displayed as $3.74.99 and $4.52.99 respectively.

   Now take a look a the below picture of the very same sign for the Maverick gas station at that same intersection taken mere moments after the above picture was taken.

   The price per gallon for unleaded and diesel has gone up by 15 cents per gallon. Why? Well, the generally accepted reason for the price per gallon increase is that the upcharge is attributable to the use of a credit card versus payment in cash. 

    At least that was the consensus of every single person purchasing fuel at this particular Maverick gas station (7 different people, 3 of whom, like me, opted to pay in cash in order to save a little money - hey, every penny counts these days, even if pennies are no longer being produced).

   However, after walking back to the pump the truck was parked at (one has to actually go inside the Maverick service station convenient mart to pay cash) and depressing the large green button to dispense the diesel fuel, I discovered that the price of a gallon of diesel was still showing as being $4.67.99.

   Thinking that a mistake had been made by the cashier I walked back into the Maverick convenient mart and explained to the cashier that the pump I was parked at still showed the credit price of $4.67.99 when I had in fact just paid in cash only moments earlier.

   The cashier then explained to me that the $4.67.99 price on the sign was for both credit and cash transactions, and that the lower price shown was for something called "Nitro" transactions. 

   I stared outside the large windows of the Maverick convenient mart at the big sign, watched how the word "Credit" (and only the word "Credit") lit up between the "E85" and "Unleaded" placards that were located directly below the word "Maverick" on the big sign when the prices shown were $3.89.99 and $4.67.99 for unleaded and diesel respectively, and then watched as the numbers changed seconds later to $3.74.99 and $4.52.99 for unleaded and diesel respectively - and saw that the word between the "E85" and "Unleaded" placards was now showing as "Nitro".

   When I asked what Nitro referred to, the cashier politely explained to me that the Nitro price was for customer's using the Maverick Nitro card or purchasing on the Maverick Nitro App.

    Which kinda pissed me off. I (as casually but pointedly as I could) stated that I thought that was a bit duplicitous, as there was nothing to indicate on the big sign or posted on the pumps that the lower price was not indeed a cash price but required the use of the Maverick credit card or app.

    I also stated that the last thing I needed was another credit card or another app on my phone, and that I would like a refund of the cash I had paid, as I had not yet pumped any fuel into my truck.

   As courteous as a cashier who has had to deal with tightwads such as myself could, she said she would have to get the manager for that, and she did just that. The manager actually processed my refund almost instantly, and I went back out to my truck.

   When I was back at my truck was when I asked the seven different people filling up at the pumps around me if they were aware that the lower price being advertised on the big sign was not for customer's paying cash, and received the answer from each and everyone of them that no, they were not aware of that at all, and the three people who had paid cash each kinda grumbled a little when they looked at the diesel price on the pump and realized that I wasn't kidding, that they were indeed paying the higher posted credit price for fuel.

   None of them went back into the Maverick convenient mart though - I guess some people are okay with paying 15 cents more a gallon for fuel than the initially thought they were.

   Years ago, when I was living overseas, an Englishman taught me something about responding to a business that was being duplicitous (which is the word of the day, obviously) or just guilty of poor business practices, and that was to "protest with your feet", by which he meant just leave the business and never return.

   Being as how their are fuel stations galore in Lakewood, I did just that - well, I protested with my wheels, actually. I got into my truck and drove a couple miles to the Shell station that posts and charges the same price for fuel regardless of whether one pays with cash or credit card (theirs or any other). 

   Sure, a gallon of diesel there was a penny more, but even a tightwad such as I am can eat a few pennies (even if they are no longer in production).

   At least the Shell station is honest about what they're charging.

Friends That You Didn't Even Know You Had

 

News Of The World...From The May 24th, 1891 Edition Of The Cheyenne Daily Sun

    This just in! Well, "just in" 135 years ago. Chanced across a copy of the Cheyenne, Wyoming newspaper The Cheyenne Daily Sun that was published in May of 1891 

    The eight page issue seems to have covered the days from Sunday, May 24th until Tuesday, May 26th of 1891 as the date on the front page reads May 24th while the date on the last page reads May 26th.

   Incidentally, the Cheyenne Daily Sun was published from 1876 until 1895, at which time it merged with a competitor and became the Cheyenne Daily Sun - Leader.

   The Daily Sun was apparently known for advocating civic improvements, as well as very short synopsis of local and national events, and some unusual reprints of stories from other Newspapers printed in such far-flung cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia.

    On the front page there are short paragraphs that briefly describe current events from all over the world.

   Here are a few, transcribed word-for-word (yeah, the copyrights expired on these gems decades ago).

Yale and Princeton Ball Game

New Haven, May 23. - The Yale-

Princeton championship ball game

here to-day was one of the hardest 

fought that the two teams have ever

played. When defeat seemed inevit-

able for Yale, the Princeton men be-

came rattled and as a result the score

at the end stood: Yale 4, Princeton 1.

Sentenced to Death

Nancy, May 23. - Meunier, ex-officer

of customs, arrested May 14 at Lan-

dres charged with a number of crimes.

Was to-day sentenced to death.

Faith Curists Routed

Winchester, Ind., May 23. A band

of faith curists were driven out of Los

Antville to-day. The people of the 

place became enraged over the fact 

that they allowed a little child to die

of scarlet fever, refusing to get a 

physician.

Economy Needed

Rome, May 23. - The pope is taking

steps to secure greater economy of ex-

penditures at the vatican. He has

appointed a commission of cardinals

charged to do their utmost to effect a 

reduction in expenses.

Dalton Brothers Captured

Oklahoma City, O.T., May 23. - 

The Dalton brothers gang that rob-

bed the Santa Fe passenger train at

Wharton station, were captured last

Friday evening in the Sac and Fox

reservation, after a nineteen hour fight

by United States deputy marshals,

aided by a detachment of Fifth cav- 

alry. One of the Daltons was killed 

and one soldier wounded.

A Fraud Exposed

Chicago, May 23. - A dispatch from 

Des Moines says the Federal grand

jury has returned indictments against

J.J. Kellogg, S.J. Kellogg and E

R. Hodges of Washington, Ia., for

using the mails for fraudulent pur-

poses. For a year or more they have 

been advertising all over the country

for bright young men to act as pri-

vate detectives and many gullible

youths have paid $10 for a certificate

of membership of the agency and a 

nickel-plated star worth 50 cents.

Corbett Challenged

San Francisco, May 23. - Jim Cor-

bett to-day received a telegram from

the New Orleans Olympic club, offer-

ing a $12,000 purse for a fight between

him and Slavin. Corbett replied that

he would be in New York in two

weeks and would talk fight. He

states that he will probably not en-

gage in another contest for a year, 

when he will be larger and stronger.

The Murderers Lynched

Shreveport, La., May 23. - Wm.

and John Anderson, colored, who 

held the girl Jane Ware on a railroad

track until the train killed her, were

pursued by a posse of negroes, cap-

tured and hanged.

Shooting Affray

Omaha, May 23. - News comes from

Keya Paha county of  a bloody shoot-

ing affray in which Schuyler Dayton

was killed and John Rivers fatally

wounded by George Covill. The 

trouble grew out of a quarrel over

some stock and jealousy over alleged

intimacy of Dayton with Rivers' wife.

And finally, this gem:

May Have Been Scared To Death

New York, May 23. - Nicholas

Gaulrapp, a German, 27 years old,

died early this morning in frightful

agony, and Deputy Coroner Jenkins

says his death was caused either

by hydrophobia or pseudo-hydropho-

bia. Gaulrapp went out walking the 

evening of April 26 and received a 

bite on the thumb from a small dog.

A few days ago he complained of a 

headache and faceache. His friends

told him that the ache came from the 

dog bite and the young man began to 

get nervous. Wednesday morning he

said that he could not take a swallow

of water. The man died in great 

agony. Dr. Jenkins, who made an

autopsy to-day, was unable to say

if hydrophobia existed, and is in-

clined to think that the man was

frightened into a fatal imitation of

hydrophobia.

Nothing new under the sun, eh?

Loosen Up, Lighten Up, If You Want Her To Stay

Surely you're familiar with the classic proverb

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Don't get me wrong I don't mean to carp

I just don't want to see your attentions make her wander

Dude you have to give her room to breathe

She likes you man she's not going to run away

But cousin you have to give her room to breathe

Put down that phone you just called her an hour ago

Give her time to miss you at least a little

Why are you in such a rush c'mon man take it slow

I'm not saying to stop completely just suggesting a small remittal

Dude you have to give her room to breathe

She likes you man she's not going to run away

But cousin you have to give her room to breathe

Things You Don't Want To Hear While Waiting On Hold...

   Yesterday while waiting on hold for a customer service rep to take my call I heard the following message: "All of our operators are currently busy at this time due to heavier than normal call volume. If you would like to leave your phone number and have a customer service representative call you back, press four now. Otherwise, stay on the line. There are currently 451 callers in the cue."

   That is not verbatim, but it's the gist of it. 451 callers ahead of me. Holy Baloney!

Stopping For A Burger In Carnarvon, Iowa (Pop...Maybe 50?)

   You may ask yourself, why oh why would anyone make a pit stop in such a tiny little hamlet such as Carnarvon, Iowa? Well, the answer is fairly simple: Hunger. 

   Hunger is a helluva motivator - if I get hungry enough I'll stop at the first place I see that serves food and is open, and the Trailside Roadhouse in Carnarvon, Iowa meet both criteria.

   Carnarvon is small - as in, there are probably fewer than forty structures in the town, and I'm including grain silos and storage sheds in that count.

   The road I was driving, Iowa highway 175, runs from the Nebraska border to an intersection with US 63 just south of Hudson, Iowa, which is a little more than 220 miles. However, it's only a two lane blacktop the entire way and passes through a lot of very small towns (the largest of these small towns is Onawa, with a pop. of less than 3,000), so pretty much anywhere I stopped was going to be small (pop. wise).

   Carnarvon had a few interesting sights, such as what looked to be a classic car graveyard across the street from the Trailside Roadhouse. The township is also along one of Iowa's designated bike paths and according to the two women who were working at the roadhouse, quite a few bike riders stop in for a bite as they make their way around Iowa via bicycle.

   The roadhouse did serve up an excellent burger and fries, which refueled me as needed. I got back on the road within thirty minutes and continued my journey to Farnhamville.

The Danger Of Needing Entertainment To Simulate Attention In Office Meetings

   When he wasn't speaking in cliches he was speaking in movie quotes, and God love him, it did make for entertaining business meetings.

   Primarily because of the unintentional amusement that the cliches and movies quotes provided the staff that were required to attend the meetings he scheduled at least three times every week.

   It was Ruby Thayer who came up with the idea for the cliche/movie quote Bingo Cards. She created 50 completely different Bingo cards over a rainy weekend last July, and handed them out to a few select, sworn-to-secrecy individuals.

   The cards had 25 squares just like standard, ordinary Bingo cards, but instead of numbers in the squares that were arranged in horizontal rows under the letters B,I,N,G,O, the squares were filled with movie quotes and cliches. If Mr. Greenberg quipped "You're going to need a bigger boat" to emphasize a need for more of an item, or stated "low hanging fruit" in reference to an easy sale, and those were on your card, you marked them with an X.

   After the meeting the participants gathered in one of the breakroom's and checked cards for any Bingo's. Any card that had a verified Bingo was awarded a prize from Granderson's supply closet, usually extra pens for a single Bingo, but a blackout Bingo could earn one a new PC.

   An unintended consequence of the surreptitious game was that it caused the participants to pay extremely focused attention to Mr Greenberg as he made his presentations, which had given him the false impression that what he was presenting was not only interesting and of use, but was invaluable. 

   Which encouraged him to add a few extra meetings every other week or two.

   Needless to mention, productivity in the office fell off a little...which led to even more meetings. It was a vicious loop.