Manizesto

Are gas pumps pumping gas more slowly than before? My last several fill ups have seemed to take much longer than usual, taking almost double the normal time for my tank to fill up. It’s happened at two different stations, at two different chains, and both very recently.

I think there are a few possible explanations as to why this may be happening:

Gas companies are slowing down their pumps so they pump the gas more slowly. This creates a perception of gas not costing so much so fast. Maybe there’s something about seeing that cost display accrue more slowly that makes people feel better about paying so much, or maybe it’s the perception that you’re getting every cent of gas you’re paying for. It’s a marketing ploy.

Fill up stations might also be keeping a lower inventory of gas on hand, which could possibly slow down the pumps since the gas has longer distance to go before reaching the surface. The lower inventory could be a theft deterrent, or it’s simply for insurance liability purposes (if they’re limited to a dollar amount of gas they can have on hand, rather than a gallon limit).

A third option is that it saves the filling stations money to run their pumps at lower capacity in an attempt to maximize their already meager profits.

Any other ideas why it may be happening? Or is it really happening?

Original photo by sarowen.