Monday, October 09, 2006

Uh, Oh....I'm one of THOSE people!

Okay. I admit it. I called. Yep. It was me, and I'm GLAD I did it.

Tell me if you would have done the same.

So, I'm sure that there is one gas station in town where you always stop for your quick fill up. Am I right? Well, there is one that I drive by, literelly, at least 6 times a day. This used to be my, "quick fill up" place.

Several months ago, I was standing by my car doing the usual pre-fill up routine of swiping my card, making my selections, and putting the gas nozzle in my car (all the while trying not to touch anything for more than a nanosecond...have I mentioned that I'm a germ-a-phobe??) and I take a second and look over at the building. Nothing too unusual was going on. Two of the employees were sitting by the side of the building chatting and having their smoke break. I sat in my car with the boys to wait for the usual "clunk" of the handle to get out and finish my transaction, and that is when I realized that there wasn't anything unusual going on...just something highly STUPID and dangerous! I saw one of the women sit down on a milk crate and noticed that behind them, there was a sign very similar to this one. Those idiots were leaning against the PROPANE TANK display while taking their smoke break....at the GAS STATION!!!

I guess I would normally have just blown it off and not given it a second thought, but there I sat, with my two young children in the car, next to a gas pump full of it's own highly flammable substance, not 40 feet away from them....and I got pissed!!

I don't really care that they were smoking, hey, if they want to pollute their lungs with tar and nicotine, that's their choice. Just DON'T do it and put me and my children in a dangerous situation...just to get your nicotine fix.

So, that day, I called the gas station and spoke to the manager. I explained to him that I thought it seemed like a dangerous situation, and MAYBE he should address it with his employees. He apologized profusely and said he would make sure that they smoked somewhere else. I guess I was dumb enough to believe him.

So. Friday afternoon. I was on empty, and I'm going by said gas station. I pulled in, stopped by a pump, and look up to see......guess....c'mon, can you guess?? Yep. Those idiots were smoking right next to the propane tanks again.

So. As I said before. I called. Yep.

I called the Fire Department.

As far as I'm concerned, any unknowing patron of that gas station is being placed in harm's way whenever they visit it as long as those idiots are allowed to keep taking their smoke break there. I mean, come ON!! Can't you just go to the OTHER side of the building and smoke?

I don't know exactly WHO I talked to at the Fire Department, but he was going to send an inspector out to talk to them, and also notify the patrolling officer in the area that it was going on and to be on the lookout for it.

Will it stop?? Who knows.

Will I ever buy gas there again? Nope.

Idiots.

Thank you for the vent. I feel much better now.

2 comments:

andria said...

Good for you!

I am the bitchy woman in all situations. I believe in EVERYONE following the rules and freak when others don't, especially when one's safety is involved. My biggest peeve is smokers, like you, could care less if they do it, just don't do it right at the door of the establishment I am trying to enter. I quit going to Penneys because every single time I went in an employee stood right in my way where my kids and I had to huff their smoke just to walk in the door. But, smoking on a propane tank? I wonder if they aren't smoking something a little stronger than a cigarette.

Anonymous said...

I hate when people sit there and smoke like it's no big deal and doens't affect anyone else. Especially if they are dumb enough to smoke sitting by a propane tank!
On the other hand, I'm too mild and meek to ever do anything about it!
So, good for you for calling! It was the right thing to do seeing as an entire neighborhood, or business disctice could have been wiped off the map because of two dumb kids!