Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

We wake to a beautiful, warm, sun-filled … parking lot? Oh ya, we’re at a Walmart. One of the advantages of staying at a Walmart is that it tends to be a good place to pick up a few things quickly and easily. All we had to do is walk over a get it. And that is exactly what we did. Unfortunately there were many stores there and we ended up visiting a few of them. We also noticed that a gas station across the road was selling gas at a good (relatively speaking, of course) price so we decided to swing by there too before hitting the road. The bottom line was that we did not get on the road until 11:00! But before I move on, I want to revisit the gas station experience. Those who are faithful JoRo MoHo blog readers will remember me talking about the irritating habit of the modern gas pumps have where they accept credit cards but they shut off after $75 has been pumped and will not let you continue. Well, things are getting worse. I am sure that the “system” works quite well for over 90% of the users, however, today I believe that I ended up falling through all the cracks of the “system”. Here is how it went. Because of the irritating “$75 MAX” habit if the automated pumps, I now pay for my gas inside because it ends up being less hassle than having the pump shut off part way through and then me having to start the process all over again at least one more time. Twice if the MoHo is really empty. This, however, was a gas station that required you to pay for your gas ahead of time. In these cases I normally just leave my card with the attendant and then return to charge the credit card for the amount pumped once I have finished pumping. This time the attendant inside said that I could not do that and I had to pay for the amount of gas I would pump ahead of time. I explained to him that I did not know how much gas I would be pumping. He said in that case, since I wanted to use my credit card I should just swipe it at the pump. You can probably sense the downward spiral at this point, but do read on to enjoy some new twists to the plot. I then asked if this pump was like pretty much all pumps where it stops pumping after $75. He said yes. I said that I was trying to avoid that hassle by paying inside. He said the only way I could pay inside would be to pay for a specific amount up front as his computer would not let me pump the gas otherwise. I gave up and went back out to the pump to start into the double-swipe and pump process that was supposedly my least irritating option. However this time when I swiped my card it asked me for my zip code! Being from Canada, I don’t have a zip code. But since I used to live in the US I typically use that zip code whenever I am asked for one. I typed it in but when I pressed enter, and just before the screen switched to the next question, I noticed that I double hit one of the numbers in my zipcode. No big deal since it was a fake zip code anyway, right? Well, the pump accepted it and the first $75 worth of gas was finally being pumped into the MoHo. After the expected auto-shutoff I retrieved my receipt and then proceeded to swipe my card again. It asked for my zip code again. I couldn’t remember which number was double-entered so I took a guess. I was wrong and this time it directed me to go into the office to pay! Arrrggg! I proceeded to make my prescient return to the office to arrange payment and it started all over again. He wanted to know how much gas I wanted to buy and I told him I didn’t know. I also told him I cannot use my card at the pump and elaborated on the whole zip code thing. He finally said that I have to commit to buying a certain amount of gas otherwise he can’t unlock the pump. He told me that it would be best to pick an amount more than I expect I will need and then he can reimburse me the rest afterward. Yes, that sounds like a great idea … it sounds very convenient for both of us, eh? So that is what I ended up having to do. What a nice, easy, customer-focused way of doing business with your customers who purchase your product in bulk, eh?. WHO is the one making it so hard to buy gas for a MoHo? You’d think they would be treating MoHo-ers, their biggest customers, better than their regular buyers, not worse. IS ANYBODY LISTENING!!! Alcohol companies certainly don’t suffer from this ailment. They’ll happily sell you a keg of your favorite beer … or so I am told. I guess that’s why gas companies are doing so poorly these days. OK, back to the trip. We ended up driving all the way through LA and on to San Diego without getting caught in a traffic jam! Can you believe that? That was pretty much the highlight of the day. Well, maybe the highlight was the fact that I was able to wash the Matrix. Even when the weather is good, towing a car three feet behind a MoHo tends to result in a very dirty car after a few weeks of that treatment. But now she is all shiny and ready for a five-day stay in SoCal which is car crazy. We actually already saw a Bentley, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, BMW Z8, and about 300 Porsches on our 3-hour drive to SD. I am looking forward to swinging by some of the more affluent areas. Should be fun so stay tuned.

Today’s word:

prescient \PREH-shuhnt; -shee-uhnt; PREE-shuhnt; -shee-uhnt\, adjective:
Knowing or anticipating the outcome of events before they happen.