"This is an inconvenience store"

This quote is from me. Warning: rant to follow. I stopped for gas this morning at a local corner gas station. I got ready to start pumping my gas and they very nastily told me that I had to prepay. Now, usually I'm happy to use my check card and I usually do prepay, but this morning I wanted to go into the store and purchase a caffeinated beverage. It was early and I needed to wake up before my long drive to work. So anyway, they told me I had to prepay. But the problem is, I didn't know how much gas I was going to need, so I couldn't go into the store, prepay for my gas and get my drink, and then pump the gas. What if I paid too much? What if I didn't pay enough to fill my gas tank? You see the problem. The problem with paying for the gas outside and then going into the store is that I rarely carry cash with me anymore and I've been keeping my change at work so I can get a drink from the vending machines. I'm addicted to caffeine. But that's neither here nor there. I'm continuing my rant now. So basically the problem is, I have to choose between the gas and the drink. I wasn't willing to compromise on either one. So I walked into the store, asked them if they could bend the rule so I could get my drink and my gas, and was told that they wouldn't do that. Now, I don't normally ask businesses if they can bend rules. I know they have those rules for a reason. But I've been getting gas from this particular gas station almost exclusively for the last 12 years. They know me and they know I'm not going to drive away after pumping my gas. But they still wouldn't do it. So I devolved into the high school version of myself, flipped my hair, and said (very sarcastically) "This isn't a convenience store, it's an inconvenience store. I'll never stop here again." I plan to keep that promise.

It's sad when people force businesses to make inconvenient and sometimes ridiculous rules to make sure they don't take a loss from theft. I mean, I'm unhappy about gas prices too, but the last thing in the world I would do is steal from someone. They are just trying to make a buck, just like I am when I go to work. But still, the inconvenience of the thing frustrated me. I don't know. Maybe I'm just used to things being ultra convenient. Maybe I need to get over it. But I know one thing. I'll never stop at that store again.