The Woxbox

So I work at a gas station attached to a larger grocery store. I run it, actually! I don't... ENJOY my job, but it pays the bills. I got basically forced to take the position by my store manager.

A recent issue has arisen in the form of a massive hoax started by some really dumb people who punch first, ask never and some cops who just said 'oh okay yeah that's suspicious' without investigating and put out a Facebook notice that has gotten mine and many others' employees and stations harassed.

The 'Gas Pump Screw Scam' is, in fact, not a scam.

If you see a small screw in the nook where you put the nozzle, usually in front of the small metal plate in that nook, please do not panic. That is a super, super cheap fix to a common problem: Over time, the gas pumps using those metal plates to detect when the nozzle is picked up, well they begin to get loose. The plates do. And they move forward too much. This causes the pump to stop detecting when the nozzle is picked up.

The screw is there to keep the plate in a proper position. Its very much usually installed by a pump technician and it's usually a big hex-top screw specifically to make sure it's not catching the plate in a bad position.

It will NOT keep the plate from being pushed back into the nook. It will not let the pump keep pumping after you're done. I always say you should wait until you get a reciept or see 'THANK YOU!' on the screen, but that's neither here nor there. IF YOU EVER CAN'T SEAT THE NOZZLE BACK PROPERLY, TALK TO THE CLERK. THAT is something to worry about.

Do NOT remove the screw or call the cops over it. Hell, talk to the clerk or manager if you have to. Ask about maintenance. But unless the pump is actively doing something weird, it's not something to worry about.

How do I KNOW this stuff? We've had screws in our pumps for multiple years to fix this problem and it's worked perfectly. No issues. And I like my pump tech, he's a great dude who I talk to a lot when he comes to repair something and he enjoys explaining why he fixes things and what the problem is. So I learned this stuff from him.