$18.48 or The Cost of Shopping At Gas Stations

[myrdale]

Same dudes were in there every morning hustling to go to work, getting $10 worth of gas, a couple mountain dews, a couple donuts or snacks, pack of cigs and often a lotto ticket.

Worse than the lotto ticket are what are referred to here in Georgia are the Ding-Dings.

Gas stations will have then in the back, or in a side room. They are slot machines which pay out in store credits. Seldom do I ever walk into a gas station that has some of these that at least one or more people are actively throwing their money away.

[disneysteve]

Worse than the lotto ticket are what are referred to here in Georgia are the Ding-Dings.

Gas stations will have then in the back, or in a side room. They are slot machines which pay out in store credits. Seldom do I ever walk into a gas station that has some of these that at least one or more people are actively throwing their money away.

Those aren’t legal here. I always wondered what the deal was. So it’s a regular slot machine but instead of winning money you win store credit? That’s kind of cool. I could see those being popular.

[ua_guy]

That's something I never understood. The working adults who buy $10 worth of gas. Ok, back in 1998 that might have been half a tank for a small car, I can understand that, moreso for a kid. Going out on the town you and your friends scraped together $10 for some fuel.

But today that's two gallons and you're lucky if there are even paper towels and a bucket of dirty water to wipe off your windows. It won't get you far, and if you're driving the same amount every single week as an adult going to work, does it not make sense to skip some cigs and lotto tickets to maybe save up for a tank? Another reason I don't go inside, because I always get behind the dude buying $10 worth of fuel, on a pump number he can't remember, and spending the rest of his kid's alimony on cigs and lotto tickets. Hard pass.

[myrdale]

Those aren’t legal here. I always wondered what the deal was. So it’s a regular slot machine but instead of winning money you win store credit? That’s kind of cool. I could see those being popular.

They are "legal" here but still get busted on some occasion when the owner pays out in cash. You hardly ever see anyone playing them who looks like they even start to approach middle class. There is actually a store front in town that appears to be fully devoted to them, I am not sure how that works.

For ua_guy's comment about $10 of gasoline at a time, that is a mind set. The only time I buy $10 is when I am at 3/4 of a tank and am about to go on a road trip.

[disneysteve]

There is actually a store front in town that appears to be fully devoted to them, I am not sure how that works.

I've seen those in our travels and seen ads for them in the local papers. It sounds like they basically run like a casino and have specials, tournaments, rewards programs, etc.

As for buying $10 of gas, I can understand that if you truly only have $10 to work with, which I'm sure is pretty common. Personally, if I'm going to the trouble of going to the gas station, I'm filling my tank. But I realize that's spoken from a place of privilege and I can just swipe my card without having to think about whether or not I'll be able to pay the bill, but plenty of people aren't so fortunate. $10 might be enough to get them through the week or make it to payday. As always, the people on this forum are the exceptions. 60-70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Filling their tank just isn't in their reality most of the time.

Of course, if you're getting that $10 of gas and also buying coffee, cigarettes, and lottery tickets at the same time, that's a different issue.

[ua_guy]

As for buying $10 of gas, I can understand that if you truly only have $10 to work with, which I'm sure is pretty common. Personally, if I'm going to the trouble of going to the gas station, I'm filling my tank. But I realize that's spoken from a place of privilege and I can just swipe my card without having to think about whether or not I'll be able to pay the bill, but plenty of people aren't so fortunate. $10 might be enough to get them through the week or make it to payday. As always, the people on this forum are the exceptions. 60-70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Filling their tank just isn't in their reality most of the time.

Of course, if you're getting that $10 of gas and also buying coffee, cigarettes, and lottery tickets at the same time, that's a different issue.

To clarify, I agree, we're not talking about the truly vulnerable, people who must decide whether to put $10 in gas in their car, or buy food that day. It's the latter, people who don't prioritize their purchases and are habitually running an empty tank. That I think is a mindset like myrdale mentioned.

[disneysteve]

To clarify, I agree, we're not talking about the truly vulnerable, people who must decide whether to put $10 in gas in their car, or buy food that day. It's the latter, people who don't prioritize their purchases and are habitually running an empty tank. That I think is a mindset like myrdale mentioned.

Definitely.

Realistically though, if your car gets 20 mpg, $10 of gas at the current price (about $3.50 here) gets you 2.85 gallons or enough to drive about 57 miles. If you have a short commute (my daughter’s office is 8 miles round trip), that’s over a week of driving, so putting in $10 isn’t all that unreasonable.