Gas stations are an essential stop for anyone that drives a car. So it makes sense that they have become a melting pot of different people and cultures. There should be no surprises, then, that you can find some weird things in, on or around them.
To uncover some of the strangest things you might find at your local filling station, we turned to you and asked what’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen at a gas station?
Here are some of the best responses we received.
“Rolled in to one of the local gas stations to top off the air in my tires. While I was there some lady pulls in with a pickup truck towing a barbecue (one of those huge trailers, wood-fired). As she’s proceeding to fill the tank in the truck, I saw the smoke coming out of the chimney of the barbecue and realized THERE WAS A FIRE GOING IN THERE!
“I got out of there in a hurry. Didn’t see the gas station on the news as having blown up, so I guess she made it out OK. But SERIOUSLY? Who’s really that dumb?”
Ah fire, that old friend of gasoline. The two are the perfect pairing, they share a spark that can lead to something truly magical. And by magical, I mean orange, fiery and filled with death.
Suggested by: gtbeam
“There’s a person who drives a Tesla Model Y who stops at the local Quick Trip every morning for coffee.
“Other than that, once saw three guys in kilts at a gas station in Vermont.”
As long as you aren’t trying to fill your Tesla up with gas through the charging port, you’re fine taking your electric car through a filling station. But, wearing a kilt while topping up your tank is just asking for trouble.
Suggested by: earthbound-misfit-i
“Sushi.”
Nobody needs to eat gas station sushi, that stuff is highly suspicious. It’s a little known fact, but the last person to try gas station sushi actually gained special powers and turned into Aqua Man. True story.
Suggested by: futuredoc
“Free gas. Small station in southwest VA was closing down for good, and they just turned on all the pumps and let folks fill up. I have no idea if the owners were okay with that, but the clerk that was on duty just DNGAF, and so free gas for everybody. Unfortunately for me, I was riding by on my motorcycle when I saw what was going on, so I only benefited to the tune of maybe 2.5 gallons.”
In today’s trying times, a shuttered gas station offering free fuel is something I’m sure we’d all like to see a little more often.
Suggested by: leftfield6
“A stagecoach.
“Small town in Iowa when growing up — course there was the parade for the 4th of July. I was jarred seeing a stagecoach at the DX station till I saw they were getting water for the horses.”
Is a stagecoach a strange thing to see anywhere except Central Park? I’d say so.
Suggested by: the1969dodgechargerguy
“Oddest thing that happened to me at a gas station (I worked there) was teaching Susan Lucci how to pump gas. We didn’t have full serve. (I think she lived in New Jersey, where it’s not legal to pump your own gas. She went to Montauk for a shoot).”
Got to love a celebrity encounter story from time to time. But it does still blow my mind that you can’t pump your own gas in NJ.
Suggested by: rnixon22
“A friend who lived in South Carolina had some stories about people evacuating for hurricanes. He said he once saw someone try to fill a styrofoam cooler up with gasoline. I did not see this, but I’m willing to believe someone would try it. He said the stream of gas didn’t even slow down when it hit the bottom of the cooler.”
Please, whatever you do, don’t try this at home. Or in the gas station, for that matter.
Suggested by: eigenvogel
“Last year I was pumping gas and a work van was parked out at the edge of the lot. These two painters walk out from getting their snacks and get in their van. Suddenly the van starts shaking back and forth and I hear yelling and swearing.
“Both doors bust open and two guys jump out and run like hell. after a little distance one hits the ground and the other pulls his hat and shirt off. So of course I check in on them to see if they are ok and they start laughing.
“They found a beehive in their truck the hard way. Turned back to see the small swirling cloud start to come out and buzz every which way. I got out of there real quick.”
Is there anywhere worse than a van in which you could come across a bees nest? That does not sound like a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Suggested by: olli13
“How about Matilda?
“She was the mascot from the Opening Ceremony at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.
“That’s really weird.”
Imagine coming across a giant kangaroo at the gas station! That would spook the shit out of me. Kangaroos are scary, almost as scary as hippos.
Suggested by: rollo75
“Sometimes it’s not about the thing, it’s about the location. I’ve seen a V10 Dodge Viper in a small, 2,700-people mountain town in rural Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, a place where you usually see more tractors and horses than cars at all.”
Sure, a Dodge Viper isn’t a strange thing to see in a gas station as they get just 12mpg, but finding one in a mountain town could surely catch you off guard.
Suggested by: edu-petrolhead