Alas poor Rounding, I knew thee well
Back in the day, everyone used to even out their gas pump totals to make paying easier. $24.34. Round that puppy up to an even $24.50. $39.92. Yep, move that on up to a cool $40.00. In fact, you always hoped for that “perfect pump.” You know, the one where the pump stops exactly on an even number. Ahhh. Such joy!
And then credit cards and pay at the pump became ubiquitous. No longer was it necessary to round of the totals to make it easier to pay. $30.00 was just as convenient as $28.37. However, maybe out of force of habit or a cool touch of OCD, I would still round my totals up to the nearest .5 or .10 mark.
Enter the era of $4.00/gallon gas. And poof! Gone are my Utopian visions of round numbers and “perfect pumps.” I find myself so disgusted with the overall total of gas that the thought of paying even .4 more causes me to dry heave. So now when the pump stops, it stays stopped.
So it’s with fond memories that I say goodbye to you: round numbered gas totals. Sure, you’ll stop by and visit once or twice a year. But it will be a bitter sweet meeting. As I’ve moved on, put my OCD in check, and now just weep silently as the pump total creeps ever higher with the inevitable end at an uneven gas pump total.