A petrol pump has updated its payment screen to ask whether motorists wish to round their purchase up to despair. Customers can select mild irritation, full disbelief or the familiar option of pretending not to watch the numbers.
The upgrade follows reports that filling a tank has become an unusually effective way to turn money into a plan to drive less. A new progress indicator shows how far the purchase has advanced through the customer's weekend budget. At fifty pounds it suggests considering a pleasant local walk.
Driver Richard Bell said he had intended to stop at a round number, but the pump accelerated emotionally near the end. He spent the final seconds delivering tiny bursts of fuel before accepting a total that appeared to include a punctuation error. The tank was not full, but he felt the conversation had reached a natural conclusion.
The forecourt has introduced a quieter area where motorists can examine receipts without blocking the exit. Bell declined a coffee, explaining that he had already made his major discretionary purchase for the day. He drove home carefully, making the fuel last. His car has never received such attentive treatment as when every movement became an itemised expense.
