A young soldier posted a video on TikTok that quickly went viral after she got confused at an old gas pump in Tampa, Florida. @retiredhotcheetogirly Lopez filmed herself trying to pump gas, and more than 831,000 people watched as she struggled with the outdated machine.
According to Motor 1, Lopez kept tapping on a big yellow square on the pump that showed the octane rating. She thought it was like a touchscreen that she needed to press to start pumping gas. When that did nothing, she started waving her hand around in front of the pump like it might work with motion sensors. Nothing she tried seemed to work.
Looking completely lost, Lopez asked, “Is this a joke?” She was already wearing her Army uniform and had walked inside to pay $25 for gas ahead of time. But even after paying, she could not figure out how to get the gas flowing into her Honda Civic. Eventually, she gave up and went back inside to find someone who could help.
This is honestly kind of funny, but also makes total sense
A worker came outside with her to show her what to do. He told her he was not allowed to pump the gas himself, but he could explain the steps. After checking that she had paid, he made a joke about how old the pump was. “These things were built like when Reagan was in office,” he said.
Then he showed her the actual problem. She just needed to lift up the metal holder that keeps the nozzle in place when nobody is using it. The worker told her this happens a lot, and he sees many people making the same mistake of tapping on the yellow square.
People in the comments had all kinds of reactions to the video. Lots of viewers said they were shouting at their phones, trying to tell Lopez what to do. One person wrote that they were screaming for her to lift the handle up. A woman named Lindsey Price, who is a millennial, said watching the video made her feel really old for the first time.
@retiredhotcheetogirly I was thoroughly confused
♬ original sound – retiredhotcheetogirly#oldgaspump #genz
Not everyone made fun of Lopez, though. Some people understood why she was confused. One commenter said they had not seen a gas pump like that in around ten years, so it made sense that younger people would not know how they work. Someone else left a nice comment saying that everyone learns new things, and there is nothing wrong with not knowing about old equipment.
The video also got attention for another reason. One person noticed the price on the pump showing $2.69 per gallon and joked about wanting to find those kinds of prices from 1995 again. The funny situation is similar to other unexpected encounters caught on camera that have become popular online lately.
The way gas pumps work has changed a lot over time. A company called CommTank that works with fuel tanks says most gas pumps only last between 15 and 20 years before they need to be replaced. The exact time depends on how much the pump gets used and how well it is taken care of.
Gas stations switched from the old lever-style pumps to newer button-style pumps, mainly to make them safer and easier to use. Since gasoline can catch fire very easily, having better safety features has become important. While viral videos often capture shocking moments, this one just shows how fast technology changes and how confusing old equipment can be for people who have never used it before.
