The gas station loves me

Getting gas here is a little different than in the states.  Here it's full service, no ifs, ands or buts.  (Fine with me!)  When you pull up, you can either give the gas attendant (who walks around a big fanny pack stuffed with cash) the amount of money you'd like to spend or just have him fill it up and give him the amount afterwards.  I keep forgetting how to say "fill it up" in Chinese.  I've had my ayi (helper/housekeeper) with me in the car and she has handled it all for me.  Spoiled, I know.

We now have a gas card which is a discount/debit card of sorts.  We fill it up periodically and just have the gas attendant swipe it and we punch in a pin number.  We end up saving 17-18%, not too shabby.  I'm not sure if it's only for foreign diplomats or available to everyone.

To get a receipt, you have to physically walk in to the gas station and ask for one.  It's very much like the ones in the States- they double as a small convenience store/snack bar.  But instead of hot dogs and breakfast sandwiches that sit in warmers all day, they have things like dumpling soup and noodles!  Awesome.  My ayi has gone in to get the fapiao for me each time and each time she walks out with some sort of a gift.  It's the gas station's way of thanking me for buying so much gas!  They have vans here in Shenyang, but usually not as big as my Honda Odyssey so I guess paying for much as I do to fill up is unusual.

The first time, I got two small towels.  The second time, I got a couple of small packs of laundry detergent.  This last time I got 8 small bottles of Pepsi!

I'm not sure how much gas is.  Nathan told me that it's about 6.5 quai per liter, which comes out to about $1 per liter, which is like $5/gallon?  I'm drawing a blank as to how much gas was the last time I was in the states, but I think $5/gallon is a bit pricey.  But then Nathan's guess may be wrong.  After all, he's never been with me when I went to fill up.

I usually fill up when my tank is 1/4  to 1/8 full.  It has cost me anywhere between 450 quai to 700 quai to fill up, which is around $75-$116.67.

So the next time I fill up, it'll be my first time using the gas card.  I can't wait to see what freebie I get this time!  I feel like they just keep getting better and better.