US woman makes ‘insane’ mistake at Australian petrol station

An American woman who just moved to Sydney has revealed the awkward blunder she made at an Aussie petrol station – leaving many surprised.

A US woman who recently moved to Sydney discovered we do things a little differently at petrol stations in Australia – after finding out her mistake the hard way.

Rachel Balkovec, a female baseball coach who moved to Australia to work for the Sydney Blue Sox last month, shared her discovery on TikTok after an awkward error at a Caltex servo recently.

“I literally stood in line to pay for my gas first and this lady thought I was insane,” she wrote on her video.

The woman behind the counter can be seen explaining to Rachel that she needed to go outside and “pick up the petrol pump” where she can fill her car first before making any payment.

But this shocked Rachel, who couldn’t believe you don’t have to make payment first before receiving the fuel.

“Apparently in Australia they actually trust people to pump their gas *FIRST*,” she wrote along with three mind blown emojis.

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A US woman who recently moved to Sydney made an ‘insane’ mistake at an Australian petrol station. Picture: TikTok/RachelBalkovec

After queuing inside to pay for her petrol upfront like she does at home, she couldn’t believe you have to pump first in Australia. Picture: TikTok/RachelBalkovec

Since her video which was shared last Tuesday over 2.7 million people have watched it, many of them just as shocked as she is.

The Aussie viewers couldn’t get their heads around the fact you pay upfront in America, asking how anyone knows how much petrol they need in advance.

“Y’all pay first?” one dumbfounded Australian teased.

“If you pay first, how do you know what will fill it?” another asked.

“They make you pay first in the US?” someone else mused.

While the Americans had varying stories of how it works in their states, some agreeing with Rachel while others stated they pay for theirs after pumping too.

“I’m in the US and we always have to pay first,” one said.

“We pump our own gas then pay in Wisconsin,” another argued.

“In southern USA it’s very normal to pump your own gas,” someone else mused.

People from other countries decided to weigh in on the viral video, revealing how it’s done in the UK, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

“We pay after we pump in the UK,” one guy said.

“It’s the same in Canada,” another added.

“It’s the same in most of Europe too,” someone else replied.

While another wrote: “In Mexico they pump the gas for you, it’s different everywhere.”

Rachel is a baseball coach who just moved to Australia to work for the Sydney Blue Sox. Picture: Instagram

Petrol issues aside, Rachel – who is usually coaches for the New York Yankees but is working Down Under during the US baseball’s winter season – appears very excited to be in Sydney, documenting her adventures on TikTok since arriving on November 15 where she completed the 14 day hotel quarantine.

In one video Rachel shares footage driving over the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge while in another she shares her first trip to Bondi.

According to WBUR, Rachel made history when she became the first female hitting coach for a Major-league affiliate when she started with the Yankees on February 1 this year.

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