RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (KTXL) — John Szczecina, a manager at a California gas station, swas fired days after the station sold gas for 69 cents a gallon for several hours, Nexstar’s KTXL has confirmed.
The incident happened at a Rancho Cordova Shell gas station, according to a man that posted about it on Instagram.
Paula Jackson, Szczecina’s sister, told KTXL her brother was changing the cost of gas quickly while a co-worker was clocking in, and instead of setting the price to $6.99, he mistakenly made it 69 cents.
People went to the Shell station for several hours, buying up the cheap gas.
Jackson said Szczecina was given a notice of termination on Monday.
A GoFundMe page set up by Jackson to help Szczecina says the error caused the gas station to lose about $20,000. As of Thursday, more than $14,000 had been raised.
Szczecina’s family is worried there is a possibility he might be sued, so he is trying to repay the gas station for its losses.
The national average for a gallon of gas hit an all-time record last week at $5 per gallon. As of Wednesday, AAA is reporting the national average is $5.01.