I stopped again to get gas. This time I went to Pump 8. When it flashed "ENTER PIN" I hit the first number, and the screen immediately displayed an asterisk, and then three more as I keyed in the last 3. And proceeded to complete the transaction without a problem. I went inside, and discovered a man I've seen before behind the counter. I greeted him, and then asked if he had the manager's name and number handy. He said "sure," and got it for me (and no surprise: they don't match what I got the other day) -- I asked him who (other manager's name) was, and he said "Oh, that's our last manager, but she hasn't worked here in a couple months. What's going on?" I filled him in on yesterday, and he sighed. "Yeah, we've known about the problem with the keypads for a while, but we can't seem to get anyone to come fix it." I asked him why there weren't any signs to that effect.
Get this: originally there WERE signs, asking people to pay inside or pay with credit since that didn't require a pin and would automatically authorize. But people kept ripping them off. So the attendants would use the intercom to let the drivers know to come inside or use credit if they saw the drivers standing at the pump for more than a minute. I told him the intercom wouldn't have done me any good, and he nodded. "I know, I'm sorry, I'm not sure what else to do." I thanked him and told him I'd talk to the manager and relay both interactions, complimenting him on his helpfulness and complaining about his companion's UNhelpfulness.
So that's that.