Following Stupid Orders

We all like to think we are goal orientated when it comes to work. We find a job that's within our scope of understanding, and fulfill what's required of our efforts. However, have you ever received orders from your boss that are contradictory to the mission of the business?
The following happened to me:
I was hired part time as a gas station attendant while I was attending college. The hours were good and could study between customers as traffic was light. The gas station was just off the interstate and busy on Saturdays, but slow on Sundays. I was expecting a slow day that Sunday afternoon when I showed up for work. My boss gave me a strange order.
" If anyone comes up here on a Harley Motorcycle wanting premium gasoline you tell them we don't have any."
I must have looked dumbfounded, and I was as I watched him drive away. About an hour later two guys on Harleys pulled into the station and asked if we had premium gas, ( high octane ). I directed them to the pump and handed them a rag to keep the fuel from spilling onto the gas tank paint.
Another customer, a lady in a Ford Granada, pulled in and asked for a fill-up. I put the gas nozzle into the port and was washing her windshield as a distant sound, like rolling thunder, came through the still September air. I looked up at the overpass and saw a massive group of motorcycles coming toward the station. The lady customer also saw them and yelled out the window. " Make that five dollars!!! " She threw the bill out the window and zoomed off as the motorcyclists thundered onto the lot.
I figured this was my last day on earth as they all lined up to fill their tanks. But, as it turned out they all were all orderly and everybody paid. hey all left as quickly as they came. leaving me breathing a sigh of relief.
" Why did you let them fill their tanks? " My boss demanded. " I told you not to sell to bikers. They were headed for some motorcycle races. I heard about it and wanted to keep them from coming here. Now, they'll be back when the race is over."
I had sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind. I thought about the company mission and disregarded direct orders because I thought them to be absurd. I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes you have to have faith in your superiors; especially if they're experienced. If you're ordered to do something ridiculous it's best to do it. You can ponder the stupidity afterward.