Greetings, Happy New Year and Sorry Again for the delays.
I'm posting here again because the price for a gallon of Regular gasoline at my little store has gone up 20 cents in a week -- from $3.39 per gallon to $3.59.
The national news media says this price spike is due to oil refineries shutting down to switch from their Winter-blend gas to their Summer blend.
I don't know, maybe. Sounds like a hype to me, though. Is the Summer blend thinner? Thicker? Sweeter? What?
To sort-of counteract this, and at roughly the same time, my boss recently dropped prices on beer and cigarettes -- the two biggest items people come into my little store for.
Cigarette prices drop by 40 cents per pack if you buy 2 or more packs. Beer prices, meanwhile, have dropped a dime each for 24-ounce cans up to $2 on 12-packs and 18-packs.
All this happened just in time for the Super Bowl -- good timing. We reportedly now have the cheapest beer prices in town. And our cigarette prices are pretty reasonable too -- for Washington state, where there's really no such thing as "cheap smokes." Before the price change, our cheapest pack of cigarettes was $6.39 plus nearly-9-percent sales tax.
My boss has made these price reductions -- which come straight out of his profit-margin -- because business has been pretty flat since at least September -- and the Summer wasn't the business bonanza we'd all expected, either. I was surprised that we even received Christmas bonuses this year. The boss is trying to come up with more reasons for people to come INTO the store -- because that's where he makes his profit, not on the gas.
Every time I hear something on the national news about how the economy's improving, I just think about how slow things have been at work, how many people are still on Food Stamps or Unemployment, how we've all had to redefine what "a busy night at work" means.
There are still a few people out there with money ... but we haven't seen too many of them, lately.
How are things in your neck of the woods...?
In other updates, our last Real Worker left in December, and now I'm mostly surrounded by a crew that's just collecting a paycheck. A LOT of stuff is left for me to take care of at night -- when I allegedly have All The Time In The World. Stocking, cleaning, emptying garbages, vacuuming, taking care of customers -- you name it, I do it all.
We hired a couple of new people before the holidays, but on a bad day neither of them do all that much, and there were a LOT of things Management apparently didn't tell the newest of our employees. She ALWAYS has questions whenever she works, and she can't seem to remember all that much.
I can always tell when I've had a couple of days off, because when I go back to work on Wednesday evening, the store is usually a shambles and it's clear that nothing much has been stocked since I went home Sunday night.
I've complained about this a couple of times, but my manager just shuts me off. Just a little more effort out of everyone else would make me a happier guy. I know they all have demands on their time, but they sure don't seem to Do Much. And if that's the case, why do I always feel like I'm running around like a crazy person...?
Our store motto sometimes seems to be: Let the 53-year-old bald tired stressed-out guy do it.
But it's always been like this, and I don't see it changing much until I can't keep up anymore.
At least they're still paying me....
So, stop in and see me sometime!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Monday, November 12, 2012
9 YEARS!!!
Hey there. Sorry for the delays.
Celebrated NINE YEARS working at the gas station on Nov. 7 -- the longest I've ever worked for any employer other than the Air Force, and the longest I've worked in one location EVER.
So, how's it going? Glad you asked.
Things seem a little easier lately. WAY easier since new electronics for the gas pumps were installed this past July.
Doesn't mean the job isn't occasionally stressful, but there's half as much to stress about now as there used to be.
I do occasionally get a little wound-up, but usually as long as I can keep my cool, the customers keep theirs. Maybe I've mellowed a bit -- or maybe the customers have. Not sure which. But most nights seem way less trouble lately.
Course part of that's because Winter is coming on strong and it's getting seriously colder at night -- fewer people want to mess around at night if it's 35 degrees and raining.
Still have some busy nights -- Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays seem to be the best bets for business. Other nights of my work week seem practically dead compared to days past.
The fact that gas prices have been dropping helps a little bit. When I left work Sunday night we were at $3.49 for a gallon of Regular gas -- $3.39 if you've got enough discount points piled-up -- the cheapest prices we've had for awhile.
A month or so back, I was hearing "experts" on the national news talking about $3-per-gallon gas by the end of the year, and I'm hoping for that. It would do the economy good.
And I'm in favor of anything that means less screaming and yelling.
Lately, the biggest thing on my mind has been the fact that I'm one of only TWO employees who actually WORK at my store -- stock the coolers, clean up, mop floors, empty garbage cans, clean the bathroom, etc. Everybody else just seems to take money, chat a lot, and pick up a paycheck.
I've been fighting against this for years, but it's becoming more and more obvious that my main job is just to PICK UP AFTER EVERYONE ELSE. Make everyone else Look Good.
When I come in to work on Wednesday evening -- my Monday -- the place is usually a wreck and it's usually abundantly clear that nobody has stocked the beer or soda coolers since I went home Sunday night.
I wonder how stupid management thinks I am...? "We don't have to work very hard -- let's let the balding, high-strung, stressed-out 53-year-old do the job! He'll do anything! He'll clean up after anybody! He'll make us all look good! And we won't REALLY have to do SHIT!"
That's what I get paid for.
Shit, I get worked up just WRITING ABOUT IT.
I've been trying to figure out for years how to approach this topic with my boss so that she won't immediately turn me off. But there's no way to win this discussion because SHE'S PART OF THE PROBLEM. Any time I try to address this issue, she starts up with "Everybody here works hard, we all put in long days, we all have things that make us crazy...." And that may be true.
But I do everything I can to make my co-workers' jobs EASIER, so they hardly have to THINK about what they're doing. And I hardly see anybody doing anything to make my job easier.
And I know from past experience that if I choose NOT to do certain things at work, to save time or stress or overwork, all that'll get me is a big ugly yellow note from the boss.
And then I'll still have to do the work....
Anyway, I guess I shouldn't bitch. These days, any paying job is a good job. And at least I can keep up with my bills. And I've survived 9 years and reached the point where it's almost all automatic now. I can almost go through a whole evening's shift without thinking.
And that's got to be good, right?
I just wish it were easier. I feel like I run my ass off EVERY NIGHT.
And maybe that's what they pay me for. But I don't see ANYBODY ELSE doing it.
Maybe I'm getting too old for this.
But I can't quit.
Celebrated NINE YEARS working at the gas station on Nov. 7 -- the longest I've ever worked for any employer other than the Air Force, and the longest I've worked in one location EVER.
So, how's it going? Glad you asked.
Things seem a little easier lately. WAY easier since new electronics for the gas pumps were installed this past July.
Doesn't mean the job isn't occasionally stressful, but there's half as much to stress about now as there used to be.
I do occasionally get a little wound-up, but usually as long as I can keep my cool, the customers keep theirs. Maybe I've mellowed a bit -- or maybe the customers have. Not sure which. But most nights seem way less trouble lately.
Course part of that's because Winter is coming on strong and it's getting seriously colder at night -- fewer people want to mess around at night if it's 35 degrees and raining.
Still have some busy nights -- Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays seem to be the best bets for business. Other nights of my work week seem practically dead compared to days past.
The fact that gas prices have been dropping helps a little bit. When I left work Sunday night we were at $3.49 for a gallon of Regular gas -- $3.39 if you've got enough discount points piled-up -- the cheapest prices we've had for awhile.
A month or so back, I was hearing "experts" on the national news talking about $3-per-gallon gas by the end of the year, and I'm hoping for that. It would do the economy good.
And I'm in favor of anything that means less screaming and yelling.
Lately, the biggest thing on my mind has been the fact that I'm one of only TWO employees who actually WORK at my store -- stock the coolers, clean up, mop floors, empty garbage cans, clean the bathroom, etc. Everybody else just seems to take money, chat a lot, and pick up a paycheck.
I've been fighting against this for years, but it's becoming more and more obvious that my main job is just to PICK UP AFTER EVERYONE ELSE. Make everyone else Look Good.
When I come in to work on Wednesday evening -- my Monday -- the place is usually a wreck and it's usually abundantly clear that nobody has stocked the beer or soda coolers since I went home Sunday night.
I wonder how stupid management thinks I am...? "We don't have to work very hard -- let's let the balding, high-strung, stressed-out 53-year-old do the job! He'll do anything! He'll clean up after anybody! He'll make us all look good! And we won't REALLY have to do SHIT!"
That's what I get paid for.
Shit, I get worked up just WRITING ABOUT IT.
I've been trying to figure out for years how to approach this topic with my boss so that she won't immediately turn me off. But there's no way to win this discussion because SHE'S PART OF THE PROBLEM. Any time I try to address this issue, she starts up with "Everybody here works hard, we all put in long days, we all have things that make us crazy...." And that may be true.
But I do everything I can to make my co-workers' jobs EASIER, so they hardly have to THINK about what they're doing. And I hardly see anybody doing anything to make my job easier.
And I know from past experience that if I choose NOT to do certain things at work, to save time or stress or overwork, all that'll get me is a big ugly yellow note from the boss.
And then I'll still have to do the work....
Anyway, I guess I shouldn't bitch. These days, any paying job is a good job. And at least I can keep up with my bills. And I've survived 9 years and reached the point where it's almost all automatic now. I can almost go through a whole evening's shift without thinking.
And that's got to be good, right?
I just wish it were easier. I feel like I run my ass off EVERY NIGHT.
And maybe that's what they pay me for. But I don't see ANYBODY ELSE doing it.
Maybe I'm getting too old for this.
But I can't quit.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
All new gas pumps!
Or: It takes so little to make me happy....
And other things....
First off, my apologies to the dozen or so of you Out There who read here -- it's been awhile since I've updated. Sorry about that....
Back in the last week of July, my little gas station received all-new electronics for our 10 gas pumps, which means that for the first time in 3 years, almost everything WORKS LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO.
I'd been waiting anxiously for this for quite awhile. I've joked with customers for years that the job-related stress was what made all my hair fall out....
Naturally, there were a few minor problems. Two gas pumps started running IMMEDIATELY, charging you money even though the pump wasn't actually pumping any gas into your gas tank. And some idiot was so distraught about his cat throwing up all over his new car that he drove off without hanging up the nozzle ... so that after 2 weeks, we already had 3 gas pumps that were DOWN and unavailable.
There were other, minor things. One pump printed nothing but BLANK receipts. Another wouldn't accept any punched-in zip codes -- a step used as an anti-fraud device.
But overall, things are much smoother and quieter at my work now -- proving again that the challenge of my job isn't so much THE WORK (a trained monkey could do that) -- it's more about dealing with PEOPLE'S WEIRDNESS. And of course that never ends....
This summer's been quieter than others, though. There have been a few freaks around -- and the hot weather we had last week (mid-90s, which is hot for us) did bring more of them out. But it could be worse. Has been many times. I'm happy to report that life at Work is actually ... sort of good. Been awhile since I've been able to say that.
On other fronts, I note that the Media is At It Again, predicting that a fire at a huge oil refinery in Richmond, California, three weeks ago might jump West Coast gas prices by 50 cents to a dollar per gallon.
There HAS been a jump -- when I left work Sunday night we were at $3.95 for a gallon of Regular, up about 20 cents in the 3 weeks since the refinery fire.
And I have seen competitors' prices as high as $4.09 per gallon, which is way too much. But their prices were higher than ours from the start.
But a 20 cent jump is in no way 50 cents or a dollar per gallon.
Once again I have to conclude that The Experts consulted by the Media are full of shit, alarming people for their own reasons. Which will, of course, go unrevealed.
Don't be sucked in.
If you enjoy the ranting I sometimes do here, please feel free to join me over at my other blog, TAD's Back-Up Plan, where I sometimes rant about Strange Music and off-the-wall books. I tend to be a lot sillier over there, and have a lot more fun. Got to figure out a way to import some of that silliness over here....
I turned 53 years old today, and life is good. Hope you all are the same.
More soon....
And other things....
First off, my apologies to the dozen or so of you Out There who read here -- it's been awhile since I've updated. Sorry about that....
Back in the last week of July, my little gas station received all-new electronics for our 10 gas pumps, which means that for the first time in 3 years, almost everything WORKS LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO.
I'd been waiting anxiously for this for quite awhile. I've joked with customers for years that the job-related stress was what made all my hair fall out....
Naturally, there were a few minor problems. Two gas pumps started running IMMEDIATELY, charging you money even though the pump wasn't actually pumping any gas into your gas tank. And some idiot was so distraught about his cat throwing up all over his new car that he drove off without hanging up the nozzle ... so that after 2 weeks, we already had 3 gas pumps that were DOWN and unavailable.
There were other, minor things. One pump printed nothing but BLANK receipts. Another wouldn't accept any punched-in zip codes -- a step used as an anti-fraud device.
But overall, things are much smoother and quieter at my work now -- proving again that the challenge of my job isn't so much THE WORK (a trained monkey could do that) -- it's more about dealing with PEOPLE'S WEIRDNESS. And of course that never ends....
This summer's been quieter than others, though. There have been a few freaks around -- and the hot weather we had last week (mid-90s, which is hot for us) did bring more of them out. But it could be worse. Has been many times. I'm happy to report that life at Work is actually ... sort of good. Been awhile since I've been able to say that.
On other fronts, I note that the Media is At It Again, predicting that a fire at a huge oil refinery in Richmond, California, three weeks ago might jump West Coast gas prices by 50 cents to a dollar per gallon.
There HAS been a jump -- when I left work Sunday night we were at $3.95 for a gallon of Regular, up about 20 cents in the 3 weeks since the refinery fire.
And I have seen competitors' prices as high as $4.09 per gallon, which is way too much. But their prices were higher than ours from the start.
But a 20 cent jump is in no way 50 cents or a dollar per gallon.
Once again I have to conclude that The Experts consulted by the Media are full of shit, alarming people for their own reasons. Which will, of course, go unrevealed.
Don't be sucked in.
If you enjoy the ranting I sometimes do here, please feel free to join me over at my other blog, TAD's Back-Up Plan, where I sometimes rant about Strange Music and off-the-wall books. I tend to be a lot sillier over there, and have a lot more fun. Got to figure out a way to import some of that silliness over here....
I turned 53 years old today, and life is good. Hope you all are the same.
More soon....
Monday, July 2, 2012
$3.44!
Wow, this is the lowest price we've had for a gallon of Regular gas since ... well, since I don't remember when. And I've been driving around the area a little bit lately and noticed that practically all the gas stations in my area have higher prices than we do! Some of them are 15 cents higher or more....
Of course all of this holiday-weekend good-feeling could change in the next couple weeks, when our station is supposed to get all new electronic innards for the gas pumps. That should lead to a whole new round of headaches.
But I've been waiting for this stuff for more than 2-1/2 years, since back in the days when I still had hair ... before it all fell out due to job-related stress. So I'll keep you posted....
Of course all of this holiday-weekend good-feeling could change in the next couple weeks, when our station is supposed to get all new electronic innards for the gas pumps. That should lead to a whole new round of headaches.
But I've been waiting for this stuff for more than 2-1/2 years, since back in the days when I still had hair ... before it all fell out due to job-related stress. So I'll keep you posted....
Monday, June 25, 2012
$3.54!
Have been woefully lax in updating things here at The Nazi. My apologies. My allergies have been kicking my ass for the last week. Can't type when I'm busy rubbing my eyes out of my head....
Our current price for a gallon of Regular gas is $3.54 -- down 40 cents since early in June. I had a customer tonight say the media is talking about prices dropping under $3 per gallon by Fall. That would be wonderful, but I'll believe it when I see it....
Our station is supposed to get all new electronics for our gas pumps sometime around July 4th -- which may mean all of our gas pumps will work like they're SUPPOSED to, that for the first time in nearly THREE YEARS we might actually have 10 gas pumps that REALLY WORK....
I'll also believe this when I see it. But I'll keep you posted....
Our current price for a gallon of Regular gas is $3.54 -- down 40 cents since early in June. I had a customer tonight say the media is talking about prices dropping under $3 per gallon by Fall. That would be wonderful, but I'll believe it when I see it....
Our station is supposed to get all new electronics for our gas pumps sometime around July 4th -- which may mean all of our gas pumps will work like they're SUPPOSED to, that for the first time in nearly THREE YEARS we might actually have 10 gas pumps that REALLY WORK....
I'll also believe this when I see it. But I'll keep you posted....
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
$3.78!!!
Hey, our price for a gallon of Regular gas has gone down 30 cents in a little over 2 weeks. Maybe there really IS something to this Congressional-investigation-of-gas-prices thing.
Maybe it's also the end of those $5-for-a-gallon-of-gas-this-summer rumors. Hope so.
More soon....
Maybe it's also the end of those $5-for-a-gallon-of-gas-this-summer rumors. Hope so.
More soon....
Saturday, June 16, 2012
$3.88!
Hey, maybe my roommate was right about that whole Congressional-investigation-of-gas-prices thing. Our price for a gallon of Regular has come down 20 cents in 2 days. This might end up being a good summer after all....
Thursday, June 14, 2012
$3.98!
Hey hey -- our lowest price for a gallon of Regular gas since the end of April.
My roommate says gas prices are coming down because members of Congress are looking into why gas prices have been so high -- especially on the West Coast.
Hmmm, Good Luck with that. You can bet that members of Congress aren't going to look TOO FAR into the business of governmentally-subsidized oil companies. Bet on that.
Meanwhile, we finally got some fake "CASH" and "CREDIT/DEBIT" signs posted on our big station ID sign out in front of the store, so there's been a lot less screaming about our prices. Thank Ghod. The whole cash-discount vs. card thing is still bogus, though. I don't really blame people for screaming about that. Wish they'd be a little nicer, though....
More soon!
My roommate says gas prices are coming down because members of Congress are looking into why gas prices have been so high -- especially on the West Coast.
Hmmm, Good Luck with that. You can bet that members of Congress aren't going to look TOO FAR into the business of governmentally-subsidized oil companies. Bet on that.
Meanwhile, we finally got some fake "CASH" and "CREDIT/DEBIT" signs posted on our big station ID sign out in front of the store, so there's been a lot less screaming about our prices. Thank Ghod. The whole cash-discount vs. card thing is still bogus, though. I don't really blame people for screaming about that. Wish they'd be a little nicer, though....
More soon!
Friday, June 8, 2012
$4.08! (cash)
It's the end of the first week of June and a cool rain is falling over the gorgeous Pacific Northwest as Monsoon Season continues....
We're at $4.08 per gallon for Regular gas, a drop of 10 cents from yesterday and a pretty good deal in our neighborhood -- if people could get it into their thick heads. We're 2 to 16 cents cheaper than our two competitors at our intersection, but nobody seems to notice that -- they're too busy trying to zing us for being misleading about our posted gas prices....
But at least people have been nicer the past two nights than they were last Sunday night. Thank Ghod....
Around 11 p.m. tonight a guy came in, filled up his truck with $75 worth of gas, then complained when he was charged $4.16 per gallon -- because he used a credit card at the gas pump rather than paying me cash. He felt we were being deceptive and threatened to call our parent company/headquarters office to complain.
I gave him their 1-800 toll-free number and wished him luck. We'll see how that turns out....
By the way, the "discount" he didn't get for using a charge card totaled $1.44. If he wants to cause trouble over $1.44, more power to him. It's the principle of the thing, right...?
We're at $4.08 per gallon for Regular gas, a drop of 10 cents from yesterday and a pretty good deal in our neighborhood -- if people could get it into their thick heads. We're 2 to 16 cents cheaper than our two competitors at our intersection, but nobody seems to notice that -- they're too busy trying to zing us for being misleading about our posted gas prices....
But at least people have been nicer the past two nights than they were last Sunday night. Thank Ghod....
Around 11 p.m. tonight a guy came in, filled up his truck with $75 worth of gas, then complained when he was charged $4.16 per gallon -- because he used a credit card at the gas pump rather than paying me cash. He felt we were being deceptive and threatened to call our parent company/headquarters office to complain.
I gave him their 1-800 toll-free number and wished him luck. We'll see how that turns out....
By the way, the "discount" he didn't get for using a charge card totaled $1.44. If he wants to cause trouble over $1.44, more power to him. It's the principle of the thing, right...?
Monday, June 4, 2012
Second Anniversary (a little late....)
A couple years back, I started this blog because I was spending too much time writing about Work over at my other blog, TAD's Back-Up Plan, which was supposed to be mainly for music and book reviews. I figured if my job was making me THAT crazy, maybe it needed more space....
And one of the first things I learned was that I didn't really want to think about my job or write about it all that much. I've written more posts since February of this year (due to increasing gas prices) than I did in the previous 18 months....
There's still some things I'd like to do. The gas-price updates will continue until we get back down to a reasonable price -- whatever that is -- or until I get fired. Which COULD happen, the way this summer is starting ... but more on that below.
I'd still like to do a piece on DRUNKS -- but they've mellowed-out lately. Or else I have. Anyway, I'm getting along with them better. Most nights....
I'd still like to do a piece on The Gas Nazi's Ten Commandments. But I also know well one of the Blogging Commandments: Thou Shalt Not Write A Post Before Its Time. So that one's gonna have to cook for a little longer....
Anyway, to the handful of folks who are out there reading this, many thanks.
And when I get fired, you'll be the first to know.
And then I'll have to think of Something Else to call this blog....
By the way, our current price for a gallon of Regular gas is $4.18. If you're paying cash. If you're using a debit or credit card, you'll pay $4.26 per gallon.
My boss put this new system into effect last Wednesday, but it took people until Sunday to realize what was going on, and then they REALLY started complaining.
I'm against anything that gives people more reasons to bitch.
The basic gist is lots of people seem to think we're doing something wrong, that there's some kind of rip-off going on.
There isn't.
The station across the street from us does this; the station over the hill from us does it; LOTS of stations across the country give a price-break for paying cash.
People just hate change. And they love a chance to complain.
And they're rude as hell about it, too.
Right after I got to work Sunday night, SIX CUSTOMERS IN A ROW zinged me about the price, about why card-users didn't get a break. Three of them left. One woman said if she'd known she got a break for paying cash, she wouldn't have used her credit card. She was going to hang up the pump and pay for the rest of the gas in cash, but then she realized her car was almost full, so.....
I admit that the signs telling people what's going on could be A LOT more obvious. A LOT MORE. But it's an old station with old equipment -- don't get me started -- and YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT. And in the meantime, the employees take the beating.
One woman argued with me for 5 minutes over the 80-cent price break she DIDN'T get by using a credit card. After pointing out what a small amount of money she was worried about, I offered her the 80 cents if it would make her feel better.
"I don't want that," she said. "It's just ... it's CHEATING!"
WHAT DO YOU WANT?!
Then 2 gas pumps decided to act stupid all night. First they'd work, then they wouldn't. First they'd read credit cards, then they wouldn't. My boss came in and fixed them by throwing computer switches in the back room, and THEN they worked great. For ONE customer. And then it was back to a guessing game.
At 11:30 p.m. a woman came in and tried to get gas out of one of these stupid pumps -- the card-reader screen was hash, she couldn't see what she was doing. When I offered to set her up, I realized I had NO FAITH she was going to get her gas out of that pump, so I advised her to move somewhere else.
"I don't mean to be rude, but is your gas any good?" she asked. "I mean with your little signs and notes all over everything, I don't get it. My truck won't run on bad gas...."
"Ma'am," I said, "I've worked here 8-1/2 years. The gas is good. It's just the EQUIPMENT that keeps on breaking down."
She left. Was I not nice enough? At least I didn't tell her to keep her stupid opinions to herself.
Hey, we've got a lot of problems, no point denying it. Pumps don't always work. Printers don't always print receipts when you use your credit card. The boss still hasn't fixed the faceplate on a pump somebody punched-in two years ago. We've got our problems.
And then there's just the high price of gas, of course.
And the employees take the beating for all the problems. Especially the ones we can't fix.
And how well do things work where you work? Does everything ALWAYS work perfectly? 24/7? No matter what kind of a beating the equipment takes?
All in all, the worst night I've had at work in months.
Happy anniversary.
I'm gonna go grump through my weekend.
Think I'll start by being in a coma through most of Monday.
More eventually....
And one of the first things I learned was that I didn't really want to think about my job or write about it all that much. I've written more posts since February of this year (due to increasing gas prices) than I did in the previous 18 months....
There's still some things I'd like to do. The gas-price updates will continue until we get back down to a reasonable price -- whatever that is -- or until I get fired. Which COULD happen, the way this summer is starting ... but more on that below.
I'd still like to do a piece on DRUNKS -- but they've mellowed-out lately. Or else I have. Anyway, I'm getting along with them better. Most nights....
I'd still like to do a piece on The Gas Nazi's Ten Commandments. But I also know well one of the Blogging Commandments: Thou Shalt Not Write A Post Before Its Time. So that one's gonna have to cook for a little longer....
Anyway, to the handful of folks who are out there reading this, many thanks.
And when I get fired, you'll be the first to know.
And then I'll have to think of Something Else to call this blog....
By the way, our current price for a gallon of Regular gas is $4.18. If you're paying cash. If you're using a debit or credit card, you'll pay $4.26 per gallon.
My boss put this new system into effect last Wednesday, but it took people until Sunday to realize what was going on, and then they REALLY started complaining.
I'm against anything that gives people more reasons to bitch.
The basic gist is lots of people seem to think we're doing something wrong, that there's some kind of rip-off going on.
There isn't.
The station across the street from us does this; the station over the hill from us does it; LOTS of stations across the country give a price-break for paying cash.
People just hate change. And they love a chance to complain.
And they're rude as hell about it, too.
Right after I got to work Sunday night, SIX CUSTOMERS IN A ROW zinged me about the price, about why card-users didn't get a break. Three of them left. One woman said if she'd known she got a break for paying cash, she wouldn't have used her credit card. She was going to hang up the pump and pay for the rest of the gas in cash, but then she realized her car was almost full, so.....
I admit that the signs telling people what's going on could be A LOT more obvious. A LOT MORE. But it's an old station with old equipment -- don't get me started -- and YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT. And in the meantime, the employees take the beating.
One woman argued with me for 5 minutes over the 80-cent price break she DIDN'T get by using a credit card. After pointing out what a small amount of money she was worried about, I offered her the 80 cents if it would make her feel better.
"I don't want that," she said. "It's just ... it's CHEATING!"
WHAT DO YOU WANT?!
Then 2 gas pumps decided to act stupid all night. First they'd work, then they wouldn't. First they'd read credit cards, then they wouldn't. My boss came in and fixed them by throwing computer switches in the back room, and THEN they worked great. For ONE customer. And then it was back to a guessing game.
At 11:30 p.m. a woman came in and tried to get gas out of one of these stupid pumps -- the card-reader screen was hash, she couldn't see what she was doing. When I offered to set her up, I realized I had NO FAITH she was going to get her gas out of that pump, so I advised her to move somewhere else.
"I don't mean to be rude, but is your gas any good?" she asked. "I mean with your little signs and notes all over everything, I don't get it. My truck won't run on bad gas...."
"Ma'am," I said, "I've worked here 8-1/2 years. The gas is good. It's just the EQUIPMENT that keeps on breaking down."
She left. Was I not nice enough? At least I didn't tell her to keep her stupid opinions to herself.
Hey, we've got a lot of problems, no point denying it. Pumps don't always work. Printers don't always print receipts when you use your credit card. The boss still hasn't fixed the faceplate on a pump somebody punched-in two years ago. We've got our problems.
And then there's just the high price of gas, of course.
And the employees take the beating for all the problems. Especially the ones we can't fix.
And how well do things work where you work? Does everything ALWAYS work perfectly? 24/7? No matter what kind of a beating the equipment takes?
All in all, the worst night I've had at work in months.
Happy anniversary.
I'm gonna go grump through my weekend.
Think I'll start by being in a coma through most of Monday.
More eventually....
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