In cold weather like this nothing sucks more than filling up the car. That's why many of us leave it to the poor gas jockey.
At the best of times pumping gas is a thankless job - take it from someone who used to do it back in high school.
For minimum wage you get to spend most of your day breathing in fumes. No matter how many layers you wear, your clothes will stink of gas at the end of a shift. Customers are at best, indifferent and at worst, rude.
Add to all this a -20 temperature plus a windchill and it can be a special kind of hell.
People are strange about tipping.
A 15%-range tip at a restaurant is a given for most. I know many people who don't think twice about throwing a loonie into the "tip cup" next to the register for a cashier who took a few seconds to pour out a coffee or bartender to pop the cap off a bottle of beer.
When it comes to gas jockeys, though, no-one feels they deserve such a gratuity, despite the fact that they spend minutes out in the cold doing a job that we don't want to do ourselves.
Try it next time you are filling up. A loonie or toonie from your parking change bin, (a whole 2.5% to 5% on a $40 fill), will be appreciated by your gas jockey as tips are rare, indeed.
For minimum wage you get to spend most of your day breathing in fumes. No matter how many layers you wear, your clothes will stink of gas at the end of a shift. Customers are at best, indifferent and at worst, rude.
Add to all this a -20 temperature plus a windchill and it can be a special kind of hell.
People are strange about tipping.
A 15%-range tip at a restaurant is a given for most. I know many people who don't think twice about throwing a loonie into the "tip cup" next to the register for a cashier who took a few seconds to pour out a coffee or bartender to pop the cap off a bottle of beer.
When it comes to gas jockeys, though, no-one feels they deserve such a gratuity, despite the fact that they spend minutes out in the cold doing a job that we don't want to do ourselves.
Try it next time you are filling up. A loonie or toonie from your parking change bin, (a whole 2.5% to 5% on a $40 fill), will be appreciated by your gas jockey as tips are rare, indeed.
1 comment:
Great post! I always do in winter - since I get gas at co-op I always get full serve, even though they have the option of self serve - there is a reason I'm not pumping my own gas and that's called windchill. I usually do $1-2 depending on what coin I have, or if I don't have coin I'll buy a scratch ticket for them when I pay for the gas. It has to be one of the worst jobs in Winnipeg in winter. *shiver*
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