Amazing how things just seem to go horribly wrong at the worst times. About 10 mins ago, while fully loaded with customers and trying to balance 40 other things such as a malfunctioning pump, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a little girl on the street corner up from me. She had to have been only around 3-4 years old.
She slowly started to walk out into the street, which is a rather busy street that connects to one of the main routes through this area and into New York state. The customer in the car next to me also noticed and we took off running to catch her. I darted through the traffic, narrowly getting blindsided by several cars.
Luckily, I reached the girl just as she stepped into the street, and carried her over to the woman customer who was coming up behind me. We brought the little girl over to the resturant nearby and tried to figure out where her mother was. Safely in the hands of my customer, I went back to the station to try and get as many people out of the pumps as possible, out of concern that we may need to contact the police to alert them to the fact we found a lost child.
After a moment I saw the girls mother come running out from the park across the street towards my the customer and take the girl from her. I'm not sure of the exact conversation that transpired, but when the customer came back, she said that the mother didn't even thank either of us for trying to protect her kid.
WTF is wrong with these people? Are you that fucking lazy that you can't even watch your kid so that she doesn't go running out into a very busy street? Thank god that there are people out there who are observant and good hearted that are willing to risk their own safety to make sure that the innocent and helpless are protected from danger.
Although people are calling me a hero right now, do I think of myself as one? Not really. I'm a human being, one that takes his responsibility as a human being seriously, which is more then I can say for many people out there.
Wednesday, July 6. 2005
Myths about gas station attendants
It has been about a month since I started working at the gas station - and I've learned quite a bit about people's habits and myths when they either pull into a gas station, or see a gas station attendant.
This of course is not true, and I'm an example of why this is.
Take the customer who pulled into the station last weekend and got visibly miffed at me because I didn't know where the street she wanted to go to was. I didn't catch all of what she said, but I did catch something to the affect of...
"You fucking work at a gas station, you should know where streets are..."
She pulled away rather quickly and I've not seen her since.
Where the hell did people get it in their minds that just because I work at a gas station, I must know where every street in the county is?
This is one of my more bigger gripes. Like most gas stations these days, customers seem to come in groups. I'll have a dead period of 10-30 mins, then suddenly 30 people decide to rush the station and get gas all at once.
I have 4 pumps which means that I can only fill up these people so quickly. I also have to make change as well, which takes time (thanks to the fact my right hand is severely fucked up from many years ago). Naturally, there is the one car that decides to pull up in the street and ask me for detailed directions while I'm trying to start the pumps and handle people's change.
Naturally, this distracts me just enough for me to forget to do something, like hit which grade the customer wanted, or keeps me from hitting the "Receipt" button quickly enough for cash customers who want a paper copy of what they got. Missing that button means I have to spend another minute inside the station writing up a receipt by hand and then bring it back out.
That causes ALL of my customers to wait AND makes me rather unhappy.
Yeah, I know I complain alot, but its amazing the sheer lack of consideration many people have for those who make sure your car doesn't die on the side of the road somewhere with the fuel gauge on "E".
Myth: Attendants know where every street and house in the county they work in is exactly.
This of course is not true, and I'm an example of why this is.
Take the customer who pulled into the station last weekend and got visibly miffed at me because I didn't know where the street she wanted to go to was. I didn't catch all of what she said, but I did catch something to the affect of...
"You fucking work at a gas station, you should know where streets are..."
She pulled away rather quickly and I've not seen her since.
Where the hell did people get it in their minds that just because I work at a gas station, I must know where every street in the county is?
Myth: Attendants don't mind if you distract them with questions about directions when they have 10 people lined up for only 4 pumps and half of them need change made from cash.
This is one of my more bigger gripes. Like most gas stations these days, customers seem to come in groups. I'll have a dead period of 10-30 mins, then suddenly 30 people decide to rush the station and get gas all at once.
I have 4 pumps which means that I can only fill up these people so quickly. I also have to make change as well, which takes time (thanks to the fact my right hand is severely fucked up from many years ago). Naturally, there is the one car that decides to pull up in the street and ask me for detailed directions while I'm trying to start the pumps and handle people's change.
Naturally, this distracts me just enough for me to forget to do something, like hit which grade the customer wanted, or keeps me from hitting the "Receipt" button quickly enough for cash customers who want a paper copy of what they got. Missing that button means I have to spend another minute inside the station writing up a receipt by hand and then bring it back out.
That causes ALL of my customers to wait AND makes me rather unhappy.
Yeah, I know I complain alot, but its amazing the sheer lack of consideration many people have for those who make sure your car doesn't die on the side of the road somewhere with the fuel gauge on "E".
