In recent months I have grown increasingly frustrated with a couple of service stations in town.
While they shall remain nameless, let's just say I'm an owner. Or rather, a member who receives annual equity cheques as a result of my loyalty. I suspect, however, those cheques will soon disappear, because I find it increasingly difficult to keep going to the place I own.
Fuelling up Monday was the final straw. Because I had been on the road recently, like pretty much anyone else who drives, my windows were dirty.
"Fill 'er up," I said, "and please clean the windows."
"We don't clean windows in winter," I was told.
I was expecting this by now, but was frustrated nonetheless. Inside I found a yellow bucket filled with dry squeegees, and not one squeegee outside. Perhaps they were taking shelter from the -5 C temperatures.
While it is much easier for me to drive three blocks to fuel up at a gas station that is part of the largest corporation in the world, I instead got in my SUV last week and drove across town specifically to fill up at this station. I am willing to take the extra 10 minutes to drive to fill up at the station I own.
There was not one squeegee available in any of the 10 squeegee stations, nor was there a pail in or outside of the station. I asked the attendant why not, and she said it was too cold; they freeze up. They had only one jug of antifreeze left, she added. She would go out and clean them if I really wanted, in a voice that sounded like, "Yes, I know you're whining, but I will do whatever I need to in order to shut you up."
It was -9 C at the time. This is just the start of winter. This is not the first time I have heard this from the gas station I own. I heard it last winter too. Does this mean for the next four or five months I cannot clean my windows?
After Monday, apparently, that's the case.
Amazingly enough, as I drove home last week I happened upon two other gas stations, neither of which I own, and both had squeegees and antifreeze. One was running a little low on windshield antifreeze, but it still had some in the buckets. The other location, open 24/7, had the antifreeze full and squeegees positioned in all of its buckets. Apparently they are aware it gets cold in Canada, and people need to clean their windows, primarily as a safety measure.
God forbid I get into an accident because I can't see out of my rear window. Why would I want to see there?
The lack of the ability to clean my windows at my favourite gas station for the next five months would perhaps be made up by the occasional ability to check my own oil, even though the sign says "We serve." But a month or so ago I was again stymied. Not one of the 10 paper towel stations had paper towel. "It gets too windy," the attendant said, adding the paper towels blow away. If so, they need a different style of dispenser, or should use rolls which are less prone to blowing away. The wind blows in Saskatchewan, or so I heard.
What's that? Sorry, couldn't hear you over the wind.
Perhaps having the capability to clean windows is overstated, since the "We serve" philosophy has seemed rather passé over the past year. It is exceptionally rare to get my windows cleaned at either of the gas stations I own, except for when the older gentleman at the pump was kind enough to do them at the downtown location a month ago.
The local stations should not feel too bad, however, since they are not alone within this chain. Indeed, having to clean your own windows is now commonplace in the stations that post "We serve."
This past summer I drove from Estevan to Shaunavon, fuelling at several of these stations along the way, including Weyburn, Assiniboia and Shaunavon. Not once, on the way there or back, did I have my windows cleaned by an attendant.
I spoke of these concerns to the local manager a few months ago, and he related the difficulty in finding good help. I understand that, but I think there should be a minimal expectation of service.
Twenty years ago I worked as a gas pump jockey. I was expected to clean the windows on every vehicle and offer to check the oil, in addition to pumping the gas. Those were my three primary responsibilities. If I didn't do that, I didn't have a job. It was that simple.
I will give my gas stations one more chance. After that, I'm jumping ship. Maybe I'll buy shares in the big oil company instead.
- Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at [email protected].
