The unsung role of petrol stations in our travels

History

In 1888 a pharmacy in Germany first opened a filling station as a side business. After seeing how good it was doing, a lot followed. Only later did petrol stations become a separate business.

The workers were AA patrolmen, who were trained to help people having troubles with their cars and so knew the most about how a fuel pump worked.

Now, as petrol stations are not new to anyone anymore, a worker can be anyone who manages to get the job.

However, the job is not easy.

Today

‘People just don’t think. They don’t read what they’ve got to do’- after being asked about the reason they called the job ‘challenging’, the two ladies working at Sainsbury’s petrol station explained.

They also added that ‘we have to deal with everything. We don’t have any managers around here so if anything goes wrong it will be down to us.’

If the customers don’t read the signs and don’t follow the rules it can lead to really difficult situations, like one that an employee shared with us:

‘There was a fire on the forecourt from a camper van. So, my colleagues actually had to push the car to the side. It was really dangerous.’

All three of the interviewees agreed that what they need the most is ‘more support from the management’.
However, this might vary in different petrol stations, some will be more capable of hiring more employees for different shifts, or providing them with more help.

But, at Sainsbury’s filling station, as the two ladies explained, they are ‘literally stuck in here for eight hours and we are not allowed to leave.’

Dave, who has worked at Tesco’s petrol station for 26 years and 1 month now, encountered a rather serious situation during his first 3 years on the job.

‘Guy came up to the window when I was doing 24 hours overnight and demanded my money’- he told us. Luckily, it ended well, as he was locked inside, so he just told the intruder to ‘bugger off’ and called the police.

However hard this job may be, it has its positives. For example, Dave has regular customers still coming to the station from ever since he started at the job.

‘In fact, there’s a couple of customers who are now personal friends’ he told us, with a smile on his face.

In conclusion, work at a petrol station is hard and not appreciated enough. This can be changed.

The employees need a place to rest during breaks, which they should have. But so do the drivers who have been on the road for hours, maybe days.

So, this could be solved with a room where people could rest for at least a few minutes, have relaxing music playing.

It would help a lot when having to deal with stress at the station and on the road.