More of "You"

[blas]

Got another one from my gas station days, since I noticed the past few days we've had some threads pondering why customers use "you" or "you guys" or whatnot in their grievances.

When gas hit record prices in 2005 of $3 (during Hurricane Katrina) per gallon, I had a LOT of customers accuse ME of personally being responsible for gas prices being so high.

"You are price gouging!"

"You are raising the prices too god damned high!"

Sometimes said as a joke. Yeah, ha ha.

I even had customers accuse me of getting free gas for working there. AS IF. Does this look like Kwik Trip, where employees actually get incentives for working there, such as gift cards and discounts? All I got for free was all the sodas and coffees I could drink on my shift. Which was better than nothing, but still. Oh, and a few times I covered shifts for lazy worthless coworkers, my manager bought me cigarettes. But that was back when they were less than $4 a pack for the good stuff.

And I doubt even bigger, better gas stations give their employees FREE gas, unless it's a holiday or a bonus, aka, not a constant thing.

Freaking morons, they were. Still are. I am still considering right now getting a part time job, and I absolutely refuse to ever work at a gas station again. I would rather miss a bill than have to deal with people screaming at me about gas prices again.

[Iseeyouthere]

Rules of the SC:
It is always your fault.

I got a good one to counter all that though:
"Sir/Ma'am/Thing, if it were me in charge of fuel prices, I'd make you pay 10 bucks per litre (gallon)"

[thehuckster]

And I doubt even bigger, better gas stations give their employees FREE gas, unless it's a holiday or a bonus, aka, not a constant thing.

Besides maybe a discount. Gas stations would never just give away $40-$50 tanks of gas to their clerks. Except as, perhaps, a contest run once a year.

[Moosenogger]

In my experience, people usually just say "you" in their complaints because it's faster/easier than saying "your employer" or "the shitty company you work for." Now, if they're actually addressing YOU personally (pointing, saying how they'll "have your job" or whatever), then yeah, that's just ridiculous.

[bubblelittlepally]

I guess people assume that the people who work in these stores actually set prices and are setting them high because we're either extremely greedy or doing it to solely piss them off.

People who seriously make these accusations have no concept of what causes prices to go up or down; therefore, it's obviously the hourly workers who are scamming them....

[Becks]

I really wish that people who don't work at gas stations realize that very little (practically 0%) profit is made on gas sales.

It's all about the stuff sold inside.

[Frantic Freddie]

Reminds me of when I worked in the liquor store & the state raised taxes on booze,somehow it was all our fault.They'd bitch & I'd say "Talk to the Governor,not my fault"

[Pixilated]

I guess people assume that the people who work in these stores actually set prices and are setting them high because we're either extremely greedy or doing it to solely piss them off.

People who seriously make these accusations have no concept of what causes prices to go up or down; therefore, it's obviously the hourly workers who are scamming them....

People -- and I include myself in this -- don't realize that individual gas stations have very little control (if any) over what they charge for gas. A friend's father used to run a gas station and she said their gas prices were set by others much farther up the food chain. Owners of stores could go along with it ... or find another line of work.

And yeah, let's not forget the government getting its little paws in there.

[rose_metal_nz]

In my experience, people (sheeple) tend to just forget that the person on the end of the phone/in the uniform/behind the counter/etc IS NOT THE COMPANY. Just plain & simple. If it's over the phone, sometimes you get to drop the "hey, I'm just a person here" line, but *shrugs* it's pretty stink, but... I'm guessing it's just part of the faceless-employee thing. Not that I am in any way excusing said behaviour of course :S

[Ellf]

I'll admit, I've referred to a gas station person as you when referencing the price of gas, but I was referring to the station itself.

As in "You guys are 3.57 a gallon while the guys down the street are 3.29... any idea what's up with that?"

(True story, and it's like half a block away. Thing is, I wasn't at the station for gas for that one, I was using their little mart because it is an awesome little mart.)

Then of course, there's the one station in town that's always 20 cents above average per gallon. It is also a liquor store.

[dragon_wings]

Then of course, there's the one station in town that's always 20 cents above average per gallon. It is also a liquor store.

Say what? o.O

[Ellf]

Mike's Beer Barn. Sells a variety of beer, liquor and spirits.... Oh, and gas. I guess they figure people need to get gas on booze runs.

I live in a college town.

[MoonCat]

See, in my area, the gas prices tend to be as much as 10-15 cents higher per gallon than the national average. This pissed people off big time, until the local politicians decided to look into it. After much poking about, examining of laws (include, I assume, the "law" of supply and demand), and much noise about standing up for the consumer, they came to the conclusion that the prices here are just what the gas stations can get for it, and there wasn't anything they could do about it.

I believe most stations around here are charging anywhere from $3.79 to $3.89 a gallon presently.

And I'm damn sure it's not the fault of the people running the cash registers.

[camjuniper]

Love the blame the lowly game.

I used to work at a food co-op and some customer was bitching out my cashier while I was bagging for charging meals tax on prepared food.

It got so bad (and the cashier was relatively new) that I actually cut in and said, "Ma'am, we're just cashiers. What do you expect us to do about it?"

She glared at me and said "Well, you can tell your manager about it!"

I was so close to laughing in her face and telling her that not only would her behavior make me so totally unlikely to help her with anything, but that something like meals tax would have to be taken up with the state government. No, really, it's not just us. Yeah, right, store down the street doesn't charge meals tax. Uh huh. Look at your receipt from there lately?

[laborcat]

I believe most stations around here are charging anywhere from $3.79 to $3.89 a gallon presently.

And I'm damn sure it's not the fault of the people running the cash registers.

Wow. When I left work today, we were charging $3.03 and the place next to us was charging $3.02. Closer to my house, they're still at $3.12 and $3.09.

Wishing the gas prices were this low when I was driving back and forth to Adams County every week the last couple months. Now that I've stopped, the prices go down