Why is it that we tip in restaurants, taxis, airports, hotels, and so on, and yet no one has thought to establish a service station with attendants to fill your tank for a small salary plus tips?
When it takes $40 or $50 or more to fill a tank, how many of us might be perfectly happy to tip (say 10 percent) to have someone do the nasty work, and possibly clean our windshield and headlights. I certainly would. Most women I know would.
I absolutely would. I hate buying gas and avoid it at all costs. My poor husband always has to pump if we’re out together.
The market spoke. Full service used to be common. People went to self-service stations. Full service stations died.
The change took place at a time people would go into a gas station and buy “a dollar’s worth.” It’s a different thing to spend $50 (even allowing for inflation). I believe, especially as the population ages, that “service” stations might be an alternative many would chose. Not everyone eats at McDonalds.
I was at a gas station the other day in a “fancy” part of town, and my daughter was in the back seat. I got out to pump my gas and this guy (turns out it was the station attendant) comes running at me. I was seriously freaked out and couldn’t understand why this guy was running toward me (and my baby! my baby!), but all he wanted to do was pump my gas. He said,” We offer full service now, ma’am. Didn’t mean to scare you.” I thought that was pretty funny. But I was more than happy to have him do the whole drill and I tipped him for it, too.
While I haven’t gone out of the way to find one, it is my
belief “Service Stations” have disappeared.
They all seem to be retail stores.
Dad
So what’s preventing you from tipping them now?
Oh, and by the way, It takes $80 to $90 to fill my tank and I live in Oregon where self-serve is illegal. I don’t plan on tipping the attendents any time in the near future.