The End Of An Era

I've posted the story before about how Mike and I met. Mike just told me tonight that the gas station (Husky) where we met will be permanently closing soon. When he said that, I felt like we should go pay our last respects. That job at that gas station were some of the best years of my life and still have an impact on me today.

When I graduated from high school in 1997, Husky was the only place I wanted to work. I didn't want to be a waitress or some retail clerk. I didn't want to work at a fast food place. I only wanted to pump gas and I wanted to do it at that particular Husky. The staff there were funny and friendly and it seemed like a fun place to work. Plus, it didn't hurt that it was an all-male staff and they were all pretty cute :-) I was hired on in September 1997 and worked there until 2000 (I went back to work for a different boss in 2003, but it just wasn't the same).

When Mike and I have trouble falling asleep or are bored during road trips, we sometimes play different "Husky games". Although we never worked there together, we did both work for the same wonderful boss and the routine was the same for both of us. We try to remember the order that the cigarettes were displayed. We think about all the different things that had to be done during the afternoon shift change or the evening cash out. We compare notes on how we stocked coolers or did the gas dips (measuring the levels of gas left in the underground tanks at the end of each day). We both fondly remember making dry ice in the summer and changing the CO2 tanks. We laugh about "the bingo rush" and the interesting people who came through at that time (the gas station was situated between two bingo halls and when the evening bingo game let out and the night game was starting....whooo-weee! did it get busy!).

We share individual memories of the funny/crazy things that happened to each of us. Things like the mop/sword fights or having hurdling competitions over the oil cart were one thing, but making dry ice bombs or starting patterned fires on the counter using lock de-icer probably shouldn't have been attempted around large tanks of gasoline. And I still can't believe we ever smoked inside the gas station, but those were the days when smoking in public was still acceptable.

Two painful memories that stand out for me are (1) having a wasp fly under my glasses and sting me right on my bottom eyelid and (2) walking into a trailer hitch and ending up with a golf ball sized lump on my shin. One of the more embarassing memories include the night when I was filling up an Oldsmobile (whose gas tanks are under the back license plate). The gas nozzle slipped out of the tank but the trigger was still locked in place. In the process of jumping for the nozzle, I ended up getting soaked in gas. That's a taste one doesn't forget very quickly.

One of my favourite memories was one morning, when a female customer came in, paid for her gas and walked out the door. A moment later, she returned. As I started to ask if she forgot something, she said, "I just wanted to tell you what a beautiful smile you have". And that was it. I was sort of stunned, but I stuttered out a thank you as she walked out the door. It was at that point I realized the weight that an unprompted compliment can hold and I try to find something nice to say to different cashiers/servers. It can do wonders for setting a positive tone for the rest of the interaction.

I could go on and on about all the memories I have of that gas station, but I'll leave it with just the ones above. But I do want to stress how that place set the tone for the level of customer service I now expect of other servers, based on the level that I gave to people. No, I wasn't perfect and I did get into spats with certain customers, but it was in a deserved situation. And I have to say that I am absolutely appalled at the lack of customer service nowadays. These kids can't even count back change properly (the tills do it for them) and don't even get me started on the crappy, lack lustre attitude. I'm referring to all businesses, not just gas stations. Argh...but that's for another post, another day.

I am so thankful I was hired on at Husky. If I hadn't been, I never would have met Mike. I really am sad that station is closing. If I played the bag pipes, I would play the funeral song when the current owners lock the doors for the last time.