An open letter to obnoxious NJ gas attendants (Opinion)

Dear — no, no, THERE. All you are is THERE. You’re not dear at all ...

There New Jersey gas attendant,

This letter is only to most of you. To the typical you. It isn’t for the occasional worker who actually gives a slight damn. It’s for you, the one who acts soooo put upon that someone pulled up wanting to give you some business and made you get off your stool in your little booth. God forbid!

I remember that one time we literally made eye contact and yet you sat there until a second car pulled up a full two minutes later. Is that your rule? One isn’t worth your time?

This is to the one I had just this morning. You, sir, were an archetype. You were nowhere to be seen at first. Then I heard you coming from around the side of the building. How? That foreign language you were speaking into your Bluetooth. Yes, you’re allowed to speak your foreign language. No xenophobia here.

But can you pause your conversation while you’re waiting on me? Yeah, I guess you’re right, that’s too much to ask of you when someone clearly held a gun to your head forcing you to accept this job.

So what did you do instead? While never saying hello, while never saying a single word to me (at least not in English) you kept right on talking at my open window and reached in and took the credit card from my hand without ever asking me what I wanted.

You assumed.

You assumed it would be a fill up. You assumed it would be regular. And you just went ahead and did that. Talk about treating a customer like persona non grata. I could have been a lamp propped up behind the wheel. I could have been a bag of garbage.

When the pump clicked off and you handed me back my card, you did so while still talking on your Bluetooth and you never even made eye contact. Not once. By this point, even a Jersey middle finger would have been better. At least it would have been a form of recognition.

You, the typical gas attendant in New Jersey, clearly hate your job and your life. The thing? It’s NOT MY FAULT. I don’t know what led you here to a job most people don’t seem to want. If I had my way we would have the option of self-serve. I would never have to interact with you.

Not that it’s being reciprocated.

You need to hang up the phone, speak a few words, say thank you once in a while, and do the bare minimum in the respect department.

Since you can’t? Stay the hell out of my way when I start pumping it myself.

Sincerely,

Jeff Deminski

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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