The recession can be tough. So can getting a job with limited education or while you are balancing a work and school schedule. Not everyone dreams to wind up working at a gas station as a gas station clerk, but it happens.
Completing college, I did wind up working at a gas station for two months at the beginning of 2008. It was a unique experience, but I did not do any research on gas stations other than what the company informed me. I will give you some basic information of gas station clerk duties and examples of experiences you may find yourself in.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #1: What’s for Dinner?
You quickly learn that your food choices are limited when you wind up working at a gas station. You either risk paralysis from the gas station snacks or you risk asystole from the fast food restaurant inside. In my case, it was a McDonalds, so asystole was definitely possible. This is what happens when you choose fast food. Try packing a lunch if possible.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #2: Only Person on Shift?
Many convenience store managers like to have only one gas station clerk working during each shift. When its rush hour and a person arrives with $100 worth of lotto tickets to cash in, you will love your manager for the cost-leadership strategy! Expect God to feel the need to challenge your patience by making sure the lotto machine paper jams… twice… while you are calculating the totals. Other customers will be waiting to pay for their gas, and the lotto winner will be reluctant to letting you help anyone other that his or herself.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #3: Gas Stations without Prepaid Gas
Working at a gas station where prepaying for gas is not required? Hope you work in a trusty community, or you better have your eyes glued to those gas pumps. During a busy period, it would not be uncommon for someone to think they can sneak away with their gas as your attending to rush hour customers. You may also have to deal with out-of-state customers… like myself.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #4: Gas Stations with Prepaid Gas
Working at a gas station where prepaying for gas is required? You are not off the hook. A customer will come barging in demanding why he or she must prepay for their gasoline. Company questions their honesty? By god, that customer is going to question your honesty! As you quake in boots…unable to control your laughter… The customer will give you the ultimate threat that they are going to the next door gas station. The line moves again. No more entertainment for the gas station clerk today.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #5: Follow All Company Policies… Regardless of the Stupidity
When I was working at a gas station in Tennessee, they required that everyone have a license. Even if you were 100, you had to have a license. If your state is similar, you will have to spend five minutes with an eighty year old customer holding the line up because you can’t sell him or her the alcohol without the license. The person will become increasingly frustrated as you laugh the entire time he or she is talking, finally telling him you have no idea what he or she said.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #6: Night Shift Beer Hours
If you are working at a gas station during the night, look out for the crazy coons. Someone will come in at 2:01 A.M. wanting to purchase some bizarre amount of alcohol. 2:00 A.M. was the deadline, and receipts will notify accountants if you sold after the time limit. Sure, you can make the company a $100 sale but who cares about the company? Don’t go to jail for not performing your legal duty working at a gas station. Tell that customer no. I would not laugh at customers during third shift because they may be a little cranky… got my drift?
Seriously though, I would not sell the alcohol anywhere from five minutes before the A.M. prohibition deadline. I was also informed this by my employer. If the cash register’s clock is a few minutes fast or the store clock is a few minutes slow, you’re the one writing love letters to your children in jail.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #7: You may be Responsible for Cashier’s Mistakes on other Shifts
Can one of the gas station clerks not count? No problem, you will be in charge of them and blamed for their errors! This was never a problem for me as I would almost always catch errors, but why would you keep a cashier that always left his or her shift with inaccurate numbers?
Gas Station Clerk Duties #8: Alone During Night Shift
Did you wind up working at a gas station during night shift? You will be stocking and running the cash register at the same time. Don’t you dare let theft happen on your watch, or its hammer time! Yeah, you will not have a clue what is going on while you’re in the cooler room, but you need to know when there are customers.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #9: The Dangers and Foolishness of 3rd Shift Customers… and Criminals
I worked a night shift on my second to last day working at a gas station. A customer came in, leaving his automobile running. The customer noticed his automobile was being car jacked, so he calmly turned my attention toward it while I was scanning his merchandise. Don’t expect the customer to always be so nonchalant. Normally, you should expect them to threaten to sue your entire family because he left his keys in the ignition at midnight.
A police offer received my testimony and asked me to give him surveillance camera evidence. I did not have access, and none of my managers want to be called after midnight. Apparently, the manager is the only person who had access to the surveillance camera, and she was not in for two days. I have no idea what occurred of that incident, if they ever found the carjacker, etc. What should a gas station clerk take out of this? Get ready to add the entire police force to your Facebook account.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #10: Beware to Offer yourself for 3rd Shift
Did you offer to work third shift? Be advised that to some managers, this is another way of saying “I am available 24/7.” If you want more of a steady schedule, don’t be a gas station clerk. Expect weeks were you work a third shift and come back in for a second shift that same day. Then, expect them to schedule you during the only four hours of every day that you warned them that you are completely unavailable. In addition, don’t be surprised if they expect you to put your gas station clerk duties ahead of your schoolwork. Yeah, someone is really going to focus on the $7.50 side job over finishing their Bachelors Degree.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #11: The Cashier from the Rival Gas Station Across the Street
My last day had one of the employers working at a gas station from across the street come in. Apparently, gas station clerks learn to hate their jobs so much that they buy their gas and food at the competitor gas station across the street. He wanted to buy a $1 Kit-Kat, but I redirected him to a Kit-Kat that was $.50. Same Kit-Kat except it had different packaging, hidden, and half priced.
Gas Station Clerk Duties #12: That’s just over 2 Months of Experience…
Writing this article almost makes me wish I worked another couple months at a gas station. Then I could give you first-hand perspective of the eight year old that tries to purchase Jack Daniels for his mother, the hooker that comes in during third shift wanting you to give her work, the kid with the fake I.D, the “$2 for $20 exchange trick,” the “Sparks trick,” operating the store without electricity, etc…
If you wind up as a gas station clerk, keep safe and don’t miscount. Hopefully you do not get employed in one requiring one gas station clerk per shift because it can increase the risk and boringness from working the shift.
REFERENCES:
Joshua Huffman, “Why a Root Canal is more Satisfying than McDonalds.” Associated Content.
Joshua Huffman, “No Prepaid Gas?” Associated Content.
