Job Lot: The forecourt attendant

By AIDAN RASSMUSSEN

Forty-one-year-old Phil Rhind does the graveyard shift from midnight to 10 am seven days a week at Shell Williamson Ave Motors. He has been pumping petrol for a year now and gets paid $11 an hour.

Why the graveyard shift?

I like that better because I'm by myself and I don't have to deal with irate and arrogant customers. I definitely like that better than working in the daytime, when we get a lot of those people through.

You must have seen some pretty interesting things in your time?

Definitely. You get a lot of drunks who give you a hard time. I can deal with them because they're too drunk to report me if I get a bit short with them. I've had people asking me for money out of the till, and I just refuse because normally they're too drunk or not as brave as they like to think they are.

The funny thing is that often drunk people leave money behind - which is one of the great perks of the job. I just put the money in my pocket. It happens quite a lot. All the drunk people leave money behind. I've also been held up once.

Really? Were you scared?

Yeah, it was quite scary. He was in the shop for a while before he pulled a gun on me, but he was so nervous. He was just as nervous as me, I think. All I did was punch him in the arm and he ran off. He was walking round the shop which was full of cameras so I knew he would get caught. He was so nervous and I could tell, so I whacked him. I think the gun wasn't real anyway, I think it was an imitation. I wasn't quite sure, but that's what it looked like.

Was that one of the highlights of your job, stopping someone from robbing the service station?

Yeah. After it happened I was a bit shaken up but I felt okay. I'd do it again if I had to.

Aside from beating off robbers, what sort of qualities does a good forecourt attendant need?

You need to be alert and polite. And I find that very hard - being polite to customers who aren't very polite to you. You have to be patient. I've actually been in trouble for losing my temper with some of the customers.

Why?

They expect you to do everything at the same time - serve inside the shop and fill cars at the same time. You get a few impatient and bossy customers as well.

How do you deal with them?

I try and be as polite as I can, it's quite hard sometimes, some people are really rude and arrogant.

What are your duties?

Service inside and outside the station. If you're not doing anything inside you go and serve the customers on the outside. You've got to stock the shelves, clean, fill cars, check oil and water and make sure the shop's well presented and make sure the forecourt is clean as well.

Why did you decide to be a forecourt attendant?

I had my own business before this, a burger bar, and it went bust and I was looking for a job.

Have there been any situations where people have left the petrol pump in their car?

Yeah, definitely. It happens a lot with new forecourt attendants. People put the pump in the car, they think it's been taken out by the forecourt attendant and they drive off with it.

How does the customer feel about that when it happens?

They think it's their fault, so they're really apologetic.

Generally speaking from your observation, how do people treat their cars?

The younger females treat their cars a lot better than young males. They make sure the oil and water are checked. They're a lot more responsible. Young males do that very rarely.

Does that annoy you?

It does a little because I love my cars. I'm a bit of a car fanatic. My favourite car is a Holden Commodore - I've got one. People generally drive into the forecourt with windscreens that are so dirty that you can't see through them. That's extremely dangerous, especially if you have a dirty rear and front. I run water all over them to make sure that they're clean and people can see through them.