Gross generalizations that will likely annoy and/or offend, Part one.

I happened to noticed something the other day that got me thinking, as I was having $30 worth of gas put into Betty, my little Aveo. I noticed that most full-serve stations I go to are employed by a number of late-teen/twenty-somethings, most of whom are sporting a wide selection of facial jewellery, tattoos and asymmetrical hairdos.

Now first, let me point out that I'm generally a fan of these things, so this is by no means a rant against self-expression or 'whatever happened to decency blah blah blah'. One has nothing to do with the other in my honest opinion. But it struck me funny that of all the different types of service-sector industries, gas stations are the only ones that seem to employ no dress code whatsoever. (although there have been times when I've wondered if maybe there IS a dress-code that specifically states the requirement of silver appendages. Either that or the hiring managers have punk fetishes)

Some might argue with me "well, what about CD stores, and used clothing stores?" These places are different, as the clientele are most likely the types of people (like myself) who tolerate, if not encourage, such adornment. The people in front of the counter making their purchases are most likely not much different from the folks ringing them up.

Fuelling stations (thank you, Thesaurus) however, cater to pretty much every walk of life you can imagine, with the exception of the homeless (who, one would assume, don't have vehicles, unless they are living in them) and shut-ins (who generally lack need of vehicles, as they don't really go anywhere anyway). With such a wide clientele, one would expect that there'd be many who are not at all sympathetic and even hostile towards such forms of self-expression.

What does it mean? It seems to me like an interesting indication of the type of hold that the fuel industry has on society. It's a neat little 'fuck-you' type of aesthetic, really. "We don't have to make our employee adhere to some kind of socially acceptable dress-code or uniform just to please you, the consumer. I mean, what are you going to do... NOT BUY GAS???"

Frankly I think most consumers are too pissed by the prices to care, anyway.

Ladies and gentlemen who are or have been in the industry, please feel free to tell me to STFU if you feel I don't know what I'm talking about. but please, elaborate on why. Discussion is FUN.