Working at a gas station is an important role that often goes unnoticed. Whether you are considering a career within this sector or simply curious about how a filling station operates, you have come to the right place.
This guide lists the various intricacies of this overlooked industry. It will help you gain insights into the different positions and responsibilities of the gasoline station employees and the pros and cons of working here.
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What Are the Day-to-Day Activities at a Gas Station?
The day-to-day activities at a gas station include customer service, pumping gasoline or diesel fuel into vehicles, and operating the cash register. Restocking various items, taking in deliveries, and cleaning are some daily activities in the gasoline station. You might have to run some extra duties like cleaning the windshields.
The most essential job at a filling station is that of a cashier. Their duties include cash handling and customer support. The gas stations with convenience stores may have store clerks responsible for restocking, cleaning the shelves, and assisting the customers with purchases.
Some gas stations have attendants who help the customers pump gas or direct them to the proper pump. They may also provide additional services like checking the tire pressure and windshield cleaning. Shift supervisors manage the other staff and oversee the various operations during their shifts.
A gasoline station manager is typically a senior-level position with significant duties of staff management, inventory control, marketing, budgeting, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Maintenance technicians ensure that the various equipment and facilities at a filling station are in good working condition.
Working at a gas station salary varies, depending on the position and the location. Let’s talk about the general wages of the various filling station employees in the US:
- Cashiers and store clerks are typically paid an hourly wage fluctuating from $12 to $15 per hour.
- A fuel attendant can earn a similar wage, about $12 to $15 per hour.
- A filling station manager typically earns more due to their more significant responsibilities. The salary of a station manager can range from $40,000 to $70,000 annually, depending on the filling station’s location.
- Maintenance technicians earn an hourly wage ranging from $12 to $15.
What Are the Benefits and Risks of a Gas Station Job?
The benefits and risks of a gas station job run parallel. The benefits include an abundance of shifts and friendliness with daily customers. However, the drawbacks include repetitive tasks, few career advancements, and the constant fear of the filling station being robbed due to its location.
Benefits
Gasoline stations receive a lot of customers every day, and if you work there, you get to meet many people.
Many of them will be local visits from regular customers, and you will eventually learn their orders, and a sense of friendliness will develop. This way, you can make friends while working at a filling station and be known in your community.
The stations are mostly packed with customers so you will be very busy. There won’t be many dull moments as there is always something to do. You won’t realize the time passing, so your shift goes by quicker than expected.
There will be many shifts if you work in a 24/7 gasoline station. So, you will have a significant advantage of finding a shift that can fit around your other obligations. Moreover, you would not need to worry about packing lunch before your shift, as gas stations typically sell food and drinks.
Your filling station might even provide some discounts to its employees. The various skills you learn while working at a filling station can also be applied to other jobs. You can align with multiple career paths due to transferable skills like customer support, cash handling, and time management, to name a few.
Gasoline stations are a basic necessity as every vehicle owner needs gas or fuel to run it. There are numerous filling stations in every city, even in third-world countries, so there is no work shortage.
Finding work at a filling station will be easier if you have the experience of working at one. Gas stations also have uniforms, so you won’t risk ruining your clothes while working. In addition, some stations pay bonuses to their employees for working during the peak hours.
Working a graveyard shift at a service station has its own benefits. You have fewer customers because you are working when the others are sleeping.
So, at these hours, working at a gas station benefits those who would like frequent breaks. Meanwhile, you can grab a book or snacks until the next customer arrives. You are also allowed to restock at leisure when there are fewer customers.
Drawbacks
The tasks at the filling station are pretty repetitive. The employees work and greet the same way daily, so it gets boring. If the store is busy, you must work through your breaks to provide customer service.
In most cases, no specific qualifications, other than a high school diploma, are needed to get a job at a service station. So, you don’t lack the necessary customer support skills and good math skills to handle the various situations in a gasoline station. It will result in additional trouble for you.
As fuel stations typically sell food, you must maintain good food hygiene while providing all the other services allotted to you. Also, at a gasoline station, you only have a little room to progress because there is no career advancement beyond the manager position.
A significant threat is robbery and theft. Most gas stations are located out of town, and the employees can access a lot of cash, making them more vulnerable to theft. So, you will constantly fear being robbed in the back of your mind while you work at a station.
Filling station employees, especially those who work outside, are exposed to various weather conditions, including rough ones. Exposure to extreme heat and cold can be physically challenging and potentially hazardous to the employees’ health.
Which Skills Are Required To Be a Gas Station Attendant?
The skills required to be a gas station attendant include customer support, communication abilities, good numeracy skills, and organization. You should also be able to operate the fuel pumps and act upon the various safety protocols. Moreover, working at a filling station requires adaptability to different weather conditions.
How you present your qualifications on your resume for a filling station varies with the position you are applying for. Generally, you can list your customer support skills because they are essential for service station jobs.
Highlight any experience you have with cash handling and mention any safety training you have received because gasoline station employees need to follow strict safety protocols.
If you are wondering: “Is it embarrassing to work at a gas station?” the answer is that it is a totally subjective opinion. Every job has its own set of responsibilities and challenges, and it is essential to acknowledge that there is no shame in any type of work.
If you take pride in your job and use it as a stepping stone to your long-term goals, there is no reason to be embarrassed.
Is It Completely Safe To Work as a Gas Station Attendant?
Working as a gas station attendant is not entirely safe, as you can sometimes run into issues like gasoline spillage and exposure to toxic chemicals. Long-term exposure to toxic fumes at a filling station can cause health problems. Moreover, employees working alone are more vulnerable to mistreatment.
If you are wondering: “Is working at a gas station dangerous?” you should know that the gas and diesel fumes are toxic, and inhaling them can deteriorate your health.
Inhaling these toxic fumes for a long time can result in lung-related diseases like lung cancer. So, use a face mask and respirator to avoid such health complications while working at the filling station.
Gasoline is highly flammable; even a tiny leak can cause a significant fire hazard, and its fumes harm health. Gasoline spillage can occur at a filling station due to overfilled fuel tanks, improper handling, and accidents. There are safety measures to counter such incidents, and you must be adequately trained to deal with such an unfortunate situation.
Similarly, exposure to other toxic substances like cleaning materials can adversely affect health. Gasoline station cashiers, attendants, and store clerks are more vulnerable to workplace violence and harassment, especially when working alone during late hours.
Whether you are working at a gas station as a woman or a man, your safety is not determined by your gender but rather the location, company policies, and safety measures.
Make sure to share any safety concerns with your employer during the interview process. Also, please familiarize yourself with the local laws, workplace safety, and employment rights as they vary from place to place.
Conclusion
Now you know the daily activities and the pros and cons of working at a gas station. Here is a quick summary of this article.
- The daily activities at a gas service station include helping customers with their purchases, filling tanks, restocking and cleaning shelves, and receiving deliveries.
- The benefits of a job at a filling station include an abundance of shifts, friendliness with daily customers, and being able to buy food and drinks at the gasoline station.
- The disadvantages of a job at a gasoline station include repetitive tasks, little room to progress, and constant threats of robbery and mistreatment, especially when working alone at night.
- Some other safety concerns include gasoline spillage and inhalation of toxic fumes.
Now you know whether a job at a gasoline station is suitable for you or not.
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