personal contact

i love the invention of "pay at the pump" at gas stations. Not only are you able to buy gas late late at night while the station is closed, but you also just stay at your car, no personal contact necessary, no need to go in and make small talk with the poor guy or girl stuck behind the counter passing out slurpees and cigarettes. Since I'm afraid of strangers and all, it's a good thing.

Yesterday, I knew I needed gas, and I noticed on the way home that the prices were jumping up at certain stations. So I was hoping that my normal Citgo would still be cheap (it's usually a few cents lower than everyone else), but when I rounded the corner and the big electronic sign came into view with $2.99 on it, my heart fell. I missed my opportunity. I had already passed a station less than a mile away that was still at $2.83 (such a bargain!) and figured that the extra driving time was worth it for 16 cents/gallon. Plus I was still crabby from the long day at work and not looking forward to being anywhere in particular.

On the way to the other gas station, I passed one that I've passed TONS of times before. It's a little gas station/convenience store, it looks like it's a franchise because it's a Mega Mart, I think, not a chain store. I've lived in the area for something close to 5 years now and never stopped there. Why? No Pay at the Pump. I'd have to go inside and actually talk to someone. I drove past, then reconsidered. It's closer than the gas station I was headed to, it's cheaper than Citgo, the only additional work would be going inside to give someone my credit card. Those factors seemed to make a reasonable argument in my head, so I turned around and headed back. I pumped my gas at $2.85, and walked in to pay the bill.

It's a decent sized store, lots of random gas station items like "destination wristbands" (rubber bracelets that say Minnesota) and the weirdest assortment of candy, including something edible looking in a language I couldn't identify. There was one girl ahead of me chatting cheerily with the cashier while paying for her wares, and then it was my turn. The cashier looked young, close to my age, I would guess. He looked Ethiopian and spoke with a relatively thick accent. He was cheerful, smiled a lot and made small talk about how much money it cost to fill up my little car. He was really friendly, and it totally made my day. I've been thinking on and off about how I really don't have a chance to interact with a lot of people that I don't know, or who aren't Christians, and part of the lead up to the new series starting at the Rock is supposed to be meeting new people. I can't say that I will always make this my primary stop for gas, but it's joined the ranks of the top 3, so I'm sure I'll frequent it more often, maybe especially when I'm wanting a treat and needing an excuse to actually go inside the gas station and just happen to find something to munch on...

The point is that it was a pleasant surprise to have a really good experience with strangers on a day when I was particularly crabbified (to which my husband or mrs. t could attest).

that's all.