I'm not one to re-read previous reviews of mine, but I kinda remember that if I was reviewing a grocery store, my concern seemed to be with the friendliness/pleasant demeanor of the clerks and their attitude...willing or passive-aggressive obstructionist...when it came to bagging my groceries (which is no longer an issue, given that plastic bags have been eliminated in NJ; you now need to buy your own cloth bag, and bag your own groceries-- how do you review that?: "That old geezer...me...bagging his own groceries needs to be replaced...sh*tty attitude, surly, unprofessional, has no idea while putting items into the bag of the symmetry necessary so that heavy cans aren't placed on top of soft items like bread...I'm astonished this idiot is still employed! Oh, he isn't? He's paying to bag his own groceries? Never mind...").
With gas stations, it was more about the wearing of masks during the initial phase of the Covid crisis (not that Covid has disappeared, but a lot of people seem to think it has, given the number of them that I see in stores without masks these days). As long as the gas pump attendants were wearing masks, I didn't really care if they said "Hello," or said nothing at all. I don't know that I've ever expected gas station attendants to be particularly friendly. If they are, that's icing on the cake, but it's not my primary issue. Never was.
This particular Exxon is in a wonderfully strategic location between Hoboken and the Lincoln Tunnel. If you're driving into Hoboken, it's right there and easily accessible. If you're driving out of Hoboken, it's right there and easily accessible. It has numerous pumps, and the prices tend to be lower than gas stations in the area where I live (Somerset County). For a time, I was a regular patron. The attendants at the pump were never friendly or outgoing, but it didn't really bother me. At best, you might get a grunt, and invariably, if you were using a card, they'd ask for your zip code (annoying, but not limited to this particular gas station).
I never really used the place for anything else besides gas. Once, I needed to put air in my tires, and had to venture into the "TigerMart" for quarters. A lot of quarters, but then...that's the nature of capitalism, right? If they could charge you for the air you breathe as opposed to the air you put into your tires, they would. Not that I'm a communist (although some might disagree)...more that I'm against predatory capitalism (not that using too many quarters to air up my tires is necessarily the best example of predatory capitalism)...but...anyway...let me not babble on...
I never had cause to use the "TigerMart" for anything else, until recently. I was working odd hours and needed to buy coffee for myself (large; black) and a co-worker (large; 3 creams). The coffee was hot and had the caffeine I need like a junkie needs dope. The cashier was a stocky, expressionless woman, with a tip jar in front of her.
I'm someone who tips, and invariably overtips, but I'm thinking to myself, "What am I tipping her for? To ring up my coffee and give me change?" I disagree with Mr. Pink's (Steve Buscemi in "Reservoir Dogs") philosophy regarding tipping, but I couldn't help recalling it to mind in this particular instance: "I don't tip because society says I have to...Alright, I mean, I'll tip if someone really deserves a tip. If they really put forth the effort, I'll give them somethin' extra, but, I mean, this tipping automatically...it's for the birds!").
The cashier rang up my coffee, took my money, and made change, without a word, without a smile. I almost had to laugh. Is that all it takes to be tip-worthy these days? Had she cracked a smile, or muttered some pleasantry, I probably would have been guilted into leaving something...but I was able to leave the "TigerMart," cups of coffee in hand, with a clear conscience. When has it become de rigueur to tip zombies?
Conveniently located, fairly priced (if any gas at all these days can be considered "fairly priced") and having all the accoutrements necessary for a viable, modern gas station, I've stopped patronizing this place not because of anything unpleasant or untoward happening, per se, but simply because at the gas station near where I live, they'll actually say "hello" to you, occasionally even making some attempts at conversation (which, in all honesty, I don't really need; beyond some perfunctory politeness, I don't really need to know about what's going on in the gas attendant's life, or answer questions about what's going on in mine), and maybe even wash the grime off your windshield.
In a pinch, I have no real hesitancy about stopping at the Weehawken Exxon, but in the usual scheme of things, it's not my first choice. Or my second. read more
