Profit on Fuel does not even cover your credit card costs of use.
Travelling can be fraught with some frustrating circumstances. Especially in a country developed like New Zealand. For the tourist in a rental car stops at a fuel station only to discover they cannot use their credit card. The profit on fuel for the garage owner is so little the cost of processing a credit card is more.
So off the tourist goes to find a bank and cash advance.
The role of the franchise owner in a fuel station is the delivery under a bannered name of an oil company fuel to the public. Profit on fuel is so small it is not worth counting, the franchise owner makes up profit “In the Shop” selling the coffee, grocery items, some selected automotive nuts ‘n bolts ‘n stuff.
Out of this come the wages, uniforms for the staff, upkeep of the station where the demand is high.
For the forecourt attendant the wages are very low creating a who cares attitude, theft is a problem, but when one considers the expectation in a shift of a poorly paid forecourt attendant ( not because the franchise owner would not pay more ,he has not got it to give)
In one shift the turnaround of customers in an eight hour shift around 300 people. Public expectation to be served on the forecourt, other duties include up sell the novelty confectionary items, clean the bathroom, wash the floor, sort the pies, freshen up the coffee, clean shelves, stock the chiller for cold drinks, stock the milk fridge, ensure all the old stock fronts and new stock behind. Put away and check incoming orders of new stock. Take out rubbish; polish the pumps, empty forecourt rubbish bins. Smiles ask if customer has fly buys, say thank you, wish customer a pleasant day.
It is like asking the pilot of a 747 flying between Auckland and Sydney return, serve 300 people for breakfast, wash the dishes, clear the rubbish, up sell the confectionary and alcohol on board, polish the cabins windows, clean the bathroom, replenish stock smile and wish everyone a good flight: and fly the plane.
Investment to the franchise owner is so overdue when millions of oil profit is diverted elsewhere whilst those that deliver are left at the pump in all weathers happy they have employment but that’s no excuse for them to be poorly paid. Even if it is the minimum wage, that’s no excuse. When one wants service at a fuel station one wants just that, how can service be really delivered if the above description of duty is such that it leaves little room to extend such courtesy? It is the DEMAND of the oil company itself without considering the actual just blind chart, figure, percentages and corporate stupidity.
No wonder the oil industry staff is so mobile and inconsistent.