Customer aggression and theft are at an all-time high as the conflict in the Middle East continues to drive fuel prices through the roof.
While consumer frustration may be understandable as prices climb, for frontline workers, the consequences have been personal.
Bargo Petroleum employee Trudy Scott has worked in the industry for four years and believes that being thick-skinned is the way to handle the current stress in her work place.
“I was overwhelmed,” Mrs Scott said.
“Three, four, five times I sat down on a chair behind the counter here and just cried.”
Service station employees are on high alert as Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association Chief Executive Officer Rowan Lee told AAP that a spike in thefts has been recorded nationwide.
“Since the conflict in the Middle East began, fuel theft has increased by up to 30 per cent,” Mr Lee said.
“Fuel theft costs retailers on average $208 per service station per week.
“This equates to an $80 million per annum loss to the industry.”
It is not only theft that employees are encountering in the workplace, but also extreme outbursts of hostility and violence.
Mrs Scott reported that the rise in fuel prices, coupled with increased customer aggression, has resulted in a need to stay more alert whilst on shift.
“Being a fuel station, every person that comes in is making comments on the price,” Mrs Scott said.
“There is a lot of aggression towards the government, and I’ve noticed a lot of customers just openly… swearing.
“A lot of anger, aggression just towards everything, even towards Donald Trump.”
Prior to the recent price hikes, Bargo Petroleum had some of the cheapest fuel prices in the Wollondilly.
Now, due to the lack of fuel allocation to independent fuel stations, they have been forced to increase their prices by over 50 per cent to prevent running out.
Mrs Scott explained that confusion and a lack of education can be partly to blame for the customer aggression.
“They misunderstand that it’s not us,” Mrs Scott said.
“We’re not the ones putting the price on the bowsers.”
Mr Lee has urged customers to give service station employees more patience and respect.
“The person who’s serving you behind the counter isn’t the one who set the fuel price, so it’s no use taking out your frustration on them,” Mr Lee said.
As global tensions continue to influence fuel costs, Mr Lee has encouraged greater public awareness on the fuel price issues.
