Somebody, somewhere is making money on record gas prices, but it's not Paula Marion.
"I just think if they are going to raise gas prices, they could pay us more," said the 26-year-old attendant at the Texaco station on Riverside Avenue.
Marion, who lives in a Medford hotel with her fiance, is on the front lines of the run up in pump prices, so she and other attendants have been getting an earful at times from customers, many of whom don't realize the people who fill their tanks usually earn minimum wage.
"I just pump the gas," said Marion, who was the only attendant on duty Thursday, running from vehicle to vehicle, swiping credit cards, pumping fuel, cleaning dirty windshields and greeting customers with a smile.
Sporting a homemade "I love tips" button, she said the high prices have hurt not only the consumer, but have cut into her daily tips that used to bring about $20 a day.
"I'm just lucky to make up to $10," said Marion, who now has two jobs to help pay the bills.
As customers gassed up for the holiday weekend, the price of fuel hovered near record levels Sunday in the Medford-Ashland area, hitting $4.37 a gallon, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Report. With the price of crude jumping to new highs, industry analysts predict fuel costs could continue their rise.
Just because Marion works at a gas station doesn't mean she gets any breaks on the pump price, either.
Faced with rising prices for gas and other necessities, she is being forced to get rid of her new Honda Civic that cost $400 a month plus insurance.
She and her fiance are getting a van from a friend that will cost more in gas, but the monthly payments will be gone.
Since gas prices started rising, she said, she's had to endure a few run-ins with customers.
The biggest complainers, she said, have been older people who have fond memories of the byegone era of cheaper gas.
"They say, 'This is ridiculous. This is insane.' "
She's been seeing more and more customers who scrape together enough change for small quantities of gas.
"People get $5, $2 — whatever they need," she said.
One time a woman wanted just $10 worth of gas, but the pump didn't shut off as expected and filled the tank. The woman paid reluctantly. Marion said she was sorry, "but she drove off in a huff and said she wanted to talk to the manager."
Another time she filled up a vehicle with $97 worth of gas and the driver left without paying, so Marion called the police.
David Elkins, an attendant at the Spirit station in Jacksonville, said, "I feel a little sheepish about the prices, but it's not my fault."
Elkins said he used to hear more concern about high gas prices, but more resignation now.
"Some people have gone as far as to say they understand, and they realize it's not my fault," he said.
Occasionally he'll get a customer who isn't happy after paying for the fill up.
Lately, he's gotten some grumpy drivers concerned about the ethanol put in fuel. He said he's had at least 50 people say they get worse gas mileage, while others complain that ethanol is bad for cars.
A driver from California had to pay $4.99 a gallon in that state, he said. Elkins said the driver joked, "Did I have to purchase the store?"
Like other attendants, Elkins tries to clean windshields when he can, but it proved a little difficult at times on the day before the holiday.
"It's just good customer service," he said. "With gas prices so high, we should do that."
Peter Fisher pumps gas at the station in the Albertson's shopping center. He says he gets a lot of customers who regularly come in requesting a gallon of gas or less.
He's heard some criticism, but the 68-year-old Medford man said, "I just go along with them. I don't disagree with them."
Fisher, who's retired and uses the extra money so he can pay for his golf games, said the criticism has died down lately as motorists become more accustomed to the high prices.
"Now they've all mellowed out," he said. "They know things are going to be tough."
Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or dmann@mailtribune.com.
