Left, Right, Left...

There are plenty of things which, due to technology or electronics advancing as quickly as they have, are no longer done the way they used to be. As we keep moving forward some things have disappeared almost overnight (Think about it this way - when was the last time you got a video from an actual store?), while others seemed to have quietly faded into memory. With some of these products going away we have also lost that touch of personal service that we are accustomed to. For example, if you ever watch a movie which takes place back a couple of decades and the characters have to go get gas the station will have a knowledgeable attendant who is only happy to fill the tank, wash the windows, check the oil or diagnose a problem with the car if they had to. Now you pay the guy behind counter your money and he barely looks up from the TV he is watching before you slink out to complete the transaction. I'm not condemning them - I'm sure they aren't too happy to be working there - I'm just saying the industry has not exactly kept up a standard of service. But, despite this clear erosion of skills there is something which people still expect from the people at gas stations - directions. Honestly? I'm not sure why.

This weekend I had to stop at a station to buy a drink and the line at the cashier was way longer than it should have been. The reason there was such a wait was because the only kid working behind the counter was busy giving the woman at the front of the lines very detailed directions to something in the area. She had clearly been there a while and not understanding what he was saying, because when I arrived on the scene he was already at the "drawing a detailed map" stage of the proceedings. He was doing his best to guide her through turn-by-turn and making sure she could read his handwriting so she wouldn't have any questions after she left. But, here is the thing which stopped me from viewing this scene as a throwback to the days of outstanding service to a customer: even as I watched the kid diligently sketch the map I had almost zero confidence that he actually had any idea where he was sending this woman. If I were a betting man I would place the odds that this woman got to her destination without having to stop and ask a second person for directions somewhere in the neighborhood of 15%.

Now, I have a well-documented terrible sense of direction but at the same time my super-power is that total strangers can't wait to talk to me. These two things are often at odds and what results is a lot of people who don't know any better stopping me to ask where something is. Usually at this point I either confess that I have no idea or pretend to be a tourist to try and end the conversation as quickly as possible. [Sidebar: Be careful with this, as more than once this has backfired on me and suddenly I have to hear all about some businessman's flight in from Omaha.] As a result, occasionally I have tried to hide my lack of direction-giving skills by confidently attempting to send the person to the general area of where I think their destination is and hope they can figure it out once they get closer. Aiding me is that I've taken enough public speaking classes to know that it is rarely what you say but how you say it. So while on the outside it might look as though I know exactly where the museum they asked be about is, internally my brain is racing while I try to figure out someplace that may be close enough for them to take it from there. Watching this kid, that was exactly what I saw happening behind his eyes. 

I feel like asking for directions at the gas station is one of those things people do just because that is the way they always have done them. Because if you think about it, there is actually nothing which makes the people working there any more qualified to know that area than someone working at one of the shops nearby. Just because most stations happen to sell maps that doesn't mean the workers have to memorize them. Your odds of getting quality directions are probably better if you go to some mom and pop food stand where the people are 90 years old because at least that improves your chances they know the area well versus driving around for 30 minutes looking for a gas station so some 17 year-old kid who only started driving last year can venture his best guess about unfamiliar roads. On top of that the connection between the two things (one sells gas for cars and you are probably in a car when you need directions) isn't even all that strong. Would you ask those same guys to help map out your work-out plan just because they also sell energy bars? Of course not. Selling an accessory to something (no matter how necessary that accessory may be) does not suddenly qualify them as an expert in all parts of an activity. Just remember this next time you are driving around lost - don't get picky about asking for directions at a gas station, get them from the first place you can find. When you are still driving around an hour later and about to run out of gas, that's when you worry about finding a station.