Thursday, January 16, 2020
VOLUME 2 I ISSUE 29
MERIDIANSOURCE.CA
Sub zero heroines bundle up GEOFF LEE
WRITER
.................................. They are instant candidates for the Lloydminster and District Co-op’s Sub Zero Heroes Facebook contest to recognize employees who are pumping gas in the prevailing Arctic cold. Gas bar attendants Veronica Olenchuk and Jhovilynne Festijo, at the Co-op’s 18 St. Crossing Gas Bar and Convenience Store, stepped inside briefly to talk about serving customers in the cold. The interviews took place on Monday with an extreme cold warning in effect for the region and wind chills exceeding -40 C. Olenchuk says pump attendants like her do a lot of things in the cold to keep customers happy. “We pump propane, we put in diesel, we put in gas, we check oil levels, we put in windshield washer fluid, we let the customers know if their tires look a little low—we help them with whatever we can,” she said. Olenchuk has worked at the 18 St. location for nearly two years and says the secret to staying warm when it’s insanely cold is to bundle up to the max. “You layer up, like right now I’ve got two shirts on, two bunny hugs on and I wear two jackets. I got my ski pants on and you just layer up and come inside whenever we
can,” she said. The Co-op provides employees who work outdoors with fully paid PPE or inclement weather clothing such as boots, jackets, pants, toques and neck warmers. Festijo is another Sub Zero Hero who says it’s warmer in the Philippines where she comes from. No one had the heart to tell her it was plus 30 C in the capital city of Manila on Monday. She has been pumping gas at the Co-op for nearly two years as well and has gotten used to dressing for the cold in Lloydminster. “Well I have toque and the Co-op provides us with the boots and our warm suit, and sometimes we have hot soup here,” she said, Festijo says the coldest part of her body are her feet and hands. “We are rotating here and we have time to warm up. Even the cashier will work outside for us to warm up,” she said. There is no time limit for a pump attendant to work outside in the cold, but Corrine Kelly-Hyde, the Co-op’s vice president of human resources, says it’s multiple times per hour that an employee can come in and warm up then go back outside. “We have employees that are crossed trained in all areas that can provide the opportunity for them to
come in,” said Kelly-Hyde. She says pumping gas in all conditions is part of the job the Co-op provides for its membership. “A lot of them are not wanting to get out in this sub-zero temperature, so our employees are happy to provide that extra service for them to provide a necessity like fuel,” said Kelly-Hyde. Customers have a chance to win one $50 Co-op gift card and one $50 Co-op gift card to give to a friend by taking part in the Sub Zero Heroes contest, which runs until Jan. 23. “We do want to recognize those employees that step up every day to provide that extra service in this inclement weather—it is fantastic,” said Kelly-Hyde. Olenchuk says attitude is half the battle when helping
customers out there in the cold. “If you’ve got a crappy attitude you’re going to have a rough go in this weather,” she said. “You’ve got to stay positive. You’ve got to look for the little things to be thankful for or it’s going to drag you down,” she said. Olenchuk says sometimes customers will come inside and say they feel bad for everyone because it’s so cold, but she says don’t feel bad for us. “We’ve got jobs, we’ve got
the clothes, we’ve got a warm home to go to. You think about the people who are homeless right now, not us. We’re golden, we’re good,” she said. She also has a warm vacation spot in mind to escape the cold. “I go to my bed where it’s nice and warm—nice fuzzy blankets where it’s warm,” she joked. Festijo says during weeks like this, customers also talk to her about the weather. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Veronica Olenchuk, a pump attendant at the Lloyd Co-op’s 18 St. Gas Bar and Convenience store, says attitude is half the battle while working in extremely cold conditions while also keeping customers happy. Geoff Lee Meridian Source