Having a discussion with the girlfriend… I find it strange that in the middle of nowhere, in the countryside, local indian population is 0, but the local petrol station is staffed by Indians. Is this a natio wide phenomenon?

It seems to be.

No problem with this, except – some (more than a few) of the cigarettes bought from garages staffed by Indian, or Pakistani staff seem to be a little on the dodgy side, albeit this is worse in the cities than the countryside. When they have a display behind them and fetch your packet from under the counter, then you really do know you are being fobbed off with some snide crap.

I find it strange that in the middle of nowhere, in the countryside, local indian population is 0, but the local petrol station is staffed by Indians.

Non-locals buy business, move there and run it?

If this is news, do you live in a local place for local people?

20 years ago when I lived in Mississippi doing part of my postgrad, we were driving back from Clarksdale, having been doing stuff with the Delta Blues Museum when it was still in the Carnegie Library, when Gunnar’s truck transmission broke near Calhoun City. Fortunately there was a gas stop which we could roll into. Parked up, went into the gas stop and phoned a friend back in Starkville to come out and pick us up in his ’63 Buick. Whilst we were waiting for him we had beers, steak cooked on the grill and talked to the locals who came in for beers, crawfish, burgers, maybe a steak or a soda (well that one was the sherriff). Most of the locals were good ‘ole boys. And the owner of the gas stop was a bloke called Sanjeev.
Ever seen a film called Mississippi Masala?
I reckon being surprised that a petrol station in somewhere probably not quite as rural as you seem to think it is and having Indian/ Pakistani/ Bangladeshi origin staff probably says something more about you than them.

Mainly because their work ethic sees them willing to work longer hours and stay open later than the competition.

That, and an extended family for all the jobs.

Some people are willing to work harder than others

aP – Member
20 years ago when I lived in Mississippi doing part of my postgrad, we were driving back from Clarksdale, having been doing stuff with the Delta Blues Museum when it was still in the Carnegie Library, when Gunnar’s truck transmission broke near Calhoun City. Fortunately there was a gas stop which we could roll into. Parked up, went into the gas stop and phoned a friend back in Starkville to come out and pick us up in his ’63 Buick. Whilst we were waiting for him we had beers, steak cooked on the grill and talked to the locals who came in for beers, crawfish, burgers, maybe a steak or a soda (well that one was the sherriff). Most of the locals were good ‘ole boys. And the owner of the gas stop was a bloke called Sanjeev.
Ever seen a film called Mississippi Masala?
I reckon being surprised that a petrol station in somewhere probably not quite as rural as you seem to think it is and having Indian/ Pakistani/ Bangladeshi origin staff probably says something more about you than them.

POSTED 37 MINUTES AGO #

Wow !

I once met a white Geordie bloke in a village 10 miles outside Benin City, Nigeria I was genuinely surprised, it e
Was nothing to do with his work ethic though,he just liked shagging black women!

Something a lot of people don’t realise is that petrol stations, although branded with oil company nicknacks are usually independently owned private businesses (thats why they’ve been so easily picked off by the supermarkets) – so the ethnicity reflects the ownership rather than an employment policy or the labour market. Theres a culture of lending within asian communities / families that encourages buying or establishing businesses, so much as I and my family might travel to somewhere where there is employment available they will travel to where there is business premises available.

Here in ayrshire my friends who are run the local shop are asian family from Huddersfield – they’d never even visited scotland before they took the lease on the shop, they’ve been quizzing me about Shetland- they’ve never been there either, they just know theres a shop available. Space and opportunities are pretty much being extinguished in towns and cities for anyone other than chains and franchises (and charity shops) so the space to run independents is becoming more and more dispersed and rural.

Thanks for that insite TooTall, brilliant…. Although I’ve lived in many countries and multicultural cities, rural Wiltshire, where I am now isn’t one of them.

So the consensus is family ownership?

That’s the trouble with rural Britain. A failure to see the non-indigenous (whatever creed or colour) population as local.

Organisation I worked for years ago did a study of rural perceptions of ‘incomers’. Respondents totally failed to recognise the Chinese and Indian takeaway owners and workers as bona-fide members of the community.

So the consensus is family ownership?

more family/community finance. In the UK commercial finance doesn’t fit comfortably with cultural morals (there are morality issues with charging interest)

csb, as far as I’m concerned, the UK is just another lump of rock for people to live on.

aP, all you can really deduce from my post is that I’ve spotted a pattern and wondered if there was a reason, or were you implying something else?

fobbed off with some snide crap

because normal tabs are full of vitamins and non poisonous gases. 😀

Maccruiskeen, thanks for a sensible answer.

the garage is a front.

all their money is made through other (non-garage) activities.

what car does matey drive?