4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

The term 'full service' at a gas station in the US meant you sat in your car while the attendant filled your tank and optionally wiped the dead bugs of your windshield or checked your tire pressures. Currently, Thailand delivers a predominantly 'full service' experience at the gas station when it comes to filling up the tank which, as you pointed out is the topic here.

Well, in my experience, attendants wiping your windshield here in Thailand is becoming a rarity. Used to happen often before Covid, but not much since then.

Tire pressures are usually checked by the motorist themselves over at the self-service tire inflation machine, usually present at most larger gas stations operated by PTT and a few other brands.

12 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Tipping gas station workers? Really?

In hindsight, I used to tip the attendant that did the squeegee thing on the windshield while gassing up on a road trip. They delivered something extra. Sticking a nozzle in a spigot, typing in a number and handling money is their day job.

25 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

In hindsight, I used to tip the attendant that did the squeegee thing on the windshield while gassing up on a road trip. They delivered something extra. Sticking a nozzle in a spigot, typing in a number and handling money is their day job.

Same. Fill up my car when requested, no tip (usually). Offer an extra like cleaning the windscreen or pumping tyres, that gets a tip.

13 hours ago, highrider said:

Paying for useless, unproductive workers is going out of fashion in Thailand too.

I can't remember the last time I saw a coffee shop, other than a busy Cafe Amazon (normally located inside malls or large gas/petrol stations) with 4 or 5 workers behind the counter. Smaller, independent places will usually only have 1-3 staff behind the counter. Certainly out in rural Isarn or northern Thailand it's like that; they receive very few customers, and it wouldn't make sense to pay multiple staff when 1 will do the job. Sometimes, you have to go around the back to find the staff because no one's inside when you visit. Of course, in the cities, such businesses are usually staffed at all times.

The birth rate is low; more and more businesses only hire the necessary number of workers. Mega Home and Home Pro stores seem to be an exception; way too many workers around, most doing nothing.

Well this is one of the places you mentioned in a village, and relatively new. There seemed to be 3 young girls taking the orders, and 2 lads making the coffees around the corner. Training perhaps? And again a restaurant infuriated me by making me wait nearly an hour for a burger and a salad last night. One kid was working her nuts off while another sat there playing with her phone and rarely moved.

Airhead was my thought,,,,,,,

On 4/25/2026 at 5:17 AM, jacko45k said:

Well this is one of the places you mentioned in a village, and relatively new. There seemed to be 3 young girls taking the orders, and 2 lads making the coffees around the corner. Training perhaps? And again a restaurant infuriated me by making me wait nearly an hour for a burger and a salad last night. One kid was working her nuts off while another sat there playing with her phone and rarely moved.

Airhead was my thought,,,,,,,

Probably training, yes. I guess it depends entirely on the location...some villages might see a fair amount of business since they're in the middle of town while other quieter locations along a busy highway won't see anyone because most motorists prefer stopping at the PTT with it's Cafe Amazon than some random, unknown coffee shop (or it could be the other way round).

I visited a very nice but super quiet cafe off highway 24 somewhere deep in eastern Surin province I think it was, during the middle of last year. I needed a bit of a break from driving after an early start and was a little over halfway along my journey from Bangkok to Laos. Spent 45 mins in there. Just one employee and no customers at all, but both the fried rice and drinks were great. There was another staff member who I saw somewhere in the background, but she never came inside the shop. She was sitting outside playing on her phone most of the time.

On 4/24/2026 at 9:28 PM, NanLaew said:

In hindsight, I used to tip the attendant that did the squeegee thing on the windshield while gassing up on a road trip. They delivered something extra. Sticking a nozzle in a spigot, typing in a number and handling money is their day job.

Yep, exactly...that's when a tip might be warranted but not for doing what they're paid to do.

On 4/23/2026 at 8:50 AM, KhunBENQ said:

At major TOPS they want to push you to self service checkout

Hate it!

Slowly but steady Thailand is westernized.

Im thinking they are already having trouble with shoplifting here in Thailand, the two Tops we use have had security checking bags as you leave,

I cant see my wife getting out of her car to fill it up,

3 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I cant see my wife getting out of her car to fill it up,

She wont have to unless she purposely pulls up these particular pumps.