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Free Gas in Laurinburg
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Doug Maynard

Let’s do this.

Free Gas in Laurinburg

It seems we had a bit of craziness here in Laurinburg, NC yesterday, and people are upset and going wild. Let me try to clarify and explain what I’m hearing.

A gentleman who goes by the name Ghost, The Repo Man, showed up at Nic’s Pic Kwik #7 yesterday to give away free gas. He did his thing for a while, pre-paying $500 on two pumps, and allowing people to pull up, fill up, and leave. It’s a thing he does to bless the people and has done this before in both Rockingham and Hamlet. I don’t know why this guy does this, but I’m assuming he’s a social media personality and creating content. The why isn’t important, as he’s buying gas for strangers and doing a good thing, right?

Word quickly spread, and traffic backed up down Hwy 79 and West Church Street, both of which are two lanes, with everyone determined to cash in and get some free gas. After a little bit, one of the District Managers for Nic’s, Kim, came out and shut it down, most likely at the orders of one of the Nichols, most likely Dean. And now, people are pissed.

Traffic has backed up, and the local law enforcement has had to be called to regulate and control the overflow from Nic’s parking lot. So, the po-po has been called. Ghost and his crew quickly packed up and left after being told to leave. And now, Facebook is going crazy.

I’m scrolling through my timeline, and people are raising hell about how evil and wrong the Nichols are. How they do not care about anyone and do this on purpose to screw over the community. And the slanderous slams towards both Dean and Kim. Yeah, the entitled are mad that they missed out on free gas, something for free, and it’s boycott this, evil that, this person is sleeping with the boss, the stores are nasty, etc. Imagine a slander or insult, and I’ve probably seen it this morning while scrolling through Facebook posts. A bunch of assumptions followed by slander and insults.

However, let’s now examine reality. Did this guy, Ghost, communicate with the people at Nic’s before doing this, or did he just pull up, spread the word on social media, and start with the stunt? It had to catch the store staff off guard, which most likely was only five or six employees total. It disrupted traffic in both directions down Hwy 79 and Church Street, creating dangerous and hazardous conditions. Let’s be honest. The people around here can’t drive well anyhow, and this publicity stunt has traffic spilling out of the parking lot and blocking the roads, hence the need to call the law to control things.

Nic’s doesn’t make much money on the gas, only a few cents on the gallon, so it’s not like they were making money on this, and the conditions and liabilities far exceed any possible earnings. If Ghost wants to buy gas for everyone and create a moment, coordinate with the stores and local law enforcement BEFORE randomly showing up and creating chaos. That’s the professional, adult way to do business. This dude has great intentions, but no planning, structure, or common sense going on, at least not with this event. If Dean did give the word to shut things down and end this stunt, it’s common sense and good judgment. He was protecting his business and store, as he should. And don’t be slamming Kim for anything because she was doing her job and protecting the store from an unnecessary liability. It really is just that simple.

And now, I expect that the insults towards me and my opinion will start at any moment, because that’s how people react when someone disagrees with them. Why am I defending Nic’s, Dean, Kim, etc? Here’s why. I’ve known Dean for over forty years. I’ve worked for him three times. I think I know him fairly well. And Kim? I’ve worked with her at two different jobs, and I was her assistant manager at the store that burned down, on N. Main Street. I know her rather well, too.

Are they perfect? Nope. I have plenty of issues with Nic’s and the way they treat employees at times, the lack of proper pay, the training, work schedules, etc. Hell, I was fired twice. And if anyone wants to discuss any of that, so be it. But Dean is a good man. His brother Ken is a good man. And all of this crap about how they hate the little man and poor people, that is not the Dean Nichols that I have known. Yeah, the control and management of the stores isn’t quite what it used to be, and the distance between the Nichols and the staff, the customers, isn’t what it once was. Is part of that success? Absolutely. But it’s also part of getting older, raising a family, and life in general. The entire time I worked at Nic’s, I knew that I could always call Dean or Ken at the drop of a hat if I needed anything. They looked out for me many times in many situations, even when I wasn’t working for them. And I have no doubts that if I picked up my phone and dialed Dean’s number right now, he’d help me out. That is not a cold, greedy, disassociated person. He’s a businessman who puts the family first, the business next, and loves his community. He’s not perfect, and we’d had issues in the past, but quit the insults and rash judgments. You’re only showing ignorance.

I’m getting off track here, but the bottom line is this. Ghost staged an event at a business with no prior coordination with the business. He caught everyone off guard, disrupted traffic, and disrupted the business. This stunt would increase the liability of the store if anyone had an accident, got hurt, etc. Good intentions often have bad consequences, and this is a prime example of that. So Kim, acting on the orders of Dean, shut it down.

And that was the smart thing, the right thing, to do. And yes, maybe a few people didn’t get their “free gas”, but this is reality. Nothing’s free. If I were managing that store and making the call, I would have done the same thing. So, get over it and quit with the slander and insults. It just makes everyone look ignorant and like a bunch of dumb asses. Quit expecting everyone else to foot the bill and give you free stuff. Life doesn’t work that way. And now, I’m going to go get myself some chicken and taters from Nic’s. ‘Nuff said! Be good, my friends. I love you, but do better.

Ubuntu!