One of the perks about working at a gas station is you get a huge pool of perspectives, even if for a moment, you get to experience a new world.
That’s a little bit more extravagant of a way to say you learn a lot about people based on how they act & what they buy.
One of my favorites to observe is people buying their vices. Cigarettes are my favorite. You get a feel for the people who buy certain brands. Marlboro Reds & Newport Menthols are the most popular. Lucky Strikes & LD are cheap. Personally, I’m an American Spirits kinda guy, though since I started working at my gas station, I’ve been sampling all the brands. Today I bought Marlboro 72s Silver…
That’s a lot of intro leading up to what was my original thought that inspired me to write. “Backwoods” used to make me think of hillbillies out in the sticks. But since I started working at Sheetz, I realized “Backwoods” is a leaf tobacco brand. It’s really reshaped my understanding of this song, not just because I realize what they’re actually talking about, but also the type of people who buy them.
Speaking of “black” tobacco products, I remember “Black & Milds” used to be a joke at my predominantly white prep school. There was a moment later, but before now, that it wasn’t about the product, rather the racist undertones about those who buy them. For the longest time, I never tried them, because subconsciously I didn’t want to be associated with “those type of people.” However, having sold plenty of B&Ms over the past 5 or so months, I finally tried a few flavors, and I have to say, I really like them.
Funnily enough, I haven’t tried the most popular flavor:
“Sweets”
♡Sugar☆World☮ 