Kate Hawkesby: The cost of living crisis is so bad, I'm being hustled at the petrol station
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · Newstalk ZB
March 8, 20222m 59s
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Show Notes
I find the debate about whether we’re in a cost of living crisis at the moment fascinating, because it’s exactly the sort of thing Ardern would’ve argued vehemently when in opposition – yet because she’s currently in government, is denying.
No cost of living crisis, according to her.
Yet as the Wellington City Missioner said yesterday, anyone who says there isn’t one, is someone who’s doing OK. It’s easy to get removed from that kind of reality when you’re someone on the PM’s wages driving an electric car and never pushing your own trolley round a supermarket wondering how you’ll pay for your groceries.
But this crisis is being borne out, if not to you personally, then certainly all around you - and maybe we should be a bit more mindful of it.
Which is why I beat myself up yesterday after my petrol station hustle. Well, I thought it was a hustle – and that’s part of the problem.
With increasing desperation comes increasing crime, and that makes people wary.
Having had our garage broken into twice, and seeing a surge in crime in our area, and with the CBD such a festering mess of violence at the moment, it’s easy to jump to conclusions when some random comes up to you asking for money.
So, I’m putting gas in my car and this guy rocks up to me, hoodie up, all dressed in black, looking down at his feet, comes over right into my personal space and says, “Hey Miss I need some money for gas.”
And my first thought is - don’t we all mate it's a bloody fortune, but he's on foot, I don't see a car anywhere, so I immediately think - oh he's hustling me for cash.. an opportunist, targeting a woman alone on a forecourt.
I say, “Sorry mate I don’t carry cash.” But he’s not taking that for an answer, he says, “just a little bit – my tank’s empty.” And I repeat, ‘sorry, no cash’.. which is true, but also, I don’t want to engage him as to where his car is.
I just finish pumping my gas and get into my car, at which point he goes back behind the gas station which is clearly where he’s hanging out. But as I drive away I start to think – what if he genuinely did just need money for gas? Should I have offered to give him some petrol and asked him to bring his car round? Could I have bought him a gas voucher? Was I too mean?
You see here’s the problem, I want to help people, always, but this whole scenario just had me feeling uncomfortable. Because the sad thing about a desperate society is the fact there’s more crime, the more your defences go up, the more you get cynical.. all because you don’t want to get mugged.
And then I thought maybe I’m turning into my Nana – who always lamented what had happened to society and talked about ‘the good old days’ when you could “leave your front door unlocked” and there were “no weirdos on the bus”.
I started thinking about the old days of forecourt attendants who would’ve bounced a guy like this right off the forecourt before he even had the time to bother customers, as opposed to these days where attendants are stuck far away inside, behind a counter, oblivious.
So, was I getting hustled? Or was I witnessing the cost of living crisis in action?
No cost of living crisis, according to her.
Yet as the Wellington City Missioner said yesterday, anyone who says there isn’t one, is someone who’s doing OK. It’s easy to get removed from that kind of reality when you’re someone on the PM’s wages driving an electric car and never pushing your own trolley round a supermarket wondering how you’ll pay for your groceries.
But this crisis is being borne out, if not to you personally, then certainly all around you - and maybe we should be a bit more mindful of it.
Which is why I beat myself up yesterday after my petrol station hustle. Well, I thought it was a hustle – and that’s part of the problem.
With increasing desperation comes increasing crime, and that makes people wary.
Having had our garage broken into twice, and seeing a surge in crime in our area, and with the CBD such a festering mess of violence at the moment, it’s easy to jump to conclusions when some random comes up to you asking for money.
So, I’m putting gas in my car and this guy rocks up to me, hoodie up, all dressed in black, looking down at his feet, comes over right into my personal space and says, “Hey Miss I need some money for gas.”
And my first thought is - don’t we all mate it's a bloody fortune, but he's on foot, I don't see a car anywhere, so I immediately think - oh he's hustling me for cash.. an opportunist, targeting a woman alone on a forecourt.
I say, “Sorry mate I don’t carry cash.” But he’s not taking that for an answer, he says, “just a little bit – my tank’s empty.” And I repeat, ‘sorry, no cash’.. which is true, but also, I don’t want to engage him as to where his car is.
I just finish pumping my gas and get into my car, at which point he goes back behind the gas station which is clearly where he’s hanging out. But as I drive away I start to think – what if he genuinely did just need money for gas? Should I have offered to give him some petrol and asked him to bring his car round? Could I have bought him a gas voucher? Was I too mean?
You see here’s the problem, I want to help people, always, but this whole scenario just had me feeling uncomfortable. Because the sad thing about a desperate society is the fact there’s more crime, the more your defences go up, the more you get cynical.. all because you don’t want to get mugged.
And then I thought maybe I’m turning into my Nana – who always lamented what had happened to society and talked about ‘the good old days’ when you could “leave your front door unlocked” and there were “no weirdos on the bus”.
I started thinking about the old days of forecourt attendants who would’ve bounced a guy like this right off the forecourt before he even had the time to bother customers, as opposed to these days where attendants are stuck far away inside, behind a counter, oblivious.
So, was I getting hustled? Or was I witnessing the cost of living crisis in action?
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