My worst job, by far, was as a cashier in a petrol station in Wandsworth. I was 17 and when what appeared to be a 15 year old sticks what appeared to be a shotgun in your face (after I had booted him out 15 minutes prior for shoplifting) you start wondering wheth the ?2.50 per hour I was getting was worth it.
The good news is I survived that - and other - nights similar to it. The bad news is so did they, probably. Pressing the "panic button" in the shop only resulted in a cop car turning up about 10 minutes later. Thanks boys.
On my final night, I took the readings from the pumps, locked them and then set the alarms and went about putting the shutters on. I heard a noise and behind me were about 20 of them, all armed with baseball bats or bits of wood. My trusty Austin 1300 was near so I ran straight to it, opened it, started it and nailed it out of the forecourt - taking two on the bonnet - onto the Wandsworth Road. They fell off and I went home shaking like a leaf. I lost that day's pay as it wasn't "secured properly" but to be honest I really didn't care.
It wasn't all bad though, Stirling Moss and Vanessa Redgrave were regulars...