It is this Saturday that the first big wave of departures on vacation begins. The day was classified as red on the roads to southern Europe. An important appointment for service station managers. Report behind the scenes of one of the rest areas in the south of the country.
This Saturday, around 2,500 customers passed through a service station located in Wanlin, in the entity of Houyet. For merchants, these departures on vacation represent a lot in terms of sales. “The first big stop, it happens at home. We sell a lot more than usual, of course. We can count on times 5 easy. In terms of fuel, it’s even times 2 so there’s a lot of crossings”confirms Rachid Ben El Mostapha, manager of the service station.
Among the customers, there are Belgians or French people who go on vacation. “We take a small sandwich, a small drink and then after, we hit the road again”launches a driver on his way to the holidays. “You have to go to the toilet, have a coffee, smoke a cigarette”said another. “To refresh a little, move a little to stretch your legs”indicates a third.
But there are also a lot of Dutch people. “We are going to Italy”, “break and go to the bathroom”inform these vacationers crossed on the Wanlin rest area.
1,500 to 2,000 visits to the toilet
These customers therefore take a few minutes for a break. The best-selling item on a day like this Saturday… “It’s water, unquestionably. Both small, medium and large… Bottles of water, it goes a lot. And with these high temperatures, I think water is really in first place”points the manager of the service station.
To accommodate all these customers, the workforce has been doubled today. A dozen workers are responsible for filling the shelves, preparing the sandwiches and above all, cleaning the toilets. The most important position, but one that takes time. “You have to count on good days 1,500 to 2,000 visits to the toilet. It necessarily requires maintenance, so we plan a team for that”poursuit Rachid Ben El Mostapha.
It is therefore the first big weekend of activity in this service station. The day of this Sunday will already be calmer than today.