In the quick oil and lube industry, one of the benefits of getting to spend so much time with one another as a crew is the creativity that comes from spending said time together. Although April fools wasn’t created by the quick oil and lube industry, you had better be on your toes when it comes around every year.
Of the many April Fools days I’ve lived through, there’s one several years ago that stands out in my mind: a particular jokester manager finally got the payback he deserved.
As in most shops, the uniform company came around once a week to deliver the clean uniforms and pick up the dirty ones to be cleaned. This particular manager had a routine that involved checking in his uniforms and putting the clean uniforms in his car to take home. After watching him take his uniforms to his vehicle, I snuck out of the shop later with a roll of duct tape in hand to pull off the ultimate April Fools prank. I doubled up the tape so the sticky side was facing out and strategically placed the doubled up tape midway up the inside of the leg of his trousers. Not sure which pair of pants he would put on, I deviously rigged several different pairs to better my odds. As luck would have it, the next morning (April Fools) while he was dressing, he pulled on a pair of pants I had fixed and underwent his first inner thigh hair removal experience that made him yelp in pain and woke up his family.
While driving in to work that morning he had already decided he was going to send a strongly worded complaint to the uniform company. But, as most of us know, soon after arriving at work he was busy with the task of operating the shop and forgot about his morning “spa treatment.” As if this could get any better, the next two mornings he dressed in peace, which lulled him into a false sense of security and allowed him to forget the unpleasant experience of April 1. However, on April 4 and 5, he would be reminded of his unfortunate experience on April Fools day so much so that he was mad enough to come rolling into the shop with only one thing on his mind. Once he started explaining his experience to the crew, the rest of us busted out in laughter and he knew right then he had been the subject of the ultimate April Fools joke.
