Say what you will about Gen Z, but they have a knack for using levity to dispel modern-day stress.
Case in point: venture over to Sunoco of Halfmoon, an individually owned gas station in Saratoga County, New York, and you’ll find a sign that says “Want a discount? Show us your best dance moves.”
According to the New York Post, the idea stemmed from Paulina Sirtori, 23, the gas station’s social media manager (because gas stations need a social media presence, too!).
“The No. 1 complaint we hear from people everywhere is that gas prices are just too high,” Sirtori shared. “So we wanted to really do something to alleviate that a little bit.”
Watch:
While the thought of doing a jig to save a few bucks might seem dystopian, customers in the clip look genuinely joyful as they perform their routines to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
Internet-approved
That joy permeated to online viewers as well, many of whom noted it was an even more impactful offering than the discount itself.
“Whatever store to whoever put that note up, I tell you that makes everybody’s day and makes people happy way to go. We need more of this.👏👏👏🔥🔥🔥🔥”
“I love this so dang much!! 🙌🔥👏”
“I wish more places would do this. You can’t help but smile!! Thank you for the smiles! 😁”
“Guarantee they all felt good after they left 😂”
“Exactly what we all need! Some happiness every store we go. Love it❤️”
Sunoco isn’t the only place offering discounted prices for dance moves
Perhaps the social media-savvy Sirtori drew inspiration from Massachusetts’ Coffee Milano Cafe, which went viral earlier this year for offering a free coffee to any customer willing to dance for just 5 seconds.
In both Coffee Milano and Sunoco’s case, saving money might seem like the main motivator, but perhaps it was also an excuse for people to have fun, move their bodies, and be free in the moment. It’s arguably an even better trade-off than the financial benefit.
Sirtori has outfitted the Sunoco socials with all kinds of cute, uplifting content, like this one below that shows what happens when “the boss leaves for the day.”
They of course hopped on the “Netflix documentary” trend as well.
But with nearly 10 million views across all their platforms, the “Dance Discount” video has made the biggest splash.
The big takeaway
Yes, prices are terrible. Yes, it sucks. But that doesn’t mean there’s no place for playfulness. In fact, maybe that’s exactly when we need it most. Sirtori deserves credit for recognizing that people could use an excuse to have a little fun, even during an otherwise mundane gas station stop in a time of financial upheaval. She turned a common frustration into an opportunity to laugh, dance, and briefly forget about sticker shock.
Not a bad instinct to have at 23. Just sayin.’
Never thought we’d be sharing a gas station’s socials for more feel-good media, but here we are. Give Sunoco, aka “your new favorite gas station,” a follow on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
