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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Shawn Kristensen hears a lot of complaints about gas prices. Kristensen isn't the head of a large multinational oil consortium. He works at the Yellowknife Motors gas bar.

"You see a lot of people when they get out of their cars and when they look at the price they take a step backward - that's when you know they're not very happy," he explained.

Service attendants Mike Winter, left, and Shawn Kristensen have been on the receiving end of many gas price complaints at Yellowknife Motors Gas Bar - and a few jokes as well. - Ben Morgan/NNSL photo

He and fellow co-worker Mike Winter can't do anything about the price at their pumps. They're just the guys working at the counter, ready to jump as soon as a car pulls up for gas.

"We're complaining right along side everyone else," said Winter, "but what can you do? We don't set the price - everyone has to drive."

Kristensen pointed out people's preferred modes of transportation haven't changed that much.

"People say they're going to stop driving the big trucks," he said, "but it's been years since they said that and they're still driving them."

Winter added "One woman told me she was switching to a scooter."

Winter has worked at the gas bar for two years, and Kristensen for three years. They said the recent rise of around 10 cents per litre is the biggest jump either of them can remember.

"There were a few complaints that day," said Kristensen.

Regardless of the increasing price for fuel, he said the most common dollar value requested from customers is still only $20.

"It's the guys with the big trucks who come in and it costs them $150 to fill up, that's when you hear the people go nuts," Kristensen said.

Aaron Mackay is in a similar predicament. He's the day shift supervisor at the Monkey Tree gas bar.

"Not everyone is used to these higher prices yet, especially people from the south," said Mackay. "They see a big jump from what they're used to paying in the south but it doesn't really matter what the cost of gas is - if it was five cents people would still complain."

Mackay said instead of complaining about the price of gas people usually use humour to hide their frustration.

"But what I've noticed is that a lot of people are coming back to full-service. They say that if they're going to pay that kind of money for gas they don't want to pump it themselves," he said.

He added if you want to drive you're going to pay for it. It's just that simple.