William Dorrough was buying a breakfast sandwich and iced coffee when a sign at the cash register stopped him. “Want a discount?” it read at a gas station and car wash in Halfmoon, New York. “Show us your best dance move.”
That sign, posted at the Sunoco of Halfmoon in Saratoga County, turned a routine gas stop into an unexpected performance. Customers bold enough to show off their moves get 20 percent off their purchase. The idea came from Paulina Sirtori, the station’s 23-year-old social media manager.
“The No. 1 complaint we hear from people everywhere is that gas prices are just too high,” Sirtori told the New York Post. “So we wanted to really do something to alleviate that a little bit.”
The response has been overwhelming. A video showing customers dancing to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” has drawn nearly 10 million views across the station’s social media platforms. Commenters quickly embraced the gimmick. “Whatever store to whoever put that note up, I tell you that makes everybody’s day,” one person wrote. “I love this so dang much!” said another.
For many, the appeal goes beyond the savings. “Guarantee they all felt good after they left,” one commenter observed. The joy, it seems, is contagious.
Sirtori’s inspiration may have come from Massachusetts‘ Coffee Milano Cafe, which went viral earlier this year for offering a free coffee to customers willing to dance for five seconds. In both cases, the financial incentive is real, but the payoff might be the moment of silliness itself.
At a time when gas prices weigh heavily on wallets, a little playfulness can go a long way. The station’s other social media posts show a lighter side too, from a skit about “the boss leaves for the day” to a “Netflix documentary” trend. But it’s the dance discount that has made the biggest splash.
Yes, prices are terrible. But that doesn’t mean there’s no place for fun. Sirtori recognized that people could use an excuse to laugh and move, even during a mundane stop. Not a bad instinct at 23.
