Remember The Ole Days of Gas Stations?

Beemerboy

Beemerboy

Just One More Coat
Yesterday while getting some errands done I noticed that one of my rear tires was a bit low...I pulled into the nearest gas station and they didn't have a water & air station:confused:

Long story short I stopped at two others and finally had to give the guy .75 cents (3 quarters) to get the air pump to work....

I can still recall the days of full service gas stations, filled up, windows washed, oil checked, tires looked at if asked, water....crap that's like a mini service for some stations today and they charge for that!:huh:

Things like this catch my attention once in a while and make me recall what life was like back in the full service days, then I wonder what will it be like for my son when he is my age:eek:


Oh you wanted rocket fuel x19-L rev 4.0? That will be $600 to get the pump turned on:D
 
Beemerboy said:
I can still recall the days of full service gas stations, filled up, windows washed, oil checked, tires looked at if asked, water...
Click to expand...

It's pretty crazy but there is one like that a few blocks away from my house. It's the only one still left that I know of. They even fill up your windshield washer fluid.

I sill refuse to pay for air.
 
BlueZero said:
It's pretty crazy but there is one like that a few blocks away from my house. It's the only one still left that I know of. They even fill up your windshield washer fluid.

I sill refuse to pay for air.
Click to expand...

I've seen a few as well but the price of gas for full service is a $1 or more better by the gallon
 
I worked the pumps at a full sevice Exxon in college. The price was a good $0.20 higher per gallon. I would hope to get my $2.14 in tips so I could snag dinner at Rally's. :)
 
Gas stations are aplenty. I believe that is service stations are what you are lamenting the demise thereof. :)
 
Mr. Clean said:
Gas stations are aplenty. I believe that is service stations are what you are lamenting the demise thereof. :)
Click to expand...

You are spot on with your observation...I can only think of one maybe two stations in this area that have a mechanic on duty, and mainly they are smog centers with gas pumps
 
Beemerboy said:
I can still recall the days of full service gas stations, filled up, windows washed, oil checked, tires looked at if asked, water....crap that's like a mini service for some stations today and they charge for that!:huh:
Click to expand...
My first full time employment was as a pump jockey in one of those full service stations.
It was a Conoco station that was used as the cover station on their road maps and was a service stop for the fleet of vehicles Conoco used when they did their 50,000 mile, no wear advertising run.
This station was a real show place. Manicured lawn, flower beds, hedge around the perimeter. Guess who got to take care of the landscaping. :)
My first week, I washed every wall and the ceilings of every room of that station, including the grease room.
At the end of that week, I was going to quit. I wanted to work on cars, not be a wall scrubber. When my boss brought me my check, before I could tell him, "I Quit", he said, "If you can take a week of that crap you should be able to handle anything we ever throw at you". My check had a 25% bonus in it. He was just testing me and I very nearly blew it. :D
Best boss and most fun job I ever had. :)
I could tell lots of stories about those years, but they would probably even bore me. :)
 
CharlesW said:
My first full time employment was as a pump jockey in one of those full service stations.
It was a Conoco station that was used as the cover station on their road maps and was a service stop for the fleet of vehicles Conoco used when they did their 50,000 mile, no wear advertising run.
This station was a real show place. Manicured lawn, flower beds, hedge around the perimeter. Guess who got to take care of the landscaping. :)
My first week, I washed every wall and the ceilings of every room of that station, including the grease room.
At the end of that week, I was going to quit. I wanted to work on cars, not be a wall scrubber. When my boss brought me my check, before I could tell him, "I Quit", he said, "If you can take a week of that crap you should be able to handle anything we ever throw at you". My check had a 25% bonus in it. He was just testing me and I very nearly blew it. :D
Best boss and most fun job I ever had. :)
I could tell lots of stories about those years, but they would probably even bore me. :)
Click to expand...

The testing story was good enough for me! I like that stuff...what year was that if I can ask?
 
I would bet that Conoco 100 octane was around 25-30 cents a gallon at the time. I also worked at a Conoco back in the day of those prices.
 
Beemerboy said:
The testing story was good enough for me! I like that stuff...what year was that if I can ask?
Click to expand...
1952
Here's the only info I found through Google.
NewspaperARCHIVE.com - Search old newspaper articles online
It was a legitimate test. They tore down and checked all the clearances in the engines prior to the test, (I think it was after a short break-in period) reassembled them, ran them the 50,000 miles, tore them down again and compared the clearances against the original figures.The vehicles received the same services and products as all our customers.
RTexasF said:
I would bet that Conoco 100 octane was around 25-30 cents a gallon at the time. I also worked at a Conoco back in the day of those prices.
Click to expand...
Regular was 24.9 cents, Premium was 26.9. The best oil was 30 cents a quart and there was no such thing as multiple viscosity oils until a year or two later.
 
Beemerboy said:
Yesterday while getting some errands done I noticed that one of my rear tires was a bit low...I pulled into the nearest gas station and they didn't have a water & air station:confused:

Long story short I stopped at two others and finally had to give the guy .75 cents (3 quarters) to get the air pump to work....

I can still recall the days of full service gas stations, filled up, windows washed, oil checked, tires looked at if asked, water....crap that's like a mini service for some stations today and they charge for that!:huh:

Things like this catch my attention once in a while and make me recall what life was like back in the full service days, then I wonder what will it be like for my son when he is my age:eek:


Oh you wanted rocket fuel x19-L rev 4.0? That will be $600 to get the pump turned on:D
Click to expand...

I see you are from California. It is illegal to sell air to pump up your tires in California. You just tell the attendant that you want some tokens (I think the caveat is that you need to be a customer there, but I am not sure about that. ) If they charge you for air, or try to charge you for air, then just tell them you will contact the FTB (Franchise Tax Board). I never pay for air anymore since I found this out. I don't care if they do have a slot for 25 cents in their "air machine." It is only intimidation.

link of the California code with the whole law, can be seen here

http://tinyurl.com/34dyrj
 
What I really miss about the good ol' days were the gas wars. Not to be confused with the present times gas/oil war, but a period of time where service stations chose to "fight" to see who could offer the cheapest (as in lowest cost) gas. If memory serves, somewhere around the $.19 per gallon was the cheapest I ever paid. It could have been less, but it certainly wasn't more than.
 
Mr. Clean said:
and Exxon stations were called Humble (at least here in NE Texas)
Click to expand...
I wouldn't know about that. The only time I ever got more that 15 miles away from home was when we went to the city, Des Moines. :D It was about 60 miles away. Texas was "Way down South".
 
Mr. Clean said:
What I really miss about the good ol' days were the gas wars. Not to be confused with the present times gas/oil war, but a period of time where service stations chose to "fight" to see who could offer the cheapest (as in lowest cost) gas. If memory serves, somewhere around the $.19 per gallon was the cheapest I ever paid. It could have been less, but it certainly wasn't more than.
Click to expand...
Gas wars weren't at all common when I was working in the station, but became quite common in the late 50's and early 60's. I definitely remember 19 cent gas when the regular pump price was 29.9.
It was also common practice to give trucks and regular customers a 2 cents a gallon discount from the regular prices.
 
BlueZero said:
It's pretty crazy but there is one like that a few blocks away from my house. It's the only one still left that I know of. They even fill up your windshield washer fluid.

I sill refuse to pay for air.
Click to expand...

If I purchased gas I expect free air. If I simply noticed my air pressure was low during my weekly maintenance check (tires, oil level, etc) and drive up to a gas station only to fill up the tires, I have not qualms about paying for the air.
 
jlift said:
I see you are from California. It is illegal to sell air to pump up your tires in California. You just tell the attendant that you want some tokens (I think the caveat is that you need to be a customer there, but I am not sure about that. )
Click to expand...

The law in CA is (confirmed by your link) that if you buy fuel, they cannot charge you for air. I've never had a problem with this. As I'm filling up I ask for either a token or the code to turn on the pump, and I've always gotten it w/o a problem. Or buy your gas at Costco, where anyone can fill up with air.
 
jlift said:
I see you are from California. It is illegal to sell air to pump up your tires in California. You just tell the attendant that you want some tokens (I think the caveat is that you need to be a customer there, but I am not sure about that. ) If they charge you for air, or try to charge you for air, then just tell them you will contact the FTB (Franchise Tax Board). I never pay for air anymore since I found this out. I don't care if they do have a slot for 25 cents in their "air machine." It is only intimidation.

link of the California code with the whole law, can be seen here

http://tinyurl.com/34dyrj
Click to expand...

I didn't know that but at the point that I was in...the $200 tire needed air..the .75 was no big deal to me:D

Thanks for the link
 
TiredNGrouchy said:
The law in CA is (confirmed by your link) that if you buy fuel, they cannot charge you for air. I've never had a problem with this. As I'm filling up I ask for either a token or the code to turn on the pump, and I've always gotten it w/o a problem. Or buy your gas at Costco, where anyone can fill up with air.
Click to expand...

I wasn't buying gas just looking for air that was all...and I really didn't give much thought to as I just posted the $200 tire needed air
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top