I grew up with dad preferring an Apco gas station in my hometown. He would pull in, the attendant would greet him by name, fill the car, wipe the windshield, check the tire pressures, and hand me a sucker. It was a little ritual I always looked forward to.
In 1973, a bunch of angry Arabs thought they would teach the US a lesson and cut off their oil. A lot of good effects actually came from that. It became imperative that vehicles get better gas mileage. It also made us conscious of alternative energy sources (although we have since slipped back into unconsciousness).
However, it unfortunately sounded the death knell for service stations, as they used to be known.
Gas station owners quickly saw the benefit of discounting gasoline with the option of self-service. After all, we were paying the shocking price of around fifty cents a gallon for gas! We happily would pump our own gasoline to save a quarter on the fill up.
It was a common sight in the later 70's to see stations with self-service and full-service islands. However, even these began to dwindle, and nowadays it's rare to have an attendant offer to fill your vehicle (except for Oregon and New Jersey, where it's actually mandated by law).
I was flustered recently by the experience of a full-service station. I pulled into a Sinclair station in Springdale, Arkansas and stepped out to fill up. An attendant walked over and said "I'll handle that, sir." I actually forgot what i was supposed to do. I stood off to the side foolishly, and finally remembered that I needed to just sit in the driver's seat and relax.
So if you want to experience full-service fill ups, look around. There are still a few out there. Just remember how to act once you pull in.
Comments (2)
I began working at Guinn Oil Co. in Chetopa KS in 1970. It was under the Skelly brand.And we were full service.Pump gas,check the oil,and always cleaned the front window.We put in long hours but they went by fast because there was always someone to wait on.I got to meet a lot of nice folks during my time there.You would get to know the regulars fast.
Posted by Steve | October 15, 2007 1:08 AM
Posted on October 15, 2007 01:08
The simple days of service stations! Put a tiger in your tank! Shell gas! The old Sinclair Dino! Sunoco, Standard Oil, ESSO, Gulf, etc. Those attendants would wear a nice uniform and hat. Fill em up, check your fluids, windshield wiper blades, wash your windows and usually polite! Those were also the days you could get a free travel map. And we can't forget those giant size key holders for the Rest Room bathrooms. And as clean as some of these service stations were, some had really bad, dirty restrooms! Especially along the Insterste systems. What were all those machines on the batroom wall that took a quarter? Hmmmmmmmm! Daddy would say. It's nothing! Water and air was also free of charge! Break down on the road, they usually had two service bays for repairs! Remember the tires, rubber hoses hanging in the garage. Alexandrian VA had one of the first self service tgas stations way back in the late 40s! And do you remember when you drove into the service station, you would roll over a trip line that would trip a bell to let the attendant know you had drove up. Ding Ding! How many of you got your Hess or Texeco Fire Trucks from these stations!
Posted by Rivers End | April 25, 2009 8:57 PM
Posted on April 25, 2009 20:57