Full Service Station

I want to buy a chunk of land on Highway 24 near me, put in a 4 bay "shop" and have a full service station - only for hotrods. (regular cars can pump their own damn gas, since the cars tell you where to go, how to brake, when to shift and in a few years time I'm sure will asswipe their drivers).

HAMB friendly cars would get the whole thing... oil check, windshield, tires, gas.

But... alas, it's a pipe dream...

 

Oil check....it'll be all over the windshield. OOOPS, no windows

 

There is one one town over from us. It still has two bays and either full service or self service pumps. it used to be a good place to get gas prices comparible to th convenience store across the street etc.

but in the last year it has changed hands, I think they are more interested in the "service/repair" aspect of the business. Last weekend we stopped in for gas waited 5 minutes and watched the fellas talking in the office, they even looked at us. Then we fired it up and went across the street for gas 3 cents cheaper.

But it is still there and maybe if you are cute you can get some gas.

 

I think there is only one left on Montgomery AL, was a Texico right next to with full service, but closed a couple of years ago.

there was another thread here about working in them, a lot of us did, sure remember the bell ding when someone came in during a oil change...and the people who wanted full service for 50 cents worth of regular, still it was a great job in a lot of way, though a lot of the customers probably thought we gas pump jockeys were the people your parents always warned you about.

 

This may be a little bit off topic, as it tells not about the demise but rather the origins of "full service" . I'm sure there were others who claimed to be "first" but here is one Canadian company's claim.
http://allcanadiancompany.com/2-2003-super.html

 

The BP where our shop is in northern New South Wales Australia . There are alot of old people in town and full driveway service is a great help when ya cant get down to fill those tyres . Geez even I have trouble finding the dip sticks in some crowded compact engine bays.they employ a young guy or girl from around town .

 

The town I live is will not allow self serve stations. And our prices are the same as out of town self serve. People from out of town come here for full serve gas at self serve prices.

 

All good posts on here. I started working at a full service station at 13. Worked at various full service stations until I finished college. Everyone I ever worked with at a service station, either loved cars or considered them very important. I always made sure I could use "the rack" to work on my car before taking a job at any station. As many parts as I used to tear up, that was a darn important "job benefit" to me.

Loved the girls wearing short skirts too! Some of them knew exactly what you were looking at through the windshield.

 

There is a few around western New York still I was shocked myself when I rolled into one last summer

 

Those were the days....

My Dad owned an American (later Amoco) station in Newport News, Va. in the 60's, Blount Point American. One island, 2 pumps, 3 service bays. The station pumped a lot of gas and later on Amoco paid for a second pump island to go along with their introduction of lead-free regular.

I began working there (legally) at age 13, walked a many a mile back and forth from the office to the pumps. Dad was anal about service, he wanted you standing at the driver's window as the car came to a stop. He wanted both the windshield and back glass cleaned and the hood checked. If it was raining he had us pull a squeegee across the back window.

Dad retired in '81 and my older brother took over the business, he continued Dad's polices and the station continued to prosper. Customers began asking about self-serve so my brother converted an island for that purpose. We still cleaned their windshield if we weren't busy.

My brother eventually took over an Exxon station and sold the Amoco. The new owner of the Amoco lasted 6 months before he went belly-up. He quickly found out the customers he inherited weren't impressed with dirt, poor service, and scruffy looking employees.

Growing up in a small business has made me a better employee and a better customer. I wouldn't change a thing about my childhood.

 

I still see gas stations with service bays attached to them. I have no idea whether or not they pump your gas though.

I think the last two here were Exxon stations,and I think they converted to straight convenience stores about twenty years or so ago.

 

In La Salle, Illinois, cross roads of I-80 & I-39 in norther Illinois we have a full service station thats been in four generations since the 30's called Volpes, him and his son still operate it in downtown, its been the Rod & Custom hang out for the last fifty years, the owner has had many customs, like well his relatives in Michigan years ago that had Clark/Kaiser build them customs, you get buy the area stop in, its also been the home of the Illinois Valley Mis-Fires car club for the past fifty years.

 

the only one in AZ that I know of is Clarkdale Classic Station. in yup you guessed it. clarkdale az.

 

The Rod & Custom Hang out !

 

Some more from downtown Volpes, La Salle, Illinois

 

where at? is it off 247?

 

O.G Speed shop on O.G Road here provides good service.
Most of the rest are crap mini- malls with inflated prices (for modern type folk). When I pay up & they ask if I'd like the 2 for 1 Mars Bar offer (wtf?), I politely refuse, & immediately ask "do you have a water pump in stock for a 302 Ford"?. I get blank stares.
O.G. understand.

 

i worked at a esso when i was 17, washed cars , oil change , pump gas, i think gas was35 cents back then. very few tips

 

I like it. Hold on to your dream!

 

There was an article in the Atlanta newspaper a few years back that had a count of I believe 16 or so full service stations left in the metro Atlanta area (which now is a pretty broad range). I worked at the full service Chevron in Tucker from about May '07 to last winter when I was on breaks from school. My boss has owned the place since 1972 and the station has been there for a number of years even before then.

Had a good time working there, definitely see some interesting things and get a lot of people who come in quite surprised to see a full service station. Working there was a real saving grace for me as it made working on my truck much easier having a full shop of tools at my disposal.

 

I don't know how many are actually full service, but in Oregon you cannot pump your own gas by state law.

 

I worked at a Mobil in one of the worst areas in town. By worst, I mean low income because the crips hadn't been created yet. Now, I wouldn't go in that area without a gun. One dollar got your front and rear window cleaned and the hood checked. Two bucks and over got all the windows cleaned, the hood and tires checked. Five dollars would fill a 20 gal tank then. We gave away mugs and blue chip stamps.

 

There is one family owned Chevron, was Gulf in my old town that still has full service.

 

I used to work at one back in the sixtie's in socal. Checked oil and cleaned windshields, gal's wearing mini skirts really got a good windshield cleaning...

 

ykp53..........It is at the corner of N. Houston and Elberta. I gas up the '47 there when she needs it.[the 327 aint to fond of alcohol]

 

yes, I own one it is in Gridley Ca. Stohlman's Union Station

 

Sometimes "full service" here in Oregon means waiting forever for someone to start the pump, waiting even longer after it has shut off, and then watching in your side mirror as they pull the nozzle out dripping gas down the side of your car and onto the ground.

Been to a few that still wash your windows (which is a nice surprise) but I think the look on the face of some of the employees if you asked them to check your oil or your tire pressure would be along the lines of W.T.F.?

 

Yeah I read that about two weeks ago. Oregon and I believe either Vermont or New Hampshire, or Maine (one of those Northern States) were just like that. I wonder why it is a state law? Don't want people getting too much exercise lol

 

There's one here in Conway, Arkansas. The owner is a long-time hotrodder.

 

As stated earlier, New Jersey does not allow self-service refueling. It was my understanding that this was the state's attempt to help save at least some more minimum wage type jobs. Seems like better intentions than most laws at least.