Gas Stations in the 1950s

[Kinman]

The only gas station job I had was for a week helping a buddy before I went off to the Army. Somebody in his family owned the station which was a gas station/motel/restaurant right on the Nevada/Utah border in Eley. It was across the street from the motel/restaurant which was next door to a casino. They preyed on good Utahans returning from the sins of Nevada before crossing the salt flat desert. I was taught how to pad my income by short sticking the oil and them having empty cans in the dispenser at the pumps. We'd short stick the oil, show the guy he was down a quart, then while he stayed in the car punch another hole with the nozzel and pour the empy can down the filler tube. As far as I knew nobody every got busted, we also called it "hitting them over the head" for a bad belt, hose or tire. It was the only crooked job I ever had and ain't proud of what I did, we made a point of never taking advantage of "real people", just the phonies or wealthy jerks. One of the guys would use a sharpened down screw driver to punch a hole while checking the air in a tire, tell the guy he had a slow leak, when he got out to see the guy would spit on his finger and rub it over the hole, then sell the rube a recap for twice its value. After I worked at that station I never trusted anyone to work on my own vehicles until I was well into my 40's and even now I am very suspicious of any work required by dealers and usually double check their requirements...even factory recalls.

 

[smithman 10]

Gas stations today

Of course it's not the same but dealing with the same station still bears dividends if you, the customer, establish a relationship with them.

I still miss my friend Warren, who passed away too early from liver cancer. Service manager and part owner of the station up the street from our house, he would tease me about the old heaps I drove but he would help me out and save me money.

When an old jalopy I drove blew an engine he found me a junkyard motor and installed it for a reasonable price and I drove that car another 100,000 miles before the oak tree in my front yard fell on it! Always fair with my wife when she had a problem with her cars.

Having someone you trust makes all the difference.

 

[Chukar60]

Thank our pension for saving pennies for the loss of service.
Enterprising owners figured out we would forego the added value of service to get cheaper fuel.
Saved the owners huge money as well. Less employees, lowered overhead and space that could be devoted to more profitable products.
The difference between value and price is lost on most consumers.

 

[ancient-one]

Check out Lucille's just east of Weatherford OK on old highway 66. Not in operation, just historical.

 

[Kinman]

After WWII my Dad had a big old Buick Roadmaster with a straight eight
engine. I remember him saying it would pass anything on the road except a gas station.

While I was in between cars my pastor loaned me either his '49 Buick Roadmaster or the churches V.W. bus with the deal being made that on Sunday I would pick up all the folks that needed a lift to church. The first thing I learned about the big Buick was you had to learn which side of the hood to open to check the oil, pull one lever to open to the left, the other to open to the right. The big Buick wasn't fast but once she got up to speed was a real roller, on them big double eagle balloon tires...great car.