1950's Service Station Video (Colour) - Standard Oil

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Wow....my parents were just 10 years old or so when this was made but they say they vaguely remember this kind of service when their folks went to the gas station.

Customer service, and professionalism, something almost totally lost on workers today at least in the US.
 
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Originally Posted by AC1DD
Wow....my parents were just 10 years old or so when this was made but they say they vaguely remember this kind of service when their folks went to the gas station.

Customer service, and professionalism, something almost totally lost on workers today at least in the US.

Yeah...

We still had full serve at my dad's one station/shop because of the setup and we would always offer to check the oil / washer fluid and offer to fill low looking tires.
 
In 1973 I worked at Shell. We cleaned front, back glass and wiped the headlights off every time. Always offered to check the oil and tires.
 
Originally Posted by AC1DD
Wow....my parents were just 10 years old or so when this was made but they say they vaguely remember this kind of service when their folks went to the gas station.

Customer service, and professionalism, something almost totally lost on workers today at least in the US.

It is usually lost on customers who demand this type of service whom make it known they feel entitled to this type of service.
 
Originally Posted by oldhp
In 1973 I worked at Shell. We cleaned front, back glass and wiped the headlights off every time. Always offered to check the oil and tires.

In 1981 when I lived in Sun Valley I got the same service you mentioned plus they pumped the gas for me for $ 0.87 per gallon.
 
Originally Posted by nobb
It was probably also a job that you could buy a house and raise a family off from.

In most cases, it absolutely was not. This job was usually worked by high school aged kids and the majority of their income came in the form of tips. I had family members work as gas station attendants during the summer at a gas station near Lake Eufaula and they made around $1/hr. Not even enough to feed yourself, let alone raise a family and own a home. .

Edit: I found a reddit thread asking people about what it was like to work as a gas station attendant. It's incredible how much can be found on the internet.
LINK
 
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In 5th-6th grade I mowed lawns and shoveled snow. Junior High worked as 'do everything' at the corner drug store. High school, the hardware store, but lots of fellas worked as 'pump jockeys'. There was generally a 2 bay shop for oil changes and various other maintenance and lighter repairs. It was a fair introduction to knowing more about cars. Now, with self service, rarely do you see a hood raised and the shops now replace blown engines simply due to lack of oil!
 
I worked part time at a local Chevron station in Vancouver from 1979-1983, I was just a teenager, but the boss' expectations were pretty close to the film...minus the hats.
 
My company had a contract to deliver uniforms, shop towels, and restroom supplies to Standard Oil stations, but the Chevron dealers could sign with an industrial laundry of their choice. This was a very labor-intensive service, as the uniforms were washed, starched, pressed and folded, and then wrapped in individual bundles tied with a string. Eventually Standard changed to blue shirts and pants, which were no longer folded but placed on hangers instead.

I never saw the khaki uniforms shown in the film, since our dealers also wore white.
 
In the late 60's I would pump gas on holidays @ 2x the normal pay. Always spent extra time on the windshield of a pretty woman/girl. It was good pocket money for a teenager.
 
I started pumping gas at 15 in 1998. The owner was an old timer, Stickna's Gulf was in town since the 30s, so we squeegee'd every windshield that came in, and he was always on top of you to do it. Some people would tip, but no one appreciated it really. Went from 99 cents for premium to 1.65 a few years later when I left, and I complained!!!
 
@13:35 youtube time - "You've gone 1400 miles since the last oil change. I can change it now if you like". The 3000 mi oil change cut their business in half !
 
Originally Posted by carviewsonic
Cool to see the fifties cars in their original habitat. Oil change due at 1500 miles though...




It wasn't just the oil either. Those old engines required constant maintenance. Plugs, points, rotor, condenser, were part of the tune up. When the oil was changed you had a grease job done too.
 
Originally Posted by BrewCityR
61 cents per quart for oil!

With inflation from 1959, that's $5.61/quart.
Amazing how the relative price has stayed so steady.
 
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