What ever happened to the service at service stations?
By whywiki
@whywiki (6066)
Canada
June 16, 2009 12:46pm CST
This morning I stop and get propane in my car on the way to work. I notice I need air in a couple of tires. I look over to where the air pump was and it was gone. No problem my favorite air pump is less than a block away. I get there and the nozzle thing has been run over and it is not working. Undaunted I continue over to the next gas station and they have air but...it costs $1! Not that I am cheap but these gas companies make billions of dollars the least they can do is provide free air. So there is one more gas station on the way to work and it is generlly a good gas station. I pull in and surprize surprize the air hose is sliced almost in half. So here I sit at work wondering which direction i should head in search of free air. I remember a time you would pull in for gas and they would pump your gas,clean your windsheild, check your oil and check the tires. We even had a station that would vaacuum you're car! Today pump yourself, check your own damn fluids and if you are lucky fill your tires. Around town here they even keep the sqeegees for the windsheild inside! What has happened to the service in service station? Is it the same way where you live? Will you pay for air or am I just being cheap? It will cost me more in fuel to find air than pay for it but I am stubborn!
1 person likes this
4 responses
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
17 Jun 09
yup, the price of air is expensive! here where we live you have had to pay for air for several years. its shocking the things that we let others get away with. we were in a small town the other day and they still have service, my hubby got out of the car thinking he would have to fill up himself (we live in a large city, he grew up here and i was raised in a small town) i had to remind him that it was a small town.
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
16 Jun 09
There are a few full service stations around the country still, they are few and far between, and difficult to find. Some stations even have a couple of pumps where you can get full service for an added price. We were surprised when we drove the New Jersey that they will not allow people to pump their own gas. So if you want full service take a trip to New Jersey.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
16 Jun 09
I remember back when I was a teenager, I wanted to get a job at a particular gas station because of a particular cute guy who worked there. The owner told me that girls couldn't pump gas because we couldn't handle the fumes and that checking the fluid levels in hot engines was too dangerous. I think of that man often while I'm pumping my own gas, checking my own fluids (and refilling them when necessary) and checking my own tires. I don't like paying for air either and, like you, have gone to other stations in order to use a free pump but I can't seem to find a free one anymore.
