There was an elderly man at my local small town gas station who pumped people's gas well into the 1990s. He was old and suffered a brain injury at some point in his life, so he wouldn't remember he wasn't expected to do it anymore. He would overfill once in a while and leave streaks on the windshields, and a few people would complain, but most of us just let him spend his day the way he wanted, mistakes and all. He was super a nice guy. Whenever I had cat footprints on my car, which was often, he'd say, "Uh oh, victims!!" 🤣 Now the gas station and the man are both gone. RIP, Willy. I'll see you again someday. ♥

@audraarndt1824

Жыл бұрын

Thats sweet ❤😢

@slim-oneslim8014

Жыл бұрын

Except for being nice sounds like Joe Biden 😄😂

@HawaiiBlack

Жыл бұрын

What a sweet story! Thanks for sharing.

@wwisaacson4807

Жыл бұрын

@@slim-oneslim8014 More like trump and his airports during the War of 1812.

@tonys9413

Жыл бұрын

@@slim-oneslim8014 Another MAGA Maggot!

My Dad was a gas station attendant, RIP, we lived very comfortably in a small house, he always provided for us, my Mom was amazing with money. In 2010 I was 50, I was in a rehab, one of the guys told a story of pulling into a gas station but he was broke, needing to get to a job interview he told the attendant his situation, he said the guy filled his tank and said pay me back and good luck on your interview, he got the job and a couple weeks later went back to pay the guy, that guy's name was Frank, my father, he died in 1999 at 62, I'm so proud of my Dad. Thank you. 🙏

In south Texas we called them "filling stations." Every teenage boy got his first job at the local filling stations. Every time we pulled up to the pump, teen attendants cleaned our mirrors and windshields, checked the fluids and tire pressures, and topped them off if needed. My dad often tipped them a few coins. There was always a public phone booth in the corner, and cold soda machines.

My dad worked in a service station , pumping gas , tire pressure , flat repair , tune ups etc , on that wage he and mom were able to purchase a home , take us on vacation every summer , give us kids (3) a wonderful Christmas , birthdays , never went hungry , we were happy . It was an honorable job , no one thought less ! My dad was a good man !!

Who remembers this old jingle: “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star, the big, bright Texaco star.”

@robertromero8692

Жыл бұрын

"You expect more from Standard. And you get it."

@cogman62

Жыл бұрын

“Put a tiger in your tank,” Esso fuel.

@gonefishing11

Жыл бұрын

@@cogman62 DId you have a tiger tail on your gastank door? :)

@cogman62

Жыл бұрын

@@gonefishing11 no, but I saw a few of those.

@brettany_renee_blatchley

Жыл бұрын

Goodness! I can hear it in my mind's ear! 🎶🎵

We didn't know how good we had it! life is just not the same with all the trouble we have now we had trouble back then but not like today.

@allen-gt5ng

Жыл бұрын

​@NVMVNV leave it to a real racist like u to bring up color and racism you sorry pos maybeif u pull your pants up and get off welfare u might succeed

@Nick-uw2ju

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, sometimes I'd like to go back to these days and visit.

@Nick-uw2ju

Жыл бұрын

@NVMVNV They would have applied to me so I'd like to visit.

@Nick-uw2ju

Жыл бұрын

@NVMVNV I know but I would if I could since it was a better time.

@Nick-uw2ju

Жыл бұрын

@NVMVNV There were a lot of good things back in those days.

Look at the people in the old photos, they looked genuinely happy.

This was coming to an end when I was a little girl in the early ‘80s, but I do remember it. People used to be catered to back in the day… milk deliveries, house calls from doctors, people pumping your gas for you…. These days you’re lucky if they’re even nice to you.

Another nostalgic video that almost makes me want to cry. I remember all of those things when I was a kid. I even remember the smell. The gas stations also had free air pumps installed on the building. My sister and I would ride our bikes to the gas station to fill our tires and to buy candy and soda. America was so great back then. I wish we had those days back again than what we have now.

@garfield2439

Жыл бұрын

I loved riding over the hose to ring the bell. Now I realize we must have drove the attendants CRAZY.🤭🤭

@stephendacey8761

Жыл бұрын

Do you remember the gas attendants checking your oil and washing your windows?

@ozzymandius666

Жыл бұрын

I remember when pink was for girls, and blue was for boys, and boys couldn't magically change into girls, and vice versa, they still can't, but some belive otherwise. We call these people "progs", kinda like "trogs" but dumber.

@MattGrossChannel

Жыл бұрын

I miss drive in theaters and those drive in restaurants, like A&W, where they'd put the tray on the car door. And real milkshakes. Businesses took their time to make quality products. I miss quality.

@cathyt502

Жыл бұрын

That smell was so intoxicating to me, I actually liked it. (still do today) Both my father and older brother are/were experienced car and motorcycle mechanics, so that smell always lingered on them. Plus, I would help polish chrome as a child on my brother's chopper. I had a green Sinclair dinosaur bank. The 60s was a fun time to be a child (and a teen in the 70s) :)

My dad had a Gulf gas station we worked together for 45 years alot of good memories thank you for this video it really brought tears to my eyes I only wish dad was still here too see it he passed at 91 years old and had worked with Gulf oil since he was 16 years old ❤

@mnoliberal7335

Жыл бұрын

My Dad owned a rural Gulf Station, too.

@glennzanotti3346

Жыл бұрын

My dad was a Refinery Manager for Gulf in the 70s. He made gasoline, your dad's sold it. That was a good company.

@garyjohnson6640

Жыл бұрын

Do you remember when Gulf gave away orange plastic horseshoes to attach to your bumper, the Gulf globe to stick on your antenna, and the gold colored political pins with horseshoes? It was a fun time.

@happybike3823

Жыл бұрын

@@garyjohnson6640 my dad delivered fuel for Pure oil/Union 76 stations. I remember those 76 balls on the antenna too. Those antennas are gone now too.

@marsthatdamnrebel

Жыл бұрын

Our grandfather and Dad owned and ran a Gulf full-service for decades. It only got shut down because of the oil crisis in 1971 😢.

People laugh, but those days were the best of times! What I wouldn't give to turn back time......😢

@slapshotjack9806

11 ай бұрын

I don’t think anyone likes today where 6 dollars a gallon is now the standard for gas

@leewomack3498

11 ай бұрын

@@slapshotjack9806 WELL ONE THING, GAS ISN'T THAT HIGH!

@slapshotjack9806

11 ай бұрын

@@leewomack3498 look around it’s all over the place

@kevinfinnerty8414

11 ай бұрын

Become Amish and live in their community. Problem solved.

@strnglhld

11 ай бұрын

@@kevinfinnerty8414No thanks, they’re pretty big on puppy mills.

This video really hit home on all cylinders. Three blocks from our house a WWII vet ran a tiny service station, but due to his injuries from the war he was forced to wear a big brace from his knee to his ankle and it was difficult for him to walk. Everybody that came by for gasoline (including my grandfather who was also a vet form the WWII) pumped their own gas and came in to pay him. He stocked ice cream, candy, and all sorts of soda, so my friends and i always went there after school and hung out with him buying a lot of snacks. Later in life i found out he was a decorated vet from the war, a big guy who we all know was a great American. The service station allowed him to serve our community once again and for us in turn to say thank you Big John your loved here.

@mousermind

11 ай бұрын

*you're loved you + are = you're your = possessive (think "our")

@MrAustinH

11 ай бұрын

@@mousermind Oh shut up

@tonyharden7159

11 ай бұрын

Thanks. This was a piece of Americana that is now gone.

@rickstephens1130

7 ай бұрын

Sadly, yes that was a time in history that many of us remember all to well. And how I miss those days. And I wish that I could have been able to show my kids and grandchildren how it was back in the day.

I worked in a "service station" from the time I was 16-23. It was a life changing experience. I learned work ethics, customer service and eventually a trade. My boss owned the business. He was a role model, a mentor, a patient teacher and a father figure for me. Sad that era is over.

@davidschumaker8107

Жыл бұрын

Very similar situation. The boss and his wife (owners) took a chance on a longhaired fresh out of high school kid and gave me a start at a career. Pumping gas and cleaning up around the place to engine rebuilds and front-end alignments in a rather short period of time because I watched, learned and pretty much kept my mouth shut. Thank you John & Hazel, your wisdom will stay with me forever!

@mikezylstra7514

Жыл бұрын

My boss treated me like he was my dad. A little preaching from time to time. But every month or so when I could come in early, he was there with his buddies, a bit tooted up, and off to Rockin' Chair Helen's they'd go. The stories they told when they got back taught me all about the birds & the bees.

@carlgriffith4660

Жыл бұрын

I could have written your comment myself. I worked at a gas station from 15 to 19 years old and had the same experiences as you. Looking back, it was a great time in my life.

@okamijubei

Жыл бұрын

let me guess... it starts to end since after the Gas Shortage of 1973.

@gaborkorthy8355

Жыл бұрын

@@okamijubei yup, the first fake gas shortage. The second was in 1979

Ahhh. The sound of the bell as you pulled up to the gas station. What a great audible memory.

@gonefishing11

Жыл бұрын

Not only, the familiar, "ding-ding" as you pulled in but, the pumps use to emit a ding at every roll of a gallon too.

@mordechai-

Жыл бұрын

@@gonefishing11 That's right! I remember those! Also the air pump would ding after each pound of pressure.

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@gonefishing11 I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@mordechai- I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

@gonefishing11

Жыл бұрын

@@saminaneen Haha, my father had those thoughts in the sixties when he saw hippies ☮️✌️

As a kid back in the late 50's, I use to love watching the colored balls located towards the top of the pump in a clear casing moving around as gas was being pumped. Who else remembers this?

@kennethmcdonald5278

Жыл бұрын

I thought they were cars going in circles

@davidjones5547

Жыл бұрын

@@kennethmcdonald5278 At least at the local Gulf station where my dad use to get his gas, I saw that they were clearly balls glass casing. It is very possible that what you said is true. I guess it would depend on the particular brand of gas whether you would see balls or cars.

@NathanChisholm041

11 ай бұрын

We had these on our pumps here in Australia as late as the 80s when leaded fuel was still being used.

@Wilett614

2 ай бұрын

Yes , I Remember those colored rotating balls , showing that gas is flowing in the tank and hose

It was always so impressive how throughly and quickly the attendant could clean your front window.

I must be getting really old (70), I remember everything in this video. Well done!

@kimmer6

Жыл бұрын

I was reading an article about some 69 year old guy complaining about something. I thought, yeah, you old geezer. Then I realized I was older than him. The 60's and 70's were the best of times for me in California as my buddies and I went to the beach, the mountains, lakes, camped a lot, and enjoyed good weather. My dad bought Dick Smothers slightly damaged Travco motorhome where he backed into a concrete filled pipe protecting a fire hydrant in San Francisco. I was 14 years old, good with my hands, and I repaired the damaged fiberglass areas. I rough ground it wearing swimming trunks on a hot day and was smart enough to wear a respirator. The fibers got into my skin and I was miserable for a week.

@thomastrout9997

Жыл бұрын

At 70 years, you probably bought gas at that time, I did. I remember paying 28.9 at the Gulf Station on Valley Blvd. Best prices in town.

@jbolf6

Жыл бұрын

What a great recollection. Times were good Brother

@jbolf6

Жыл бұрын

I was in the military stationed in Massachusetts in 1972. The Arab oil embargo was in effect so you could only buy gas every other day. I had a brand new 1972 Ford Pinto and if it was completely empty it would cost me $2.80 to fill it up. Gas was 28 cents a gallon and my base pay was $288 a month

@thomastrout9997

Жыл бұрын

@@jbolf6 Coincidence upon coincidence; I too had a 1972 Ford Pinto 4 speed I picked up @ Bob Wondries Ford in Alhambra, CA. Great little car, loved it to death. But the 1st time I took it in for service the dealership told me it had a British Ford engine in it and the ca. 1972 shop had NO METRIC TOOLS. I had to wait an extra day while they secured some. Oddly enough, I thought nothing of it at the time...

I’m almost 65, and I love all your vids. Fond memories- never to be again. 😢

One of my first jobs when I turned 16 was as a pump jockey back in 1976. In 1980 I was a pump jockey again for a truck stop. Met my future wife there. My dad was a big US history buff so we traveled every summer and I loved it. Thanx for this video. Brings back many fond memories stopping for gas. I had forgotten how it was indeed fun for us kids at the gas station. They all had those old bottled soda machines and we usually got one when we'd stop. I'm 62 and love this channel! Oh, also those round oil cans required an oil spout that would puncture the can which was always messy.

That was the good, old, times. Thanks for bringing it back.

That was my second job when I was a kid. Had to wash the windshield, check the oil, and of course fill the tank. You had to hustle and give the customer the quickest service. I absolutely loved it!!!

@peekaboots01

Жыл бұрын

Today kids don't even work.

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@peekaboots01 I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

@jaysotherwife6007

Жыл бұрын

That's the kind of service that no longer exists today. It can make buying gas very difficult for people like me who are elderly. I miss that kind of service.

@maryrosekent8223

Жыл бұрын

@@jaysotherwife6007 In Oregon people are not allowed to pump their own gas…

@maryrosekent8223

Жыл бұрын

My mother had both green stamps and blue chip stamps-I think we once got a table lamp with one or the other of them.

Can you imagine what would happen if we had such a wonderful service station to go to today

@mordechai-

Жыл бұрын

No, I can't imagine. Tell me. I'd really like to hear it.

@vandangoadventures570

Жыл бұрын

@@mordechai-first they would get robbed also someone will trash the restrooms they would always be trying to hire because people are so rude they can keep any one good you know the rest

@stanleykijek6983

Жыл бұрын

@@vandangoadventures570 Unfortunately, you are right. As late as the 1980s there were still a respectable number of stations open 24 hours, especially along the interstates, but that's getting to be a rarity these days, so driving straight through all night can be a problem in some areas if you need gas and nothing is open.

@mordechai-

Жыл бұрын

@@vandangoadventures570 Sigh. Unfortunately, you're right.

@michaelnance8319

Жыл бұрын

Most People who work at Gas Stations today wouldn’t dress in fancy uniforms nor do a full car service. If they were to bring it back most of them would expect 20 dollar tips and most people would only give them five or ten dollars as tips. Plus they would have that anti-ghetto attitude. Which most Americans having grown a custom to with a reverse attitude to the individual gas attendant. It would only be available in fancy upscale neighborhoods or where a bunch of rich people are living.

As a kid, I was fascinated by the glass globes on top of the pumps, which were illuminated at night.

@mikezylstra7514

Жыл бұрын

Gulf station. I sorta thought those were testicles.

@cfneal1459

Жыл бұрын

@@mikezylstra7514 grrr 60s child, eh? s i g h

@mikezylstra7514

Жыл бұрын

@@cfneal1459 50's

My husband worked at a gas station from 2010 to about 2012 and it was a smaller local gas station that had been there for as long as I could remember and he would make such good money in tips because he would always offer to check peoples fluids and he would clean their windows for them. A lot of the customers were regulars and they got to know him and really liked him because they would say he was part of a lost art and they so appreciated him.

When I was a child, my parents would go to Fletcher's Marathon or the Amoco station around town. Dad would always try to balance out the station usage based on the date due of the credit card bill. I thought it was one of the best things ever when mom or dad allowed me to tell the attendant to "Fill er up unleaded!"

"Put a Tiger in your Tank!" was a promotion I remember in the UK for Esso Extra; millions of foot-long plush tiger tails were given away, and were a common sight in the 60's sticking out of the gas tank flap.

@matrox

Жыл бұрын

We had it in America too.

@ecphorizer

Жыл бұрын

"Tigeri i Tankki" in Sweden back in the 60's.

@RATTLEY67

Жыл бұрын

We had them also in Australia

Those of us who were there, are very blessed. People who weren't there can never even imagine how great this country was. I want to go back with every molecule of my being.

@Cwgrlup

Жыл бұрын

The woke leftist mob has turned the country into a nightmare.

@williamwilson6499

Жыл бұрын

Take off the rose colored glasses.

@number62

Жыл бұрын

​@@williamwilson6499He's right though.

@geraldclough1099

Жыл бұрын

I do not really. I well remember polio, with wards full of iron lungs. Learning to take shelter under the school desk in case of a nuclear attack. "Whites Only" signs everywhere, even when they were largely ignored. But burning cities. Blind acceptance of government claims and close government management of wartime news until Viet Nam, the "television war", when Cronkite blew their cover by saying the war was lost. How many did you know who died for nothing. Lead paint everywhere. Schools full of asbestos. DDT that nearly killed off every avian raptor. Solid steering columns that speared the driver in a crash, or sharply pointed metal dash board place exactly right to shatter knees in the absence of seat belts. Virtually no chance of surviving cancer. Routine police torture. Little response to child abuse. Almost zero response to child sexual abuse. Food conventions that set many of us up for early death and disease. It's easy to feel nostalgic, but the price is to high.

@youtubeisinconsistent9169

Жыл бұрын

As nice as it was for some, it was pretty terrible for others.

When we lived in Southern California, they had dairy stations, sort of like a gas station but instead of gas pumps there were refrigerator containers that held dairy products and eggs. There was even the hose that would ding when you rolled over it. This is a vague memory as we moved north when I was young

I was born in1964 and remember most of these things. It's a real shame how things have changed. Thank you!!

@LoveVanillaRose

Жыл бұрын

I was born in 60 and remember all of it. My family owned a service station too. Those were the days! All the cousins had a job when ever they wanted one. Miss these stations.

@anniereddj

Жыл бұрын

@@LoveVanillaRose Me too!

@sallyjones9144

Жыл бұрын

I was born in 65. Wow things have changed. Grateful I was born when I was.

@mordechai-

Жыл бұрын

I was born in '62. I remember it all, except the snazzy uniforms that gas station attendants wore in the '50's. But they still wore at least a jacket and a cap in the late '60's and early '70's. Sometimes you see that now.

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@anniereddj I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

And they say we've progressed. No, no, we haven't.

My grandfather ran a Gulf station, and I grew up in it. It's sad because the customer service skills I picked up there have no place in a modern shop. Old school service stations wanted you as a customer, and would give you deals, or help you out. We used to just give away signal light bulbs. If a car came in for gas, we'd check the lights. If a signal light was out, we'd replace it for free. It was only a $0.10 bulb, but it was free, and that's all the customer saw. One free light bulb = 1 customer for life. These days, shops don't want your loyalty, they want your money. I have been suspended from work because I help my customers instead of taking them for everything I can... ya... the death of the service station was the death of customer service.. :(

Sad this era is over. We are left with nostalgia.

@arjaysmithjr9083

Жыл бұрын

If you are a "boomer", you lived your childhood through the greatest time America (or ANY country for that matter) has ever experienced, and probably ever will. The younger generations have NO IDEA what we have lost, and how FAR America has fallen.

@user-zh9st7dl4h

Жыл бұрын

Ahhh the Good old days . Now if your Car breaks down , you have to get it towed to a Car Dealer , or Automotive Repair Shop , where you will be Ripped off and gouged to Death . It is like a a completely different Planet .

@wolfmangoland7972

Жыл бұрын

@@user-zh9st7dl4h I recently experienced it during my trip to New York.

@joemckim1183

Жыл бұрын

Honestly I would rather just fill my own gas tank. Such a useless service, I'm sure you were paying extra for this service that is essentially pointless. I don't need my oil checked every single time I stopped for gas, such a waste of time.

@joemckim1183

Жыл бұрын

@@arjaysmithjr9083 Greatest generations you mean when lynchings and outright racism were a regular thing?

I remember the gifts my parents got with a fill-up, like a set of steak knives, or a set of colored tumblers. I loved to go with my parents to the gas station, because it meant I got a Nehi grape soda and a Moon Pie. I grew up in the South in the 50s so full service stations hold a special place in my heart.

@roiijamez33

Жыл бұрын

And the Tiger Tail you'd get to hang from the tank door!

@CraigLumpyLemke

Жыл бұрын

True that. Lots of steak knives. I still have some from the 1950s.

@steventheabcandsometimesd6865

Жыл бұрын

Yes and I preferred the blue chip stamps over the green stamps. Even though we collect both. Blue chip because the gifts were better.

@potownrob

Жыл бұрын

I remember dad collecting the music cassettes at Sunoco. They had a different cassette for each decade.

@xaenon

Жыл бұрын

When you said 'Moon Pie' I sort of knew you were from the south. That seems to be a mostly-southern thing. Grape Nehi... heh. That stuff was pure gold. I remember they had a lot of flavors - Orange, Strawberry, and some others, but grape was always my favorite. In a glass bottle, of course, and so cold it actually hurt to hold it in your hand. Just the thing on those summer Iowa days.

Growing up in Kansas we called these "filling stations". I still love the aroma that came with these buildings. I loved going there with daddy....

@robertneville2022

Жыл бұрын

Ahh filling stations almost forgot that one

The gas station near our home gave away a drinking glass with each fill up. My mom hounded my dad to fill up until she completed her set of eight. Sweet memories.

When I was 14 I worked in one of the last old time full service stations, this was back in 1993. Our customers really did appreciate the extra mile we would go. On weekends, we would have lineups for our carwash where we pre-washed the vehicle before running it through the machine.

The local Union 76 station in our very small town used to give out free orange styrofoam balls, about the size of a tennis ball, every so often with Union 76 painted on them. We'd put one on top of the outside radio antenna so we could spot our car in a parking lot with thousands of cars (such as DisneyLand or other amusement parks) - worked every time! The Gulf station across the street from the Union 76 station (yes, we actually had TWO gas stations in our very small town, if you can believe it!) would give out cheap-glass drinking glasses, one with each fill-up, until you got all 6. I believe my 87 y.o. mother still has one hidden way back in one of her kitchen cabinets!

@wfukfm

Жыл бұрын

Yes I loved them little balls we took some from cars and using some slats tried to rig up a makeshift ping pong game out of em

@frankseprino8610

Жыл бұрын

Steak knives too!

@thomastrout9997

Жыл бұрын

@@wfukfm I'm staring at one on my desk as I write this. Most of the later Union Oil stations had the ball on a pole as signage. Some stations would turn them into Jack-o-lanterns in the Fall.

@BubbafromSapperton

Жыл бұрын

I'm in Canada but we had Gulf balls too...

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@wfukfm And that is why, you are in prison, typing this, because you are serving time for felony theft.

I do remember these gas stations back when I was a little kid. And back then diesel was cheaper than regular gas. Also you used to be able to pickup a road map for your travels. I miss those days now more than ever before 🤔

@paulburick1506

Жыл бұрын

Me too,Frank.i never imagined that getting gasoline would be such an impersonal experience.

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@paulburick1506 I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

@Boobtube.

Жыл бұрын

@@saminaneen exactly, it IS a mental illness.

I was born in the 90’s so I never got to experience any of this, but I wish I did…back when people took pride in their work and things were made in America with quality. Where people cared about other people and had strong morals, values and respect. Times were simpler. Todays America has so much culture rot, it’s really sad.

@daadood100

7 ай бұрын

it is actually disgusting that society is like is is

@KMFDM_Kid2000

6 ай бұрын

Blame capitalism and the associated greed for sending so many jobs overseas. Don't worry though, Communism will win in the end 😎👉👉

I am old enough to remember all of these. Thanks for the drive along memory lane.

Great video! A MAJOR lost piece of Americana, service stations were taken for granted. We thought they would always be there. Where do you ask for directions now? Who checks your oil and water? The road is not the same anymore.

@ms.b9093

Жыл бұрын

I ask Siri! 😂

@brodriguez11000

Жыл бұрын

@@ms.b9093 Jiffy Lube for the oil.

@Wilett614

2 ай бұрын

Answer ! Your I Phone !! lol I would check , Oil , Water , Battery and wash windshield too Most customers would tip me a Quarter or 50 cents TOO : ) What a WONDERFUL time to Live through : )

Wow! I'm 72 and this really brought back some memories! My father was an auto insurance adjuster for General Motors Insurance Company. He handled a territory of about 25% of the state of Virginia. He got a new company car every year, and the glove compartment was always FULL of road maps from gas stations. Before GPS, the way you navigated was by road map, with periodic stops at gas stations to ask directions, especially when you got close to your destination. As for snacks, I can remember buying a pack of "Nabs" (Nabisco cheese and peanut butter crackers) and a Coke. Standard fare! The old Coke machines had bottles suspended by the rings at the top of the neck of the bottles, suspended in ice-cold chilled water. You made your drink choice, slid the bottle down the railing holding the drink you wanted, and put it into the dispensing mechanism. Then you inserted a dime into the machine, and it allowed you to lift your single bottle from the dispenser. Wow! Thanks!

@Vincent_Sullivan

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Ashley Marie for solving a mystery for me! Years ago I was reading some article about environmentalism and some environmentalist was quoted as saying he didn't have time for meals so he was living on "Nabs" while he was trying to save the world. I could not figure out what he was talking about! The word kind of stuck with me and I even remember searching for it in the early days of Google and coming up empty. Now you have explained it! Google still doesn't seem to know about "Nabs" but if you search for "eating Nabs" you get some hits that explain what they are and the history of them going back to 1924. Thanks! Vince...

@jakeman025

Жыл бұрын

We’ve always called the crackers nabs and we just recently had a family funeral where family came and my mom and aunt were discussing this topic and neither of them knew why we called them nabs…I’ve lived in Australia wit my family and up north and in both places if you mentioned nabs you would get a funny look.

@ashleymarie7452

Жыл бұрын

@@jakeman025 Interesting! Thanks!

This video was very well produced. I worked at my uncle's gas station from age twelve to fifteen (60s). As I recall you've covered everything that made these places memorable. Thanks!

I remember as a young child going with my dad to the gas station. after pulling in going over the hose, bell rings, it turns the car off and it seems like we were there forever. I love it how it is nowadays in and out let’s go.

I worked in several different gas stations between 1965 and 1976, it was just like you said, thanks for the memories.

@lanceknightmare

Жыл бұрын

These days if you do not check the right society boxes no one will hire you. I know this as a 39 year old who has been permanently frozen out of the work place.

My Dad had his own gas station in Boonton, NJ. It’s how he met my Mother back in the 1950’s.

@majikman7355

Жыл бұрын

Filled her up and here you are.. 😉

@adstalga

Жыл бұрын

Where was it? I'm from Parsippany

I remember the "Gas Wars" that went on at the time. Two stations would get together and start lowering the prices until one could no longer lower them. Prices could go down to around a dime a gallon before it was over.

There was a full-service station in Austin, TX that was still around in the 1990s that I would go to. As a young mom, it was a lifesaver because I didn’t have to leave my babies in the car while I pumped gas. After I had a knee and foot injury not too long ago, I was really missing that station!😅

I worked at a BP mini-serve gas station during the late 70s and early 80s. When I asked my manager what mini-serve meant, he looked around to see if anybody could hear then told me: "Don't do anything extra unless a customer asks you; just pump gas and get the money."

@puppylove3781

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, he was the oy-vey small-hat variety or an arab, sadly. White people went out of their way to help you. Jews and Arabs are like whatever.

@paulbegley1464

Жыл бұрын

During the gas shortage, I had to do that myself. Very long lines and there was the odd/even plate days we had to be aware of.

@happybike3823

Жыл бұрын

@@paulbegley1464 great memory! I too lived thru that era.

I was born in 1979 and most of this had already faded by the time I was a child.

i have not watched this channel in a while, it is so nice to go back to a much more simple time in life. the narrator is perfect for this as well

I remember at some gas stations they would give away drinking glasses with fill up. Good times

I remember when many stations offered full service back in the 1980s. I also remember that full service slowly went away in the 1990s when many stations went self service only, and converted a lot of their garages into food marts.

@mikee2

Жыл бұрын

We still have full service here in Costa Rica, oil, water and gas checked.

@GeorgieB1965

Жыл бұрын

We still have a full/self serv gas station in town. Each side has about a thirty cent price differential though.

@mordechai-

Жыл бұрын

New Jersey has a law that all gas stations have top be full service. They also have gas that's cheaper than the gas in New York.

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@GeorgieB1965 I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

@michaellastname4922

Жыл бұрын

Yes, but some background. The dealers' margins on gasoline were only 3¢ a gallon, out of which the dealer had to pay station rent, salaries, supplies, and on. The money was in the services bays, where the corporate serfdom was less fervent. Full service was expensive... so we all learned how to pump our own.

My folks got a whole set of dishes back in the late ‘60s from our local Richfield (one of the predecessor of ARCO) station. My mom still had the whole set intact when she died almost 60 years later. If you filled up at a 76 station down the street, you could get a bright orange and blue Union 76 ball to put on the top of your car’s radio antenna. Fun memories!

@Stephanie-vn6ir

Жыл бұрын

I remember those balls. They were so cute!😊

@garfield2439

Жыл бұрын

Still have 1

@lindacostello1162

Жыл бұрын

I remember those "tenna-toppers". I asked my Dad to get me one so I could put it on the antenna of my portable am/fm radio!

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@Stephanie-vn6ir I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@lindacostello1162 I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

I really miss those days. Also, outside of meeting your friends at your local burger joint we would sometimes meet at our local gas station. What I really enjoyed was how you would walk in while waiting, and you would see the older timers mulling about talking about the days news, and playing cards. There is one more thing I miss most of all were the barbershops. Dad would take me there on a Saturday morning, everyone knew each other, and the majority of the time everyone would stop by, have a seat, and chat. The radio would be on, and of course small arguments might ensue but for the most part everyone got along, and the barbershop always had such a great atmosphere.

Love this. I was born in 1970 and there were still many Service Stations where they pumped your gas, cleaned your window, checked the oil. I remember the cans of oil on display racks, the gumball machines, the mechanics yelling for this or that - it was a whole experience. LOL, my first credit card was a Chevron Card - LOL.

Those restrooms on the outside of the station were usually kept locked and you had to get the key from inside. It would be attached to a piece of broom handle or other large object so you would not loose it.

@johnp139

Жыл бұрын

A hub cap.

@billdivine9501

Жыл бұрын

@@johnp139 a leaf spring.

@darrylh1971

Жыл бұрын

And it was the pre-COVID years, of course.

@Retired88M

Жыл бұрын

And the rest rooms 85% of the time were spotless

@pianomaly9

Жыл бұрын

I worked cleaning Starbucks in downtown Seattle '03-'04. Even then they closed the restrooms to the public (in at least one location) because of drugs and prostitution.

This channel makes me feel so old-but I love it! I had a soap shaped like the Sinclair dinosaur on my dresser when I was a kid. I also remember when Esso became Exxon.

@stephendacey8761

Жыл бұрын

I just turned 60. Where did the time go? Today, it's harder to tell between men and women with the transgender craze going on.

@scoobysnacks1976

Жыл бұрын

@@stephendacey8761 oh stop. they are people too. and they also existed back then. for 60 years old you sure need to grow up still

@davidsclocks7881

Жыл бұрын

Here in Canada, we still have Esso, but Texaco has been gone for a long time now. I, too, remember when they used to be called “Service Stations”, and almost all of them had a service bay.

@duckduckgoismuchbetter

Жыл бұрын

You need to eat less of those Scooby snacks, they're messing with your sense of reality.

@duckduckgoismuchbetter

Жыл бұрын

You're exactly right. The evil Left is intent on depriving people of the ability and inherent right to be able to distinguish between both moral as well as factual right and wrong. They literally don't want us to be able to distinguish between fact and fiction, and between reality and individual fantasy. And by so doing, they will be better able to convince us to believe all their other lies, and keep sliding inexorably into their trap of worldwide tyranny. Tyranny is the ONLY endgame for every single thing the evil Left is pushing.

I really like these kind of videos they bring back so many memories. I don’t know is it just me, but I have noticed in the past like in the 1950s public streets were so much cleaner back then. In today’s world everything looks so dirty even the people.😢

@AngryVikingwGuitar

11 ай бұрын

Decades of keeping infrastructure on the back burner.

I still remember when we had gas stations even in the 1990s that were service stations and they would wash your windows for you while you pumped gas. Now they all seem to be just convenient stores now.

When I was a kid in the sixties my buddies & I would ride our bikes over the hose to make the bell ring. It usually didn't take long for the attendant to chase us off. Great memories!!! 👍👍🙂

@stanleykijek6983

Жыл бұрын

As kids, we used to ride our bikes to the service station and pump air in our bike tires, as the valves were the same size as car tire valves were. Also went inside and got free maps. At the time, as kids, we didn't think about doing these things and not make any purchases, but threw owners never threw us out either, thankfully.

I very fondly remember all of these things. Thank you for bringing these memories back to me!! Have a nice week!

I worked at a BP station in early seventies. Have lots of memories of times gone by. I am 70 years old.

A few of my friends had gas station jobs in the mid 1970s. I’d go and hang out and they’d sit in the office while I pumped Gas, checked oil and cleaned windshields. The last gas station I knew that was the neighborhood gas and service station was Parwood Sunoco in Paramus NJ. They were around until about 5 years ago. Richie fixed the cars, Phil and Paul pumped the gas. Phil in the morning, Paul in the afternoon. Richie’s son-in-law was also a mechanic and fixed cars. His daughter ran the office . It was the last “Old Time” Service Station around and lasted into the late 2010’s when Richie retired. There’s apartments and stores where it was now 😭. Great people giving great service!!!!!

I recall free collectable glasses given at each visit along with the trading stamps.

Good memories. My mom never pumped gas and I recall always going with her when I was young to the full service pumps were she would see the regular attendant and get taken care of. I also recall collecting S&H green stamps and exchanging them for all kinds of stuff. Today things are very different and people need to pay a machine in advance and pump your own for 6 or 7 times the cost.

I like the way they presented themselves with how smartly they were dressed,they took pride in there job and the way they looked. What a difference time can make in not just the type of job that's rarely found now,but the way people are and behave. Oh,the good ole days.

@strnglhld

11 ай бұрын

Can’t blame em, back then you could make a decent living doing that.

I remember the cool gas truck toys (Hess) that I would play with! And you usually trusted your favorite mechanic!

@duckduckgoismuchbetter

Жыл бұрын

Those metal Hess, and other toy truck models are still around. I've seen them for sale in recent years at truckstops. You probably can find them online as well.

Always enjoyed going to the service station when I was a kid, especially in my old home town. Phillips 66 was the station we would stop at, even when we went back to visit my grandma. Loved the old soda pop and candy machines we would see there. Give me a bottle of 7-Up and a Clark bar and I was a very happy camper. My grandma would always go to a full service station with gas pump attendants and would always ask for ethyl, even well after that term was not really used. And they used to have giveaways, too, beyond trading stamps. My family had a full set of Chicago Bears juice/whiskey glasses they got from filling up at a local gas station (Shell in Rockford, I think).

@Retired88M

Жыл бұрын

A Coke in a glass bottle a Hershey bar and an individual bag of potato chips all for 20 cents. Just make sure you brought the bottle back

My grandfather had a Mobil station.. the flying red horse and it looked just like the one in this video... brought back so many memories and he was full-service... he and two of my uncles...his son's worked there. My family would drive there every week and hang out. He had one of those huge ice chests full of coke in glass bottles and there was an opener on the side of the chest. Great memories...

I remember in the mid-sixties, the station attendants kept very busy spot checking and cleaning your car when you came in for a fill-up. They addressed my mother as "ma'am". As a little kid in the front seat, and not able to see the hood of the car, the attendant would carefully hand wash, dry and polish each square inch of the front glass with blue paper towels, even to the extreme edges - not a streak anywhere!!!

Great visit down memory lane!

My first job in high school was as a part-time pump jockey at my neighborhood Gulf Station. I'd walk there after school every day and worked a few hours on Saturdays. We had two full-service bays. The spending money was great. I still miss real service stations.

Where I grew up, every station seemed to have a dog. They varied widely in temperament, but were usually German Shepherds. The DX station in town had a lovable, lazy lump named Butch who was always begging for snacks, while the Standard station had a rather sullen German Shepherd named Rocky, who us kids were warned not to disturb.

@ggeemmiinnii

8 ай бұрын

The one full service station (Heinze's, which eventually turned into RPC Motors) in the small midwestern town I grew up in didnt have a dog...but they did have a bear. A real, live black bear. In a cage, right next to the garage portion of the station. That's nuts. I remember her name was Molly. I wonder whatever happened to her...I should ask my folks if they know. They also had a 'nudie calendar' on the wall behind the cash register, in full view. I always felt something akin to embarrassment standing at the register while my mom or dad paid for bait because of that damn calendar. There was a guy named Dan who worked there who let me stick my hand in the minnow tank. Don't ask me why I liked to do that as a kid, I have no clue. Good memories lol

There was a Shell station in my neighborhood. My folks would always go there. Art, the owner, would always whistle while he pumped gas, checked the oil, and cleaned the windshield. Like others have said, we would go there and use the air pump for our bike tires. They had the non-digital gas pumps with the rotating dials. This channel sure brings back memories. Thanks for the trip back in time.

I used to Love seeing the guys who pumped our gas when I was a kid. They seemed like family.

@glennso47

Жыл бұрын

At one station it was family. My dad worked at a station.

@BeingMe23

Жыл бұрын

There still are service stations around but very few.

@dane-my1qo

Жыл бұрын

Your right they did seem like family I miss that

@TBaker-xu5is

Жыл бұрын

@@glennso47 In my case it was my uncle. 😊

@saminaneen

Жыл бұрын

@@dane-my1qo I just miss, the REAL times, when boys, were REALLY boys, and girls were REALLY girls, and there was no confusion, or mental illness, when it came to using public bathroom.

Fond memories from late 80s. Every Saturday after my cartoons my dad and I pulling into a 76 station with the giant rotating ball sign for a tank of gas and full service detail. I looked forward to my rocky road candy bar.

I worked as a gas jockey years ago in a little town. We pumped the gas, checked the oil, and cleaned the windshield. The owner's son did mechanic and tire work in the bay. At Christmas time, they would get in all kinds of special items so that people could do their Christmas shopping right there at the service station.

I love the feelings of nostalgia these videos bring! Thank you for sharing!

Brought back memories. I was also a time when kids could ride a bike up to the gas station without helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and chest protector.

@HozelRocket

Жыл бұрын

I had more iron-on knee patches on my levis, than you could shake a stick at.

@markhealey9409

Жыл бұрын

We used to pump our bicycle tyres up at the gas station for free...now you're not allowed to,even though you have to pay to use the air pump! Must be too dangerous....you'll put too much air in the bike tyre & it will blow in your face and injure or kill you!🙄🙄😂😂

@comsartoo1722

Жыл бұрын

Where I live the kid still ride bikes without helmets of any of that gear. It's safe for them to ride around by themselves.

I remember most of those things as well as seeing beach balls strung outside in the summertime and remember getting at least one. Also, in the late 1960s one station gave out small presidents figurines to collect (I still have the two we got). Loved to watch the uniformed attendant expertly clean the front windshield and back window and check the oil.

I worked at a Standard Gas Station in 1977 Minot, N.Dakota. Not quite 21 yrs old, so it was a really cool job with lots of 'perks'. Drove my 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner to work everyday. Still, today in 2023, I have a '69 Plymouth Roadrunner.

@timclemann2318

11 ай бұрын

Yes. I remember those days. Take your pick between girl friend and muscle car. Couldn't afford both.

@ws678ta

11 ай бұрын

@@timclemann2318 Guess which one I chose....Mopars

@timclemann2318

11 ай бұрын

Well I chose girl friend who became my wife for 50 years. She let me buy a 2015 Mustang GT. I sure love those 69 Roadrunners.

@ws678ta

10 ай бұрын

@@timclemann2318 Most importantly...you found her....

You could bring your bicycle to a service station and they would fix flats for free. In 1972 when I was 11 y/o my dad and I were on a road trip in our 1964 Thunderbird when a bolt holding the adjustment for the power steering broke. The car lost all power assist. We pulled into a small town "Service station" and the mechanic jumped right on it. He had to drain the coolant and remove that hot radiator in triple digit heat so that he could extract the broken bolt and replace it. It took many hours in part because he had to keep stopping and filling people's tanks. When he got done, he charged my dad $6.40. Yes, that was super cheap even back then.

STILL HAVE AN OLD SCHOOL GAS STATION IN TOWN. THEY STILL PUMP GAS AS WELL. 😎🎸

So many if those service station guys were friendly and personable. Once in a blue moon, you'd get a lazy guy or sour puss who dogged it and took forever to come out to the pump! Dad, a Marine Gunnery Sergeant then, would give them a piece of his mind and they hopped to it. He got a job working in an AMERICAN (Standard) gas station after he retired from the Marine Corps. My siblings and I would stop by the station to get change (50 cents a piece) from him for the admission to the community pool that was close by. Great memories!

So many great memories hanging around the local Sunoco late 60’s early 70’s. This video captures the era.

We used to ride our bikes down to the local service station to fill our tires with air. I feel very blessed to have grown up in those wonderful years when kids respected their elders and courtesy was expected.....and EVERYONE stood up and saluted the flag when it went by in the town parade. No age is ever perfect....because along with that there was Vietnam and DDT insecticides and other stuff.....but I'm sure glad I grew up THEN rather than NOW !

@olegoat1110

Жыл бұрын

Amen!!

@ssllsg9439

Жыл бұрын

' No age is ever perfect....because along with that there was Vietnam and DDT insecticides and other stuff.....but I'm sure glad I grew up THEN rather than NOW !' yeah. you forgot the systemic racism,racial discrimination and sexism. you dont like being reminded of that,eh? seems to me,that 'precious' time of yours are riddled with horrible things,and yet,here you are,claiming that those are the good days? LOL!

My grandfather ran his own gas station from the 50s to the mid 80s. I have wonderful memories of going there as a kid. He had an old coke machine similar to the one shown in this video. He wore a uniform everyday and he and my great uncle worked on cars as well. For a while he sold Flying A gas and I remember being given a Axelrod bank. For those of you who may not know, Axelrod was a Bassett hound and the Flying A mascot. I'm now 59 years old and I still have that bank on my dresser in my bedroom.

@marknewton6984

8 ай бұрын

Remember free maps?

The last full service gas station in our town was in 1990-1991.

No, you pretty much nailed it. Being born in 1961 I remember it well and even worked at a couple of them and witnessed the end of them

One of my first jobs was working at a Texaco... I'd pump gas, clean windshields, check wipers, oil level and tire pressure, coolant level.... and this was the 80's...nowadays I don't think many people would know how to check these things

I remember the "gas price wars" that would go on between competing stations. Just about every major intersection had one on each corner, and they would entice people with free placemats, coffee mugs and other freebies in addition to cutting the price per gallon. Sinclair, Gulf, Mobile and Texaco stations all had attendants who would check fluids, tires, and wash the windshield.

@sharky7665

Жыл бұрын

I remember a grand opening of a gas station around 1963-64 in KC Mo that gave away free gas for 24 hours before grand opening to get the people’s attention.

Grew up with a kid whose dad owned the last full-service "filling station" in my small Missouri hometown (a Phillips 66 station.) He kept it full-service up until he retired and sold the building, well into the 2000s.

What I love about this channel is that you describe it as if it was ancient Greece.

I worked in a service station because not only gas, we did repair vehicles. Most of your memories are correct. I graduated from service station work in 1976. Yes I was a pump jockey or grease monkey for a few years. Brings back fond memories.

I remember going into gas station rest rooms and trust me, the vast majority were far from clean and well equipped! Toxic waste zones for the most part! Whew, I cannot forget the aroma.

@alanhumphrey4198

Жыл бұрын

One thing I remember about a lot of service station restrooms, when you washed your hands they had a cloth towel machine that you pulled down a ways to get a clean section to use to dry hands with.😊😊

@BubbafromSapperton

Жыл бұрын

Traveling salesman were responsible for that smell, not truckers!

@alanhumphrey4198

Жыл бұрын

@@BubbafromSapperton Seems like in most service station restrooms I mainly remember the smell of grease!!!

@arise2945

Жыл бұрын

I remember a road trip with my grandparents in the 70s. They favored Phillips 66 and had a credit card although it was rarely used. On that trip they did use the card and I recall my grandmother later circling one particular transaction on the monthly statement and writing in large letters, 'filthy toilet'. I would like to think that actually got some attention back then in the early 70s.

This video brings back fond memories of my days as a service station attendant in the 90's. I worked at Hess and remember checking people's oil etc. There's a station near my house now that still pumps your gas for you, and the old timer that works there will even check your oil if you ask nicely 😂

@douglas_drew

Жыл бұрын

el hombre bilingue • My Father-in-law (r.i.p.) used to buy the latest Hess toy truck for my sons at Christmas. We still have a nice collection to remember him by.

@steventheabcandsometimesd6865

Жыл бұрын

That reminds me of moving to Fresno I. 1972. I worked at a Chevron station right off the freeway. We had to check the oil and air filter, air the tires, and wash all the windows with a squeegee. That was the worst because the bugs were very thick on the windshield. I wondered how they could drive with it so thick. Kind of like driving in the tulle fog that was so bad, you had to drive 25 miles per hour on the freeway and still be afraid you might hit someone in front of you.

I remember when nothing was open on Sunday. Then, when gas stations opened on Sunday, then restaurants opened too. Finally everything opened on Sunday.

When I was fresh out of high school in 1995 my first job was working as an attendant at a Glider Oil gas station. I had the big wad of cash for making change and I filled cars and trucks with gas. We would only check the vehicles fluids if specifically asked but I would usually wash the windows while the gas was pumping. I got pretty good at juggling filling 4 vehicles by myself all at the same time for different amounts. Some wanted a fill up, some wanted $20 worth, or $10 or $15. I had to keep track of which was which and bounce back and forth between them so none of them waited very long. Made good money in tips too, especially around Christmas.

I grew up in the 70s and, I can remember gas only a few cents a gallon till it eventually it got up to 35 cents, then, 75 cents and, next thing you know it was like a $1.25 a gallon by around 78 or 79! Then, we collected cups and cookie jars of one of our favorite cartoons that me and, my brother watched every Saturday morning. The caveman, one was named Grump and, my dad drank coffee out of the cup all the time that he had gotten from the gas station.