Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know some gas station owners and the C-store makes MUCH more than a garage. One example mentioned was a garage can rent for about $6K/month whereas the C-store will bring in over $20K after employee costs.
Its started I believe with the three years warranty sold with cars. It also became more common to cut cost by having self serve at stations. Most of the trends were in fact stations cutting cost to stay in business. After all if you maintain a mechanic you need to keep him busy to make a profit off repairs. It takes a lot more equipment more and more to do much in auto repairs these days and technical training more. Flats were part of sales of tires often bought at stations in past; but tire shops replaced and flats are profitable to fix. Also people use to wait better than now and they just will rarely get gas without large number of pups with no to little waiting. Life is just more fast track today .
that is that good old fashion high octane leaded gas where $2 bucks get you a full tank a couple of Hotdog's or a cheeseburger , Fries, Nacho's and cheese and a large glass bottle Coke-a-Cola plus a Carton of Cigarettes and you still get some change back
that is that good old fashion high octane leaded gas where $2 bucks get you a full tank a couple of Hotdog's or a cheeseburger , Fries, Nacho's and cheese and a large glass bottle Coke-a-Cola plus a Carton of Cigarettes and you still get some change back
I am slobbering all over myself. I know it is the conventional wisdom that those days are gone but I love to see an enterprising gas station replicate that scene. If people pay $5 for a cup of coffee, they would pay for service like that. Can you imagine having one of those in town? I think a quarter a gallon would pay for all of it.
When I was growing up back in the '80's, my family used to take their car for service to a reliable mechanic - who literally ran his "garage" out of his actual home garage. They swore by him, felt he did good work, didn't try to rip people off, etc. Unfortunately, he was closed down several years later - apparently his neighbors complained due to the "traffic" his business was generating in the neighborhood.
I can't imagine something like this happening today - unless it was in an out of the way rural area where your closest neighbor was miles away....
Last edited by The Big Lebowski Dude; 05-05-2015 at 12:57 PM..
We have an operating gas station with a service garage about a mile down the street on a busy corner. They have 3 service bays with garage doors, which they close each evening. There are 2 sets of gas pumps, facing each corner. The owner himself talks to you about repairs needed, and he has an ASE Mechanic who does the complicated stuff, as well as a couple of young fellows who can take care of simpler jobs. To supplement income, he sells an occasional car or truck, which he parks on the corner, with the price written on the windshield, and likely advertised on Craig's List too. Also on the premises, a few U-Haul trailers and small moving trucks for rent. They do a great business with returning customers who live right in the neighborhood. And it is pretty darn hard to get in on a Saturday without an appointment! But they will try to service their customers. The interior of the station is very tiny, and they sell just the usual items one can always find in a typical gas station: candy bars, water bottles, soda pop, tires.... It's a dying breed ---but Hubby and I are glad it is still operating!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
