Not Car Specific, But: Anyone Remember . . ..

[msmitka]

The hoses surrounding gas station pumps that would "ding" as you drove up for gas?

Or, getting a free tiger tail at the Esso station (now Exxon)?

Getting S&H Green Stamps with a fill-up?

[craigq]

The hoses surrounding gas station pumps that would "ding" as you drove up for gas?

Or, getting a free tiger tail at the Esso station (now Exxon)?

Getting S&H Green Stamps with a fill-up?

Some of the smaller independent gas stations around here still have the hose that "dings" as one drives over it; I don't recall any of the "majors" having them though...

[SailDesign]

Definitely remember those. Especially that my mother always gave my BROTHER the tiger tails....... :smile:

[msmitka]

Some of the smaller independent gas stations around here still have the hose that "dings" as one drives over it; I don't recall any of the "majors" having them though...

Wow, I can't remember seeing those things for a whole lot of years.That's pretty cool!

[gonzo452001]

I remember the dingers went away with self service.I remember when I was a kid going to the gulf station and getting those orange foam attenna toppers

[msmitka]

Definitely remember those. Especially that my mother always gave my BROTHER the tiger tails....... :smile:

Haha, that's just not right! I also recall Arco stations (I think) giving out the red antenna balls. The crazy thing was that *every* car had one, so it wasn't much help finding your car in a parking lot. :)

[BLH]

I live in a rural town with no self service gas stations. The Local ones both have the hoses that ding a bell inside.

[BailOut]

I remember getting the 2-inch long Tootsie Rolls for a penny at the gas station where my Mother usually filled up.

[Shroomster]

pic of tigtertails or explaination?

[Phaeton]

Oregon probably still has them, since you can't pump your own gas in that state.

[Altitude]

Tiger tails were stuffed animal tails that you would hang out of your gas filler door. Went along with the Exxon "tiger in your tank" promo.

Gas stations used to run all sorts of promos. Toy trucks, cars, dinosaurs. I remember them all very well.

Haven't heard the gas station 'ding' in eons!!

[msmitka]

Tiger tails were stuffed animal tails that you would hang out of your gas filler door. Went along with the Exxon "tiger in your tank" promo.

Gas stations used to run all sorts of promos. Toy trucks, cars, dinosaurs. I remember them all very well.

Haven't heard the gas station 'ding' in eons!!

You might also remember the classic Candid Camera episode in which the attendant, while checking the driver's oil, pulled out a seemingly endless dipstick. :)

[andaconda]

the old jungle:
"ENCO sign means happy motoring."
And the gold plated silverware - one place setting per fill up. Still have them today and use them on special occasions.

[kustom play]

i remember not to long ago in Rochester NY, the small villages would have small gas stations with the small service stations. they would have the little ding and somebody would come out to say hi

im not old enough to remember the days where they would come out and check your oil and air but i could picture it being a cool thing to do

[RedRide]

The hoses surrounding gas station pumps that would "ding" as you drove up for gas?

Or, getting a free tiger tail at the Esso station (now Exxon)?

Getting S&H Green Stamps with a fill-up?

Yes, I am quite old enought to remember that and more.

Sadly, gas stations are no longer auto repair shops and do not need the signal hose for self service.

[msmitka]

Yes, I am quite old enought to remember that and more.

Sadly, gas stations are no longer auto repair shops and do not need the signal hose for self service.

It is sad. Even stations that weren't repair shops, were still full service gas stations. They'd wash your windshield, check the oil, pump your gas, and they usually knew something about cars. Self serve, the generally low maintenance cars, and the faster pace of life in general, have made such places (and those jobs) obsolete. Thinking back to some of the older cars, often it was a challenge just finding where the gas cap was located. Behind the license plate? A hinged tail-fin? :)

[TLyttle]

I am convinced that self-serve did a lot of damage to society. A kid who was interested in cars not only learned about cars, but also met his neighbours. Checking oil, tires, doing windshields, all the things needed to educate them. Wrong move, getting rid of full service!

I do remember an episode of Candid Camera where they put a 50 gallon tank into a Renault or some other small vehicle, and recorded the expressions of the gas jockeys; hilarious...

[Bob Dog]

There was 39 cent a gallon Exxon gas (Esso at the time), and a stuffed tiger tail hanging out from under the gas cap of our 65' Mustang. Ypu would get one with a fill up of premium gas. I built an AMT (my favorite brand of model cars) model that exactly matched the one my folks had. My grandfather had owned a service station and complained every time that the service wasn't to his exact liking. They also gave away glasses with a portrait of the tiger on them. He was a close, though slightly more natural looking cousin to Tony the tiger.

[Kioshi]

i still have the 76 oil tanker truck from them...brings back memories....

[enobmort42]

i remember when subway had the stamp promo... get enough stamps and you got a free sub. oh, those were the good days :p

[Yar Is Word]

"You can trust your car to the man who wears the star..."

[Thirty-Nine]

I hear it all the time! The Shell station around the corner still has one of these.

[msmitka]

I am convinced that self-serve did a lot of damage to society. A kid who was interested in cars not only learned about cars, but also met his neighbours. Checking oil, tires, doing windshields, all the things needed to educate them. Wrong move, getting rid of full service!

I do remember an episode of Candid Camera where they put a 50 gallon tank into a Renault or some other small vehicle, and recorded the expressions of the gas jockeys; hilarious...

For those of us that were around (at least in PA) for full service, I recall the promise was of cheaper gas. My neighbors in Jersey, where I believe they still have full service, don't pay any more for gas than we do here, and in fact, gas might be cheaper (not sure though - I haven't crossed over to NJ recently). Still for the sake of a few pennies, you're absolutely right.

[msmitka]

"You can trust your car to the man who wears the star..."

I remember the slogan, and the service, but I'm not quite old enough to remember seeing the team of people come running out to the car. Wasn't it almost a sort of "pit stop" situation? One guy would do the windows, one would pump the gas, and another would check the oil?

[msmitka]

And, along the same lines, I remember heading up to the neighborhood gas station for a soda, when the bottles had a deposit on them. You put your dime (yes, a whole 10 cents) into the machine, cranked the handle, and then drank your soda there, lest the attendant would come chasing after you for taking the bottle. :)

[bobselectric]

I remember getting all kinds of NFL swag (cards, glasses, mini helmets, etc.) from the gas station when I was a kid. I can also remember gas being like 50 cents a gallon, although 99 cents was the cheapest I ever paid. I also remember the gas lines and rationing of the early 70's, odd/even purchase days, illegal siphoning, "new" locking gas caps. Fist fights, stabbings and shootings were common, especially in the city, on gas lines.

[TLyttle]

Hm. I pumped (and burned) 26c/gal gasoline. I remember bulk oil, as most of my cars used as much oil as gasoline! I also got to sweep out the service bays, and wash parts for 25c/hr, but only if the owner could afford it; didn't matter, I worked anyway, learning what I could.

In the 60s, we burned 103 octane; seems to me that only high-octane fuel available is at the airport, and illegal for the road...

[tomato]

I do remember an episode of Candid Camera where they put a 50 gallon tank into a Renault or some other small vehicle, and recorded the expressions of the gas jockeys; hilarious...

Hahahaha!!! :clap:

[msmitka]

Hm. I pumped (and burned) 26c/gal gasoline. I remember bulk oil, as most of my cars used as much oil as gasoline! I also got to sweep out the service bays, and wash parts for 25c/hr, but only if the owner could afford it; didn't matter, I worked anyway, learning what I could.

In the 60s, we burned 103 octane; seems to me that only high-octane fuel available is at the airport, and illegal for the road...

50c/gal is about as low as I recall putting in my car, but I certainly remember seeing 29.9 gas prices on signs.

I remember cruising the local town, and periodically stopping in for 50 cents worth of gas at the Sunoco station.

I also remember, during the "gas crisis", when some stations converted to price per liter, as they weren't able to get their pumps upgraded quickly enough to charge over $1/gallon. What a fiasco that whole thing was.

[bobselectric]

Hm. I pumped (and burned) 26c/gal gasoline. I remember bulk oil, as most of my cars used as much oil as gasoline! I also got to sweep out the service bays, and wash parts for 25c/hr, but only if the owner could afford it; didn't matter, I worked anyway, learning what I could.

In the 60s, we burned 103 octane; seems to me that only high-octane fuel available is at the airport, and illegal for the road...

We had a Mom & Pop station that was affiliated with Shell, but not a Shell station that used to sell racing fuel that was 104 octane

[TLyttle]

Hahaa! 50 cents worth of gasoline was a quarter tank on my first car (which will remain anonymous), then I went to Morris Minors and it was impossible to put $2 in. What a shock when I bought my first V8!!!