Muscle Mail
Servo assist
While reading Luke West’s editorial regarding the disappearing service stations in AMC issue #111, I was reminded of two articles I came across while undertaking research.
In Wheels September 1959, a feature appeared titled: Special Report: Service Stations:Temples of Monetary Plenty? Don’t be misled by stories of woe. Service stations are doing well. In fact, everyone in the petrol industry is doing well.
The story revolved around the petrol companies buying up prime residential sites (preferably on a corner) and building those new, at -roofed, bro affairs with a small service bay, a few bowsers selling premium and standard grade fuels, wire racks of oil bottles and the service station attendant dressed in a ne uniform. However, the article said the problem was, there were too many and the oil companies were competing against each other for prime real estate. Then they put a franchisee into the site and in many cases, they struggled to survive.
The following edition contained a follow-up. Service Stations: Riches or Ruins? When we were digging through the facts for last month’s story, we came across so much vital material connected with petrol and its sale that we just kept on digging.
There were stories of hardship and other (anonymous) franchisees or owners who were making a fortune. One bragged about how much money he was making:
His staff consists of himself, a girl in the office (the latest innovation), two mechanics and three or four casual employees who help out on the pumps at busy periods.
His rent is $65/week. In a couple of years, for a man who started off with $800, he hasn’t done too badly. His turnover for the nancial year (June 1959) was $119,958. He said “I’m making more money than the Managing Director of the oil company which owns this place”.
It was argued that there were not too many service stations. I wonder if the situation was really that there were too many oil companies. Where are AMPOL, Golden Fleece, Total, ESSO/Atlantic, Fleetwing and AMOCO?
Modern cars require less frequent servicing, enjoy better fuel economy and more car owners have their extended warranty service undertaken by the dealership which sold the car. Ironically, the service stations have now become the corner store that sells petrol. Those service stations of today, while fewer in number, killed off the corner store and seriously impacted on the small take-away food stores.
Ah for the return of the good old days…
Ken Marsh email