Larry,
I started driving in 1957 on my 15th birthday (actually somewhat before that
but legally in 1957) and the price of gas was 20 to 25 cents per galleon.
The difference between then and now is that then there were actually
different petroleum companies who competed with each other and many, if not
most of the service stations when not company owned. Now, that is not at
all the case, the company stations force out the few remaining private
owners and the gasoline that we buy under fewer and fewer different brand
names comes out of the same barrel. OPEC isn't the only one who is
controlling prices or trying to, how about Shell buying out Texaco or should
I say Chevron/Texaco. You and I don't stand a chance at getting anything
but corporate controlled gasoline prices at the pump. The fact that
gasoline prices are pretty cheap in the U.S. compared to prices in Europe
and elsewhere doesn't alter the fact that we are getting gouged each time
there is any pretence of international crises.
Sorry about the rant.
Dave 72 B
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry list account" <list@marketvalue.net>
To: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 9:44 AM
Subject: RE: Petrol Pricing (and Gas Wars) a little reminiscing ...
When I was a small boy, my grandfather sold gasoline in southern California,
during "gas wars" his prices often went as low as the taxes he had to
collect. In other words, he was giving the gas away. What was the tax?
Around $.05USD as I recall.
As far as those gas wars go, my grandfather had a competitor on every corner
of a major intersection. The prices typically fell a couple of cents, or
so, about every 30-120 minutes. Around and around, first one then another.
The only way it stopped was when the stations closed for the evening, or one
of the station owners decided he'd had enough. When one had had enough the
prices began to rise, you guessed it, around and around, first one then
another.....
In 1957, at the age of 7 it was felt I was old enough to hang around Papa's
station on the weekends, yes I even had my little Union 76 service station
outfit, the one with the little US Army style cap and all. I'd fuel cars,
check air pressure, and oil, and with the help of a ladder wash windows.
Can you imagine that happening in today's world? Not hardly. Those were
the days that the customer drove up to the pumps and said hi to the owner by
his first name. And in turn the owner knew his regular customers by their
first name.
Although some of the customers paid cash, and some used their new Union 76
gasoline credit cards; Many had an open account. they just put there
purchase on a ledger and about every month settled the bill with my grandpa.
Yes, a bygone era.
Enough reminiscing...
Larry Hoy
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