It was the year 1976, the place was Milton, Florida, a small semi-rural community on the Florida peninsula, not far from Pensacola, where I had grown up. He had recently returned to Northwest Florida, after working as an accountant for the Florida State Department of Education in Tallahassee and Sarasota, to fill the position of Business Manager for the Santa Rosa County Mental Health Clinic.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was standing outside Red’s gas station on one of the street corners in Milton (you remember gas stations, right?) While they were putting a set of tires on my car. I did much of my car maintenance at Red’s, frequently buying gas and having my oil changed there. He was a nice guy, his prices were reasonable and the service excellent.
As he used to do with his clients, Red went out and visited them for a couple of minutes. He had been observing the activity in two of the other corners and reflecting on the changes that were taking place. I asked Red if the two new convenience stores with self-service gas pumps had hurt his business badly. I was surprised to hear him say that they hadn’t. In the few minutes I was there, I had seen multiple cars enter and exit the self-drive setups, while only a few cars had entered Red’s.
When I said this to Red, he laughed a bit and acknowledged that he wasn’t selling as much gasoline as he used to, but his business had improved in repairs, oil changes, tire sales, radiator repair, etc. U.S. He pointed to a lady who had just refueled her car across the street and was driving away.
He said, “Actually, I’m doing more business now than before, now that these self-service stations have become so popular. Take that woman, for example. She put gas in her car, but didn’t check the oil, radiator or the tires “.
He went on to explain that when a customer filled their own tank, they rarely checked any of those items or even checked the car for potential defects or breakdowns, such as frayed belts or leaking hoses. Neglecting simple items like these often led to costly later repairs. Not only that, not keeping the car tuned regularly and doing such simple things as putting air in the tires when necessary could decrease fuel economy. Not keeping the tires properly inflated led to much faster wear and, he noted, as self-service stations had become popular, he was selling more tires than ever.
He went on to mention that he and his mechanics got to know their regulars, checking all these points for them, showing them the wear on the belts, for example, or filling the battery or radiator when they ran out, and reminding them of the need for events of upcoming maintenance, such as periodic oil changes.
I certainly could understand those points. As a child, my father always drove the family car to Mr. Allday’s neat oil station on Navy Boulevard in Warrington, Florida. The ritual was always the same. My dad was getting out of the car when Skippie or Slim or Mr. Allday himself approached the car. I could almost sing the chorus. If my father didn’t get to say it first, Skippie or Slim would say it for him: “See for yourself, Mr. Baldwin? You have 28 on your tires, right?” Then they would open the hood, check the battery, radiator, belts, hoses, air filter, and after that they would check the tire pressure and fill any that started to go down a bit. They, as Red said, would either remind my dad that he was coming in due to an oil change or point out that a tire was showing a bit of wear and tear and might need to be replaced, “… not right now, but you’ll need to take care of it in some weeks “.
You know, it’s kind of funny, but after several years, when Mr. Allday decided to buy a Texaco station down the road, my dad and several other customers who had sworn to Pure Oil suddenly changed their allegiance to Texaco and became customers. regulars of Mr New Allday station.
I learned a couple of lessons from this. For one thing, I’ve always tried to keep track of my car’s maintenance, schedule oil changes, check belts and hoses, and keep my tires properly inflated. This has helped me with my fuel economy, it has saved me money on tires and probably a lot of money on repairs.
When I went out into the real world of work and business, I always tried to anticipate what I had to do to help my clients, employers, or coworkers. Anticipating your needs, or mine, could often prevent a small or potential problem from becoming a big problem.
It’s gotten hard to find a good “gas station” attitude these days. Whether you go to a restaurant, a bookstore, a department store, or a hardware store, you seem to find those who want you to “serve yourself.” When I CAN find an employee and ask a question about the use or efficacy of a product, for example, I often find myself with a blank stare or have to hear answers that have nothing to do with my question. By the way, when I find that gem, the person who knows what he is talking about and is willing to provide “service”, I almost always look for the manager and let him know how pleased I was.
With that said, here is my kind reminder. I’m not there to do it for you, so next time you fill up your tank, pop the hood, look underneath, put the gauge on your tires, and try to remember the last time your oil was changed. . You remember the last time your oil was changed, don’t you?
