Havent seen it mentioned before, so might as well start it! Canal was a service station chain in Louisiana, with only one left in operation (in Krotz Springs). There was also an Esso station in downtown Pineville, Louisiana operating until at least 2006. Any other examples of chains downsized to only a few remaining stations?
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
I am surprised that one particular Esso was not rebranded. Most US Esso stations became Exxons in 1973.
in Canada, the Esso brand persists.
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil. I just noted one in Socorro, NM and found it unusual.
on a related note, I believe there is one Standard station for every state in which Chevron operates, just to assert the brand and prevent trademark protection from being lost.
Amoco is another tough one to find these days, as they are being rebranded BP. I wonder if there is a Chevron/Standard thing going on with that brand.
Quote from: Kacie Jane on August 27, 2012, 03:27:36 PM
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
I feel like they're still plenty common in Wyoming. but I haven't exhaustively explored that state since 2010.
Come to think of it, there is also a Stuckey's in Lebeau, LA. These stations are in the most random small towns too, maybe it's part of a marketing strategy.
I can still remember a Phillips 66 station in Alexandria though. Renamed to a Texaco, but it still has the full service pumps.
Quote from: Kacie Jane on August 27, 2012, 03:27:36 PM
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
There are Sinclairs scattered all over the western states -- I've seen them as far east as North Dakota and Oklahoma, as well as in Cascade, Idaho (where I am right now). But they do seem to be in smaller towns. Sinclair is one of my least favorite gas chains, and my guess is they can't compete in larger markets with more competitors.
Quote from: agentsteel53
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil. I just noted one in Socorro, NM and found it unusual.
Still lots of Exxon's out here. All Jersey Mobils though were converted to Lukoils, including the one in my borough.
Quote from: Roadgeek Adam on August 27, 2012, 07:29:56 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil. I just noted one in Socorro, NM and found it unusual.
Still lots of Exxon's out here. All Jersey Mobils though were converted to Lukoils, including the one in my borough.
Exxon was a rare bird in Illinois, thus there was no need to convert one or the other (Mobil) to something else.
A lot of these remnants (Esso, Amoco, etc) are so the oil company can retain a trademark in an area.
Quote from: Kacie Jane on August 27, 2012, 03:27:36 PM
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
Sinclair was once common in the mid-Atlantic states (in the 1960's). At the time, Sinclair decided to withdraw from the East, all of its stations became an (early) version (for the U.S.) of BP.
Yeah, I looked it up on Wikipedia. Looks like it was bought by ARCO, and then spun back off -- turning it into a regional chain in a region I rarely travel to. Which explains why I thought it was rarer than it is.
Still rarer than it once was, but probably not what this thread is looking for.
I know of a Pure station in western Petersburg. When I drove through the town of Cartersville in January I saw an Amoco that looked semi-functional.
Quote from: oscar on August 27, 2012, 07:28:01 PM
Quote from: Kacie Jane on August 27, 2012, 03:27:36 PM
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
There are Sinclairs scattered all over the western states -- I've seen them as far east as North Dakota and Oklahoma, as well as in Cascade, Idaho (where I am right now). But they do seem to be in smaller towns. Sinclair is one of my least favorite gas chains, and my guess is they can't compete in larger markets with more competitors.
There are Sinclairs in Nebraska, but mostly in small towns. We still do have a few in Lincoln though.
I saw an Amoco station just off an exit on I-40 in Tennessee over the weekend and was quite shocked. I haven't seen an Amoco station in any state in years prior to this. At first I thought that it was closed down, but the big sign that one can see from I-40 was never taken down. I was kind of shocked as we passed and saw it was indeed open for business, as people were at the pumps filling vehicles.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 27, 2012, 03:33:52 PM
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil. m being lost.
Is this related to the bad publicity lingering from teh Exxon Valdez?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 27, 2012, 03:33:52 PM
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil.
The opposite happened here. I saw a Mobil in Richmond earlier this year and found
it unusual.
Quote from: Takumi on August 28, 2012, 10:21:18 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 27, 2012, 03:33:52 PM
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil.
The opposite happened here. I saw a Mobil in Richmond earlier this year and found it unusual.
That's been happening in Maryland as well. All of the Mobils went away, but now some stations that were other brands have suddenly become Mobil for reasons not clear to me.
Well that's strange.. We have an Exxon and Mobil across the highway from each other at I-49 Exit 90. Mobil is often seen as an On The Run, with Exxon being a Cracker Barrel Conv. Store. I find it unusual to see people only having Exxon OR Mobil.
Quote from: Takumi on August 27, 2012, 11:54:43 PM
I know of a Pure station in western Petersburg.
I know of several independent stations in Middle TN (Franklin and Nashville) that have been branded Pure in the last year or so.
The are still a few Phillips 66 around here but Texaco is pretty much gone.
Quote from: mightyace on August 28, 2012, 07:09:52 PM
Quote from: Takumi on August 27, 2012, 11:54:43 PM
I know of a Pure station in western Petersburg.
I know of several independent stations in Middle TN (Franklin and Nashville) that have been branded Pure in the last year or so.
The are still a few Phillips 66 around here but Texaco is pretty much gone.
In the Mid-Atlantic, Texaco went away at the same time that Chevron (again!) decided to pull out of this market.
Exxon has a very large presence in Texas.
There's a huge Sinclair truck stop in Cameron, Missouri, pretty well known for travellers between KC and Des Moines.
The station that has disappeared from my radar is Sunoco. Where are all the Sunoco station?
Quote from: kphoger on August 28, 2012, 10:10:35 PM
Exxon has a very large presence in Texas.
There's a huge Sinclair truck stop in Cameron, Missouri, pretty well known for travellers between KC and Des Moines.
The station that has disappeared from my radar is Sunoco. Where are all the Sunoco station?
Sunoco has become ever more common in Maryland and Virginia. At least some stations that were once Mobil became Sunoco after the Exxon/Mobil merger.
And Sunoco has the gas station concession contracts on the Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware Turnpikes (there's only one service plaza on the very short Delaware Pike), and nearly all of the stations on the Garden State Parkway.
There's a Sinclair in Broken Arrow, right off OK 51. Not sure if there are any others, but this one is a really nice store.
Most of the Chevrons in my general area became Gulfs when Chevron left the Mid-Atlantic. The one closest to me became an Exxon, but the Gulfs are the first in the area in my lifetime. Interestingly, I think that when Gulf mostly disappeared in the 1980s, Chevron had assimilated it.
Quote from: Takumi on August 28, 2012, 11:27:34 PM
Most of the Chevrons in my general area became Gulfs when Chevron left the Mid-Atlantic. The one closest to me became an Exxon, but the Gulfs are the first in the area in my lifetime. Interestingly, I think that when Gulf mostly disappeared in the 1980s, Chevron had assimilated it.
Regarding old Gulf stations becoming Chevron in the 1980's, you are correct (at least in Md. and Va.).
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 28, 2012, 10:32:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on August 28, 2012, 10:10:35 PM
The station that has disappeared from my radar is Sunoco. Where are all the Sunoco station?
Sunoco has become ever more common in Maryland and Virginia. At least some stations that were once Mobil became Sunoco after the Exxon/Mobil merger.
And Sunoco has the gas station concession contracts on the Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware Turnpikes (there's only one service plaza on the very short Delaware Pike), and nearly all of the stations on the Garden State Parkway.
Sunoco has made an appearance in eastern Tennessee. I may be mistaken on this but I think I've seen them in western NC and northern GA.
Historically, back in the '60s and '70s they were all up and down the east coast.
Perhaps their resurgence in the south is due to being "The Official Fuel of NASCAR"
Quote from: mightyace on August 29, 2012, 10:43:26 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 28, 2012, 10:32:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on August 28, 2012, 10:10:35 PM
The station that has disappeared from my radar is Sunoco. Where are all the Sunoco station?
Sunoco has become ever more common in Maryland and Virginia. At least some stations that were once Mobil became Sunoco after the Exxon/Mobil merger.
And Sunoco has the gas station concession contracts on the Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware Turnpikes (there's only one service plaza on the very short Delaware Pike), and nearly all of the stations on the Garden State Parkway.
Sunoco has made an appearance in eastern Tennessee. I may be mistaken on this but I think I've seen them in western NC and northern GA.
Historically, back in the '60s and '70s they were all up and down the east coast.
Perhaps their resurgence in the south is due to being "The Official Fuel of NASCAR"
They're also slowly making their way into Alabama. I'm fairly sure the NASCAR connection has something to do with it, but I don't know off-hand which brand they're replacing, or if they're building new. There are a few scattered ones in Birmingham, I think, but I haven't been to one yet.
The major gas stations in Tulsa are:
QT
Kum and Go (seriously)
Shell
Quote from: mcdonaat on August 27, 2012, 02:13:46 PM
Havent seen it mentioned before, so might as well start it! Canal was a service station chain in Louisiana, with only one left in operation (in Krotz Springs). There was also an Esso station in downtown Pineville, Louisiana operating until at least 2006. Any other examples of chains downsized to only a few remaining stations?
Is the Canal still there? I found an abandoned one in Alexandria a couple years ago.
http://gassigns.org/canal.htm
There's a Bayou station in Bunkie, LA that was part of a small chain, but I don't know if there are any others left.
The last original Road Runner is in Idabel, OK
There are 2-3 Delano stations left in Missouri
There is a DX (signed) station in Mulberry, AR.
Quote from: US71 on August 29, 2012, 11:16:34 AM
There is a DX (signed) station in Mulberry, AR.
DX was long ago bought out by Sunoco. (1960s?) I'll bet the station is independent and they didn't bother to replace the old livery. DX, I believe, does not exist as an active brand anymore, and apparently Sunoco is not fighting too hard to maintain their trademark over the new proprietors of that station, as the general public does not know what "DX" means.
there is a DX lollipop sign in Baxter Springs, Kansas on old US 66, but the pumps are abandoned (if not long gone) and the building is now used by a locksmith.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 11:19:40 AM
Quote from: US71 on August 29, 2012, 11:16:34 AM
There is a DX (signed) station in Mulberry, AR.
DX was long ago bought out by Sunoco. (1960s?) I'll bet the station is independent and they didn't bother to replace the old livery. DX, I believe, does not exist as an active brand anymore, and apparently Sunoco is not fighting too hard to maintain their trademark over the new proprietors of that station, as the general public does not know what "DX" means.
there is a DX lollipop sign in Baxter Springs, Kansas on old US 66, but the pumps are abandoned (if not long gone) and the building is now used by a locksmith.
I suspect as much which is why I said "signed" ;) There's another one that's now a repair shop in Henryetta, OK.
DX got bought in 68, but was still branded into the mid 70's, I think. I have a couple 70's maps that are co-branded Sunoco/DX.
Quote from: US71 on August 29, 2012, 11:29:13 AM
DX got bought in 68, but was still branded into the mid 70's, I think. I have a couple 70's maps that are co-branded Sunoco/DX.
I wonder what the name of the station actually is. I'll bet if you get a receipt, it will say something completely different. either that, or Sunoco is really really lazy about checking up on the new owners.
I've seen stations where the old livery can be recognized - for example, the distinct oblong TEXACO lollipop has been repainted with the new station name.
here is an example of an original Texaco hexagon.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fiheartatlas.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F04%2Ftexaco_sign.jpg&hash=5ff2e1b67949dcf8f84a61697b3abe2232f91086)
I cannot find an example offhand of one which was repainted. While I do not have a photo, I do know that the one in Sentinel, AZ on I-8 is like this: old Texaco hexagon but with the new name in plain letters over whitewash.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 11:33:07 AM
I cannot find an example offhand of one which was repainted. While I do not have a photo, I do know that the one in Sentinel, AZ on I-8 is like this: old Texaco hexagon but with the new name in plain letters over whitewash.
There's one not far from me in Sacramento, where Route 16 turns from Folsom Boulevard to Jackson Road:
http://streetview.merchantcircle.com/480X360/4/0/6/2/4454062.JPG
After the ChevronTexaco merger a few years ago, Texaco disappeared from NorCal...but then made a comeback:
- stations that switched on the original transition include one at US 50 Exit 15 in Rancho Cordova, which went Texaco > independent > 76 (and this week has gone from 76 to Chevron!), and one in Daly City on Junipero Serra Boulevard, which went Texaco > 76
- on the other hand, an Arco off of US 50 Exit 13 became Texaco about 2 years ago, and a former Arco that had gone independent in Dixon off of I-80 became Texaco last year.
I also recall a faded Texaco hexagon somewhere on East 14th Street in East Oakland about 4-5 years ago.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 11:33:07 AM
I cannot find an example offhand of one which was repainted. While I do not have a photo, I do know that the one in Sentinel, AZ on I-8 is like this: old Texaco hexagon but with the new name in plain letters over whitewash.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.staticflickr.com%2F2629%2F3964032777_98f1fa7f40_z_d.jpg&hash=ee71ac3575f8453a59ce6bf0f3bf6fae98312984)
Okaton, SD
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.staticflickr.com%2F2051%2F2268504052_9a0f009f8b_z_d.jpg&hash=5986bc8b5e85009846a6a2fbff0ea8da95603837)
Staunton, IL
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.staticflickr.com%2F3070%2F2285230702_3eb4166255_z_d.jpg&hash=884917a3cecaa59994b9d10f7dc3aa0847301437)
Ida, LA
There's a faded wooden Texaco diamond at a long-closed station in Matoaca, VA. I photographed it in 2010, but not sure where the photo's stored.
In the mid 1990s, there was, of all brands, an Agip at the intersection of US 1/301 and secondary route 620 (off I-95 exit 58) in Chesterfield County. Before that, it was a Sunoco and afterward, a Citgo (along with a 7-Eleven/Citgo combo directly across the the street!). Now it's a used car lot. Long story short, was Agip ever a big name in the US? I've never seen one elsewhere.
I vaguely remember seeing an Agip somewhere in the US, but cannot recall. this was in the mid-2000s.
it is definitely popular in Europe, and maybe elsewhere globally as well.
another brand which you will find many of elsewhere, and very few of in the US, is PEMEX. It is Mexico's national monopoly, and is everywhere in that country.
In the US (somewhere around Kansas City, I think), an enterprising pair of businessmen decided to call their gas station PEMEX, as to better attract Mexican immigrants, of which there are a lot in the area.
no word as of now from Real Mexican Pemex's lawyers.
Quote from: Takumi on August 28, 2012, 11:27:34 PM
Interestingly, I think that when Gulf mostly disappeared in the 1980s, Chevron had assimilated it.
In the early-1990s, the BP brand converted almost all the Gulf locations in Florida.
Sunoco appeared "out of nowhere" and has popped up around Florida since the mid-2000s.
Quote from: jwolfer on August 28, 2012, 10:06:23 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 27, 2012, 03:33:52 PM
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil. m being lost.
Is this related to the bad publicity lingering from the Exxon Valdez?
I think that was the case in southern Florida; they essentially "disappeared" from the area by 1994-95, but there's still plenty of Exxon stations in the rest of the state and beyond, to this day. Must have been some sort of other reason.
What happened to Texaco? I rarely see those anymore; they've disappeared from Florida, and I never seem to find them in my travels; maybe the merger with Chevron changed their branding strategy.
(Edit: missed that discussion above.)Quote from: Takumi on August 29, 2012, 12:13:32 PM
In the mid 1990s, there was, of all brands, an Agip at the intersection of US 1/301 and secondary route 620 (off I-95 exit 58) in Chesterfield County...Now it's a used car lot. Long story short, was Agip ever a big name in the US? I've never seen one elsewhere.
I would have driven out of my way to see that! A logo with a two-legged, four-nippled, fire-breathing beast (never mind they were Scuderia Ferrari sponsors for decades) is worth some film...
Quote from: formulanone on August 29, 2012, 12:48:56 PMtwo-legged, four-nippled
I thought that was six legs! the four in the middle slightly smaller to give perspective.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 12:58:03 PM
Quote from: formulanone on August 29, 2012, 12:48:56 PMtwo-legged, four-nippled
I thought that was six legs! the four in the middle slightly smaller to give perspective.
I thought that too...but I'd also heard that it was supposed to be the beast that nursed Remus and Romulus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus), the founders of Rome, which makes more sense (at least from the vague and skewed perspective of mythology).
Quote from: formulanone on August 29, 2012, 01:10:08 PM
I thought that too...but I'd also heard that it was supposed to be the beast that nursed Remus and Romulus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus), the founders of Rome, which makes more sense (at least from the vague and skewed perspective of mythology).
shouldn't that be four legs and two nipples, then?
also, the nipples look like legs.
furthermore, nipples is a funny word. nipples, nipples, nipples.
that concludes my very, very serious logical argument.
in other news: nipples.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2F9%2F99%2FAgip_logo.svg%2F160px-Agip_logo.svg.png&hash=7f0658d0a2e501782bd616f61467e088766f2ba9)
They do look like legs.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 12:42:18 PM
I vaguely remember seeing an Agip somewhere in the US, but cannot recall. this was in the mid-2000s.
There was one for a while at the corner of U.S. 29 (Colesville Road) and Md. 193 (University Boulevard) at Four Corners in Silver Spring, Montgomery County.
This station started out as an Esso, then became Texaco, then Steuart Petroleum and finally Agip. Then the State Highway Administration bought the property as part of an intersection improvement project at that corner and tore the gas station down and removed the tanks.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 12:42:18 PM
it is definitely popular in Europe, and maybe elsewhere globally as well.
I don't know that I have seen one anywhere else.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 12:42:18 PM
another brand which you will find many of elsewhere, and very few of in the US, is PEMEX. It is Mexico's national monopoly, and is everywhere in that country.
In the US (somewhere around Kansas City, I think), an enterprising pair of businessmen decided to call their gas station PEMEX, as to better attract Mexican immigrants, of which there are a lot in the area.
no word as of now from Real Mexican Pemex's lawyers.
I don't think I have ever seen a PEMEX outside of Mexico, though I would much rather patronize PEMEX than Lukoil, but it would seem like a smart move to attract Mexican and Mexican-American customers.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 29, 2012, 03:33:06 PM
I don't know that I have seen one anywhere else.
there's plenty in Hungary. I think I also saw some in Germany and the Netherlands but am not 100% sure.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 29, 2012, 12:42:18 PM
I don't think I have ever seen a PEMEX outside of Mexico, though I would much rather patronize PEMEX than Lukoil, but it would seem like a smart move to attract Mexican and Mexican-American customers.
there aren't any official Pemexes (Pemeces?) outside of Mexico. Just a station that is called Pemex founded by two enterprising Americans in Kansas City. but that's the equivalent of me calling my business Shell. doesn't actually make it one.
Quote from: Takumi on August 29, 2012, 03:16:23 PM
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2F9%2F99%2FAgip_logo.svg%2F160px-Agip_logo.svg.png&hash=7f0658d0a2e501782bd616f61467e088766f2ba9)
They do look like legs.
I hereby propose introducing the word "titlegs" to the common discourse.
suggested use, at least at first: "shaddup, titlegs, you don't know what you're talking about!"
Quote from: Takumi on August 29, 2012, 03:16:23 PM
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2F9%2F99%2FAgip_logo.svg%2F160px-Agip_logo.svg.png&hash=7f0658d0a2e501782bd616f61467e088766f2ba9)
They do look like legs.
I remember hearing a radio ad for them that said "look for the six-legged dog" or somesuch. This was after I came back from two years in Italy where that sign is so common (almost every other gas station there is an Agip) that I never gave the dog's anatomy a second thought.
Fine, those are just mythical city founders having a snack then at the fabulous creature milk bar.
Either that, or I have been inhaling too many petrol fumes.
Quote from: Kacie Jane on August 27, 2012, 03:27:36 PM
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
They are ALL OVER in Idaho (or at least the Boise area). Within two miles from the NNU campus in Nampa, there's at least 4 Sinclair stations I can think of (they are all called "Stinker", but also Sinclair) :P I haven't seen them anywhere else though, can't recall any in OR, WA, or CA.
Quote from: mightyace on August 29, 2012, 10:43:26 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 28, 2012, 10:32:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on August 28, 2012, 10:10:35 PM
The station that has disappeared from my radar is Sunoco. Where are all the Sunoco station?
Sunoco has become ever more common in Maryland and Virginia. At least some stations that were once Mobil became Sunoco after the Exxon/Mobil merger.
And Sunoco has the gas station concession contracts on the Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware Turnpikes (there's only one service plaza on the very short Delaware Pike), and nearly all of the stations on the Garden State Parkway.
Sunoco has made an appearance in eastern Tennessee. I may be mistaken on this but I think I've seen them in western NC and northern GA.
Historically, back in the '60s and '70s they were all up and down the east coast.
Perhaps their resurgence in the south is due to being "The Official Fuel of NASCAR"
You can also find Sunoco stations in metro Birmingham.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 27, 2012, 03:33:52 PM
on a related note, I believe there is one Standard station for every state in which Chevron operates, just to assert the brand and prevent trademark protection from being lost.
I was just in San Francisco and saw one of the Standard stations, which led me to find this:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FACnm5.jpg&hash=3452685c3f4c21749fa4f7921944e8cfc624fc16)
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 27, 2012, 03:33:52 PM
speaking of Exxon, I don't see that brand around as much as I used to. they were mostly rebranded Mobil.
When Exxon and Mobil merged, a number of the Exxon stations in New England were sold to other companies (mostly Gulf), which is why there's a higher percentage of Mobil stations in one given area than there are Exxon stations. If it was a court-mandated thing, it's been applied in an odd way. For example, in the Reading/Stoneham/Wakefield (Massachusetts) area, prior to the merger there were four Mobil stations, two Exxon stations, and three Gulf stations within close proximity (2 miles or under) to each other. The four Mobil stations remain, and there's now four Gulf stations, but there are no longer any Exxon stations (one became Gulf, and one just closed completely).
The most notable West Coast effect of the Exxon/Mobil merger: California Exxon franchisee Valero became an independent gas brand that has expanded quite nicely in the decade or so since.
I never knew that.
I moved to CA in 2004, and thought of Valero as just being a part of the landscape.
I've never noticed a Valero that was hastily rebranded from an Exxon or Mobil; but back in the day I never thought to look, and nowadays the company has had the time and prosperity to put up good examples of their own livery.
Quote from: TheStranger on August 30, 2012, 12:58:36 PM
The most notable West Coast effect of the Exxon/Mobil merger: California Exxon franchisee Valero became an independent gas brand that has expanded quite nicely in the decade or so since.
Valero tried to make some inroads in the Boston area, but never really caught on. The latest "upstart" in eastern Massachusetts I've noticed of late has been Hess, which has built a number of new stations from the ground up (as opposed to taking over another company's ones) in the past couple of years.
Quote from: roadman on August 30, 2012, 01:10:26 PM
Valero tried to make some inroads in the Boston area, but never really caught on. The latest "upstart" in eastern Massachusetts I've noticed of late has been Hess, which has built a number of new stations from the ground up (as opposed to taking over another company's ones) in the past couple of years.
I remember a Hess station about a half-block from where I used to live in Cambridge, MA in 2003-04. (I also remember its $1.55 gas. those were the days!)
I seem to recall Hess in Massachusetts from my childhood, but not as distinctly as I remember it down in Pennsylvania.
Back in Ohio, even though Exxon hasn't been a major factor in over 30 years, many of their trademark "ladder sign" assemblies still remain: <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Painesville,+OH&aq=&sll=38.997934,-105.550567&sspn=4.93428,13.392334&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Painesville,+Lake,+Ohio&ll=41.724488,-81.245657&spn=0.002315,0.006539&t=m&z=14&layer=c&cbll=41.708937,-81.1755&panoid=995NUo0aJp3VOCWS601LCA&cbp=12,314.92,,0,0&output=svembed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Painesville,+OH&aq=&sll=38.997934,-105.550567&sspn=4.93428,13.392334&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Painesville,+Lake,+Ohio&ll=41.724488,-81.245657&spn=0.002315,0.006539&t=m&z=14&layer=c&cbll=41.708937,-81.1755&panoid=995NUo0aJp3VOCWS601LCA&cbp=12,314.92,,0,0" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>
That was a heck of a lot of metal for a simple Exxon sign which would sit on top of that assembly!
Any of these left out there?:
Coastal
Kerr McGee
Quote from: kphoger on August 30, 2012, 02:33:21 PM
Any of these left out there?:
Coastal
Kerr McGee
None that I have seen. The last Coastal I remember was Joplin, MO over 5 years ago. KM, I see an occasional sign, but they are all abandoned
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 30, 2012, 01:09:09 PM
I never knew that.
I moved to CA in 2004, and thought of Valero as just being a part of the landscape.
I've never noticed a Valero that was hastily rebranded from an Exxon or Mobil; but back in the day I never thought to look, and nowadays the company has had the time and prosperity to put up good examples of their own livery.
Many Valero stations I've seen had a past life as another brand - the one nearest to me has architecture and signage suggesting it once was an Arco location. In South San Francisco, a Chevron recently converted to that brand.
Arkansas still has several FINA stations that haven't changed to ALON.
A local brand, Satterfield, just converted to Gulf.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 30, 2012, 01:12:26 PM
Quote from: roadman on August 30, 2012, 01:10:26 PM
Valero tried to make some inroads in the Boston area, but never really caught on. The latest "upstart" in eastern Massachusetts I've noticed of late has been Hess, which has built a number of new stations from the ground up (as opposed to taking over another company's ones) in the past couple of years.
I remember a Hess station about a half-block from where I used to live in Cambridge, MA in 2003-04. (I also remember its $1.55 gas. those were the days!)
I seem to recall Hess in Massachusetts from my childhood, but not as distinctly as I remember it down in Pennsylvania.
Hess has been in the Richmond area as long as I can remember, but there have always been only a few of them. According to their website (hessexpress.com) "there are over 1,300 of them on the East Coast".
Quote from: Takumi on August 30, 2012, 04:31:55 PM
Hess has been in the Richmond area as long as I can remember, but there have always been only a few of them. According to their website (hessexpress.com) "there are over 1,300 of them on the East Coast".
Hess has one or two stations in the Little Rock area.
Quote from: US71 on August 30, 2012, 04:21:48 PM
Arkansas still has several FINA stations that haven't changed to ALON.
A local brand, Satterfield, just converted to Gulf.
I've seen quite a few Fina stations in Texas too.
Here are a couple of very old gasoline brands that I remember:
Lion stations in NE Louisiana in the 60's
Red Bird stations in SW Indiana in the 60's and 70's
I know Red Bird is defunct, but I wonder if Lion is one of those brands that came back to life years later?
Quote from: kphoger on August 30, 2012, 06:05:31 PM
I've seen quite a few Fina stations in Texas too.
I was just in New Mexico and should've paid more careful attention to what is going on with Fina. I think it is getting rebranded, with a lot of them are being converted to entirely being Allsup's. it used to be the case that Fina was the gasoline brand, and Allsup's the associated convenience store, but IIRC, all the Fina branding is vanishing.
(this information likely not 100% correct)
Nope- Fina is now Alon. In my driving around FINA country in the past few months, about half are rebranded. Here's a transition billboard in Las Cruces
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/538588_3918420835637_238509269_n.jpg)
There's at least two in Arizona too on the rez- one in Window Rock and one in Kayenta.
Quote from: corco on August 30, 2012, 07:24:35 PM
Nope- Fina is now Alon. In my driving around FINA country in the past few months, about half are rebranded. Here's a transition billboard in Las Cruces
that seems vaguely familiar.
shows how much attention I'm paying!
I can't say I've ever seen a Fina. I do remember they had some NASCAR sponsorship in the 1990s.
On US 301 in the part of Virginia where it's I-95's frontage road, there's this old station that looks like it was the only one of its kind.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc6%2F192040_1909096048353_3787600_o.jpg&hash=5966bd096eed523a5e6247a8fbfe47827d85d487)
The pumps are still there, but I don't know how long this has been abandoned. I-95 didn't usurp US 301 here until 1981. Judging by the price, it could have made it until the 1990s. I know it was closed by 1998, though. (And judging by the shirt I was wearing, I had gone a good 15 miles out of my way after work to take these pictures before going home!)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-snc6%2F193440_1909100048453_4014969_o.jpg&hash=333c0b623bb2722f6741a2fb3e604e0aca281936)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash4%2F191678_1909103008527_258272_o.jpg&hash=0d1c0a918617b2a082000aecab9361b917a7a5d6)
Quote from: Takumi on August 30, 2012, 04:31:55 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 30, 2012, 01:12:26 PM
Quote from: roadman on August 30, 2012, 01:10:26 PM
Valero tried to make some inroads in the Boston area, but never really caught on. The latest "upstart" in eastern Massachusetts I've noticed of late has been Hess, which has built a number of new stations from the ground up (as opposed to taking over another company's ones) in the past couple of years.
I remember a Hess station about a half-block from where I used to live in Cambridge, MA in 2003-04. (I also remember its $1.55 gas. those were the days!)
I seem to recall Hess in Massachusetts from my childhood, but not as distinctly as I remember it down in Pennsylvania.
Hess has been in the Richmond area as long as I can remember, but there have always been only a few of them. According to their website (hessexpress.com) "there are over 1,300 of them on the East Coast".
I know of a few Hess stations in the Washington, D.C. area that are closed, including a (formerly) super-high-volume location on U.S. 50 (New York Avenue, N.E.) at Montana Avenue that's fenced-off and weedy, though I believe that's because Wal-Mart has bought up most of the lots on a (large) triangle-shaped lot bounded by U.S. 50 on the north, Montana Avenue on the southwest and Bladensburg Road on the southeast for one of its new D.C. stores.
Anyone remember Flying A?
And Homoco (I am not kidding - it was short for Homes Oil Company, and once had a substantial independent presence in D.C. and its Maryland suburbs.
Gulf in Florida is extinct! Yet in New Jersey, they still exist! On the other hand, Chevron's in NJ changed to Gulf years ago and still exist today in the Sunshine State.
Quote from: Takumi on August 30, 2012, 07:36:46 PM
The pumps are still there, but I don't know how long this has been abandoned. I-95 didn't usurp US 301 here until 1981. Judging by the price, it could have made it until the 1990s. I know it was closed by 1998, though...
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-snc6%2F193440_1909100048453_4014969_o.jpg&hash=333c0b623bb2722f6741a2fb3e604e0aca281936)
You don't see many pumps that had no provision for fuel that was over $1/gallon...wonder what they did in the late-1970s, when gas went past that mark. I did check out an old repair shop recently that had non-operational gas pumps which also featured two-digit + 9/10ths pricing.
Quote from: mightyace on August 29, 2012, 10:43:26 AM
Sunoco has made an appearance in eastern Tennessee. I may be mistaken on this but I think I've seen them in western NC and northern GA.
Historically, back in the '60s and '70s they were all up and down the east coast.
Perhaps their resurgence in the south is due to being "The Official Fuel of NASCAR"
In addition to Sunoco, we also have quite a few Marathon stations, and last I checked in Knoxville there is an old Speedway station sign on Clinton Hwy.
In reference to the sub $1 gas pump question, I am old enough to remember when that was a common situation. What was done is that the gasoline was priced on the pump by the 1/2 gallon, with usually a crude hand-painted sign next to the pump stating such. Thus if Gasoline were actually $1.10 a gallon, the pump price would read $0.55, but the money you owed would be correct, since it was measuing half-gallons, not gallons.
^ That makes sense; I'm almost surprised that fuel distributors have not tried to sell by the liter or quart to make their product appear to be more affordable. But I suppose that individual states' consumer bureaus probably define and regulate the standard unit of fuel measurement as gallons, and thus, that's the way it is.
Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on August 31, 2012, 06:43:02 AM
In reference to the sub $1 gas pump question, I am old enough to remember when that was a common situation. What was done is that the gasoline was priced on the pump by the 1/2 gallon, with usually a crude hand-painted sign next to the pump stating such. Thus if Gasoline were actually $1.10 a gallon, the pump price would read $0.55, but the money you owed would be correct, since it was measuing half-gallons, not gallons.
Some pumps were (re)calibrated to dispense fuel in liters, which kept the price well below $1.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 30, 2012, 08:10:56 PM
Quote from: Takumi on August 30, 2012, 04:31:55 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 30, 2012, 01:12:26 PM
Quote from: roadman on August 30, 2012, 01:10:26 PM
Valero tried to make some inroads in the Boston area, but never really caught on. The latest "upstart" in eastern Massachusetts I've noticed of late has been Hess, which has built a number of new stations from the ground up (as opposed to taking over another company's ones) in the past couple of years.
I remember a Hess station about a half-block from where I used to live in Cambridge, MA in 2003-04. (I also remember its $1.55 gas. those were the days!)
I seem to recall Hess in Massachusetts from my childhood, but not as distinctly as I remember it down in Pennsylvania.
Hess has been in the Richmond area as long as I can remember, but there have always been only a few of them. According to their website (hessexpress.com) "there are over 1,300 of them on the East Coast".
I know of a few Hess stations in the Washington, D.C. area that are closed, including a (formerly) super-high-volume location on U.S. 50 (New York Avenue, N.E.) at Montana Avenue that's fenced-off and weedy, though I believe that's because Wal-Mart has bought up most of the lots on a (large) triangle-shaped lot bounded by U.S. 50 on the north, Montana Avenue on the southwest and Bladensburg Road on the southeast for one of its new D.C. stores.
I remember Hess from my youth in PA. Then, for a while, they disappeared. In the last year or two, I've seen them crop up in TN and GA, often on truckstops also branded WILCO.
WELCOME TO PAGE 4! :sombrero:
Quote from: TheStranger on August 30, 2012, 12:58:36 PM
The most notable West Coast effect of the Exxon/Mobil merger: California Exxon franchisee Valero became an independent gas brand that has expanded quite nicely in the decade or so since.
Here in Metro Detroit however the Valero brand didn't come until late-2006/early-2007, when they rebranded many Citgo stations that were originally 76 stations (until the late 1990's), including the 76-turned-Citgo in my city.
Quote from: ce929wax on August 31, 2012, 01:34:29 AM
Quote from: mightyace on August 29, 2012, 10:43:26 AM
Sunoco has made an appearance in eastern Tennessee. I may be mistaken on this but I think I've seen them in western NC and northern GA.
Historically, back in the '60s and '70s they were all up and down the east coast.
Perhaps their resurgence in the south is due to being "The Official Fuel of NASCAR"
In addition to Sunoco, we also have quite a few Marathon stations, and last I checked in Knoxville there is an old Speedway station sign on Clinton Hwy.
Sunoco, Marathon and Speedway stations are all still common in the Detroit area as well. However, until around 2000, many Detroit-area Speedway stations were branded Total (this Total brand was a completely different one from the one in the western Midwest, but the same font was still used). However there are still traces of the Total brand in the area, including this sign: http://goo.gl/maps/uiTl9 (http://goo.gl/maps/uiTl9)
Amoco used to have a major presence in the Detroit area too, but since BP bought them out there are pretty much no traces left of the Amoco brand, but in an unusual twist, a freeway sign at a former Amoco station in inner-city Detroit still bore the Amoco logo even after the station itself was rebranded into BP and even after the rest of the station was torn down, continuing to be a common sight for drivers on I-94 for years! But the sign has since been taken down in late 2010, but still remains in Google Street View: http://goo.gl/maps/kD94u (http://goo.gl/maps/kD94u)
In Norfolk there's a BP that had the logo retrofitted into the old Amoco oval sign. I'm sure it wasn't the only one of its kind, but it was surprising to see it standing that long without a modern sign replacing it, at least in such a major city.
Quote from: MDOTFanFB on August 31, 2012, 08:25:45 PM
However, until around 2000, many Detroit-area Speedway stations were branded Total (this Total brand was a completely different one from the one in the western Midwest, but the same font was still used). However there are still traces of the Total brand in the area, including this sign: http://goo.gl/maps/uiTl9 (http://goo.gl/maps/uiTl9)
Total was actually a French brand that later was bought out by Fina.
I remember growing up in West Michigan that a lot of Amoco stations were actually branded as Standard.
Quote from: ce929wax on September 01, 2012, 02:06:29 AM
I remember growing up in West Michigan that a lot of Amoco stations were actually branded as Standard.
That's because Amoco was Standard of Indiana, which had the rights to use the "Standard Oil" name in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois (and probably a few other states). This page (http://www.us-highways.com/sohist1999.htm) has a pretty good discussion of Standard and its offspring as they exist today.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 01, 2012, 10:41:47 AM
Quote from: ce929wax on September 01, 2012, 02:06:29 AM
I remember growing up in West Michigan that a lot of Amoco stations were actually branded as Standard.
That's because Amoco was Standard of Indiana, which had the rights to use the "Standard Oil" name in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois (and probably a few other states). This page (http://www.us-highways.com/sohist1999.htm) has a pretty good discussion of Standard and its offspring as they exist today.
I remember the Standard name was used for Chevron in California back in the early 70's.
Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on August 31, 2012, 06:43:02 AM
In reference to the sub $1 gas pump question, I am old enough to remember when that was a common situation. What was done is that the gasoline was priced on the pump by the 1/2 gallon, with usually a crude hand-painted sign next to the pump stating such. Thus if Gasoline were actually $1.10 a gallon, the pump price would read $0.55, but the money you owed would be correct, since it was measuing half-gallons, not gallons.
I recall hearing in the Summer of '08 when gas first broke $4 a gallon that there were some newer mechanical pumps out there for marine fuel (which due to the smaller market hasn't been as quick to go digital) that could not go past $3.99. The solution, in these cases, was that they were reading the gallons off the pump and calculating the total sale manually.
The largest Amoco sign in the world (the station has been rebranded as a BP):
http://goo.gl/maps/6SM6Q (http://goo.gl/maps/6SM6Q)
Quote from: roadman65 on September 01, 2012, 11:13:21 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 01, 2012, 10:41:47 AM
Quote from: ce929wax on September 01, 2012, 02:06:29 AM
I remember growing up in West Michigan that a lot of Amoco stations were actually branded as Standard.
That's because Amoco was Standard of Indiana, which had the rights to use the "Standard Oil" name in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois (and probably a few other states). This page (http://www.us-highways.com/sohist1999.htm) has a pretty good discussion of Standard and its offspring as they exist today.
I remember the Standard name was used for Chevron in California back in the early 70's.
I remember when Standard first changed to AMOCO they called themselves the "AMOCO Oil Company". Since AMOCO was
The American Oil Company, they were now
The American Oil Company Oil Company ;)
Quote from: mcdonaat on August 27, 2012, 06:53:53 PM
Come to think of it, there is also a Stuckey's in Lebeau, LA. These stations are in the most random small towns too, maybe it's part of a marketing strategy.
I can still remember a Phillips 66 station in Alexandria though. Renamed to a Texaco, but it still has the full service pumps.
I know of 3 still-active Stuckeys. Two are along I95 in North Carolina, one on US13 on Virginia's Eastern Shore. There is an abandoned one on US13 north of Smyrna DE.
Sohio is long gone, as is Boron. Be great if they came back, even for nostalgia's sake. I grew up with Sohio while living on Ohio in the 1970s. But you can stlll at least collect their road maps.
Quote from: US71 on September 02, 2012, 01:51:04 PM
I remember when Standard first changed to AMOCO they called themselves the "AMOCO Oil Company". Since AMOCO was The American Oil Company, they were now The American Oil Company Oil Company ;)
I believe that change was approved by both the department of redundancy department and redundancy department of redundancy.
There is also a Stuckey's located along I-24 at the first exit north of Monteagle in Tennessee.
There's also one on US 58 near South Hill, and I believe there's still one off I-95 in the empty space between Richmond and Fredericksburg.
My question is how vertically integrated are these gasoline station chains?
I'm guessing that perhaps Chevron stations actually sell Chevron formulated gas from Chevron refineries. (Chevron seems to be one fo the few brands which advertises around here.)
But others, I assume exist "in name only". That is, some local operator licenses the name because it has brand recognition. But I really don't know - it seems that stations arbitrarily change from Brand X to Brand Y for no real reason other than some backroom deal.
There's a Stuckey's on I-29 at the US 136 Rock Port, MO exit.
I'd be interested in a couple from my Minnesota youth: Superamerica and Holiday's. I even remember a Superamerica on North Avenue (IL 64) in Dupage County (don't specifically remember which city it was), but I don't remember seeing them on my last Twin Cities trip several years ago. They used to have Holiday's here in Omaha, but they all got changed over to something (usually Casey's) in recent years.
Quote from: flowmotion on September 03, 2012, 01:05:24 AM
My question is how vertically integrated are these gasoline station chains?
I'm guessing that perhaps Chevron stations actually sell Chevron formulated gas from Chevron refineries. (Chevron seems to be one fo the few brands which advertises around here.)
But others, I assume exist "in name only". That is, some local operator licenses the name because it has brand recognition. But I really don't know - it seems that stations arbitrarily change from Brand X to Brand Y for no real reason other than some backroom deal.
Valero is very vertical. It's one of the biggest refiners in the States. But I didn't see it as a brand until I visited California in 2005.
About a year later the Valero brand came into Texas pretty strong (not really "into," since their HQ is in San Antonio) after Citgo pulled out of the state. They had been already selling gas under the Diamond Shamrock brand since 2001.
Thinking back at local changes, I believe many of the old Citgos switched to the Shamrock brand in Texas, while most of the new Valeros are newly-built. When Texaco went away, I think Shell swooped in and bought a lot of those filling stations.
As far as businesses in general, I bet a lot of the ones that decided to pull out of Texas – Kmart, etc. – are kicking themselves now. Carl's Jr. did it, saw Texas' economy, and re-entered the market.
Quote from: flowmotion on September 03, 2012, 01:05:24 AM
My question is how vertically integrated are these gasoline station chains?
I'm guessing that perhaps Chevron stations actually sell Chevron formulated gas from Chevron refineries. (Chevron seems to be one fo the few brands which advertises around here.)
But others, I assume exist "in name only". That is, some local operator licenses the name because it has brand recognition. But I really don't know - it seems that stations arbitrarily change from Brand X to Brand Y for no real reason other than some backroom deal.
Not as vertical as you'd think. Most gas stations are owned by franchises, jobbers, and independents. They buy gasoline and diesel from whichever refinery is convenient and add the corporate additives at the station. That includes Chevron and any other name brand station out there. That's why, during the recent issue here with bad BP gasoline from the Whiting, Indiana refinery, you had BP stations and other stations involved, but some BP stations were completely unaffected (they may have bought gasoline from the Citgo refinery in Romeoville or the ExxonMobil refinery in Channahon).
Quote from: Brandon on September 03, 2012, 08:11:59 AM
Quote from: flowmotion on September 03, 2012, 01:05:24 AM
My question is how vertically integrated are these gasoline station chains?
I'm guessing that perhaps Chevron stations actually sell Chevron formulated gas from Chevron refineries. (Chevron seems to be one fo the few brands which advertises around here.)
But others, I assume exist "in name only". That is, some local operator licenses the name because it has brand recognition. But I really don't know - it seems that stations arbitrarily change from Brand X to Brand Y for no real reason other than some backroom deal.
Not as vertical as you'd think. Most gas stations are owned by franchises, jobbers, and independents. They buy gasoline and diesel from whichever refinery is convenient and add the corporate additives at the station. That includes Chevron and any other name brand station out there. That's why, during the recent issue here with bad BP gasoline from the Whiting, Indiana refinery, you had BP stations and other stations involved, but some BP stations were completely unaffected (they may have bought gasoline from the Citgo refinery in Romeoville or the ExxonMobil refinery in Channahon).
In the Western/Northwestern Arkansas area, most stations are independently owned, but go through a specific jobber for their fuel. A few years back, the local Citgo jobber went to BP. A year later, he went to Phillips 66. So all the stations he serviced changed, as well.
Almost all the gas comes from the Bentonville Fuel Terminal for all stations. The only exception is if it's cheaper to truck it up the mountain from Ft Smith or down from Joplin, which happens rarely anymore.
Quote from: DandyDan on September 03, 2012, 02:14:32 AM
There's a Stuckey's on I-29 at the US 136 Rock Port, MO exit.
I'd be interested in a couple from my Minnesota youth: Superamerica and Holiday's. I even remember a Superamerica on North Avenue (IL 64) in Dupage County (don't specifically remember which city it was), but I don't remember seeing them on my last Twin Cities trip several years ago. They used to have Holiday's here in Omaha, but they all got changed over to something (usually Casey's) in recent years.
SuperAmerica and Holiday are all over the Twin Cities area, along with Kwik Trip (not QuikTrip). It must have been a huge coincidence that you didn't see any.
Quote from: Kacie Jane on August 27, 2012, 03:27:36 PM
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
Funny, I just saw several Sinclair stations this past weekend in and around the Uncompahgre Valley in Western CO. Don't remember ever having seen one prior to that.
There are still Sinclair stations all over Wyoming and the refinery in Sinclair, WY is still going strong.
Idaho has several too in the southern part of the state- a lot are branded as Stinker convenience stores.
Quote from: corco on September 04, 2012, 03:05:17 PM
a lot are branded as Stinker convenience stores.
Seriously? :confused:
Do you happen to have any pictures?
Seriously! That would be a weird thing to joke about. Just about every Stinker I know of is a Sinclair- I think there are a couple that use unbranded gas, but most have the Sinclair dino somewhere on their sign.
http://www.stinker.com/
So Stinker is an Idaho thing. You can vote for Pedro there.
Quote from: Brandon on September 03, 2012, 08:11:59 AM
Quote from: flowmotion on September 03, 2012, 01:05:24 AM
My question is how vertically integrated are these gasoline station chains?
Not as vertical as you'd think. Most gas stations are owned by franchises, jobbers, and independents. They buy gasoline and diesel from whichever refinery is convenient and add the corporate additives at the station. That includes Chevron and any other name brand station out there.
:meh: I guess that's why I can't get into gas station branding anymore. When I was younger, I assumed it was global Fortune 500 corporations battling out for consumer loyalty. Knowing that it's just a bunch of small-timers going with the lowest bidder removes my interest.
In Ida, LA on the SE corner of US 71 and the one traffic light before the AR State Line there is a current Exxon Station there with an old style Esso sign from years back when Exxon was Esso that was the kind that was not backlit like today, but most likely had a spotlight shining on both sides of it during its haydays.
Quote from: roadman65 on September 30, 2012, 11:37:19 PM
In Ida, LA on the SE corner of US 71 and the one traffic light before the AR State Line there is a current Exxon Station there with an old style Esso sign from years back when Exxon was Esso that was the kind that was not backlit like today, but most likely had a spotlight shining on both sides of it during its haydays.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.staticflickr.com%2F3070%2F2285230702_3eb4166255_z_d.jpg&hash=884917a3cecaa59994b9d10f7dc3aa0847301437)
That is a cool photo. They do not make signs like this anymore.
Quote from: roadman65 on October 01, 2012, 06:48:49 PM
That is a cool photo. They do not make signs like this anymore.
Yeah, they're all squares with logos now. I guess it's so if a station re-brands itself, they just have to pop out the logos and not replace the signs.
When gas stations are not as plentiful than they used to, the price of gas increases when less competitors are present. In California abotu 20 years ago, the major oil companies lost many gas stations from the state's tighter "anti-smog" controls and thousands of "mom and pop" shop franchises closed when they're inable to upgrade the pumps to the new standards. The price of gas in the 2000's was a wild roller coaster with price spikes to nearly killed our national passion for cars and road travel, as well negatively impacted the commercial airline industry.
Quote from: Mike D boy on October 01, 2012, 10:33:46 PM
When gas stations are not as plentiful than they used to, the price of gas increases when less competitors are present. In California abotu 20 years ago, the major oil companies lost many gas stations from the state's tighter "anti-smog" controls and thousands of "mom and pop" shop franchises closed when they're inable to upgrade the pumps to the new standards. The price of gas in the 2000's was a wild roller coaster with price spikes to nearly killed our national passion for cars and road travel, as well negatively impacted the commercial airline industry.
Though I'm certainly no expert, my first reaction is to doubt that increases in pump prices in America are at all due to lack of competition. We have a zillion different chains here, and gas stations at nearly every major exit and neighborhood. While lack of competition may drive up the price of gas in one particular location (say, an exit with nothing around for 40 miles in either direction), I would need some convincing to believe that that happens nationwide.
It also sounds like you're suggesting that the higher gas prices in the 2000s are also due to lack of competition. Maybe there was a break between two separate thoughts there that I missed, as it was a struggle to follow your post grammatically. I do agree that it has affected the way we think about cars (though not necessarily our passion for them) and the commercial airline industry. For our family of four, flying is pretty much a non-option due to the price of airline tickets. But, were I still single, it would still be a viable option. I'd be interested to hear people's take on how gas prices have affected the long-distance bus industry.
I find it fascinating how the price of gas always goes up in 10 to 25 cent per gallon increments, but drops penny by penny! :banghead:
And, upon rising, the price is magically the same at every single gas station within a 20 mile radius. I've always found both things to be very suspicious.
Quote from: StogieGuy7 on October 02, 2012, 10:54:39 AM
I find it fascinating how the price of gas always goes up in 10 to 25 cent per gallon increments, but drops penny by penny! :banghead:
And, upon rising, the price is magically the same at every single gas station within a 20 mile radius. I've always found both things to be very suspicious.
If I ran a gas station and had the freedom to set my own price, I doubt I would do either of those two things any differently. With an increase in market price, I would be eager to raise the price to match; with a decrease in market price, I would be hesitant to drop the price too much in case it's just a short dip. If the other 19 stations around me were jumping to a certain price, I would be hesitant to raise mine by much less than they were, assuming there's a reason for their big jump.
That's because they buy the refined crude oil on the open market, so they raise prices in anticipation of future prices. Basically, the station (or group of stations) already bought the quantity of fuel already at a certain price. There's all sorts of investors and strategies that essentially decide on that -- I won't pretend to even halfway understand that -- essentially predicting potential shortages based on a fairly level but a very-slightly sloping demand curve.
In order to keep happy medium of fuel storage, the price can also be volatile; it's a commodity like many others on the open trading market. On one hand, the station does not want to run dry (lost business), but they can't just keep extra supplies "in the back room" (depends on how much underground storage you can fill, and that's it). If the station has now bought "overvalued" (overpriced, to us) fuel, they still want to make a profit, but they have to essentially make a bit of a stand off with the local stations in order to be competitive. But if it's an area with lots of gas stations, or the only site for some distance, the prices can vary a bit based on scarcity or convenience. If they bought lots of "cheap" gas, they're making you pay more for the expectation of future gas prices, since now they have to buy it at a greater rate with the next shipment.
That's how I understand it, basically. This "stand off" scenario plays out due to a lack of complete regulatory control (outside of local, state, and federal taxes), for better or for worse. On the other hand, I haven't taken in account whether the fuel supplier has forced pricing contracts, et cetera. I'm not much of an insider or economist, either.
But I've also heard that the big profit maker is the convenience store inside; the gas pumps are the kind of guarantee that you'll be back and will hopefully pick up some milk or chips or beer, and don't want to make the extra trip to the grocery store just for one item. Without the pumps, there's usually less demand for the items in the store, unless you're also the only grocer for some distance.
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Saw this just south of Walker, Iowa...not really a remnant (too many competitors in one place!), but still neat looking:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.formulanone.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F06%2FOldGasStationSigns.jpg&hash=0c3bbc3ffb673c0b1c4b8b7894a2fc47cd6fe5e6)
Quote from: StogieGuy7 on October 02, 2012, 10:54:39 AM
I find it fascinating how the price of gas always goes up in 10 to 25 cent per gallon increments, but drops penny by penny! :banghead:
And, upon rising, the price is magically the same at every single gas station within a 20 mile radius. I've always found both things to be very suspicious.
I've ID'd a few stations in my area that tend to "lag" whenever the price spikes, and I go there to fill up immediately.
Quote from: Kacie Jane on August 27, 2012, 03:27:36 PM
Sinclair is still here and there -- saw one this summer in a tiny town in Idaho -- but used to be much bigger.
There are a couple in Northeast Mississippi: West Point, Houston, and Pontotoc. There used to be one in Eupora as well.