gas stations

[Truvelo]

I've never seen so many gas stations in a row before.  It looked like there were two separate Shell stations...that's kinda ridiculous, given the abundance of stations in that short stretch.

Yes, but I imagine there's the demand from Belgian drivers who will come this far because of the lower prices. At least every station in the pictures seems to be charging the same price unlike the US where I've seen a bunch of stations in a line and the price can be as much as 10c a gallon different. I naturally fill up at the cheapest in these circumstances.

So, have you ever seen two identical gas stations adjacent to one another? Is it a common occurrence anywhere?

Yes, there's some normal two lane roads over here with same company gas stations each side of the road, one example has a sign saying 'Nearside services 250yds' as the one on the opposite side is visible first. The signs are to stop people turning across the flow of traffic who don't realise the nearside station is just around the bend.

[TheStranger]

roadfro: At 19th Avenue (Route 1) and Judah in San Francisco's Sunset neighborhood, two 76 stations operate across from each other.  I think one of them used to be a BP, before the then-BP franchisee (Tosco) switched over to 76 ca. 1998...they tend to charge the same prices, and provide options for both northbound and southbound travelers (as 19th does not allow left turns).

[mightyace]

So, have you ever seen two identical gas stations adjacent to one another? Is it a common occurrence anywhere?

I wouldn't say "common" but not terribly unusual.  There are several locations in Nashville where there are two Mapco's close together, this is the result of buyouts of some kind.  And I can think of one location with two Shell stations at it.

In my home town of Bloomsburg, there were two Exxon (originally Esso) stations across US 11 from one another.

[deathtopumpkins]

On King St. (VA 278) here in Hampton, there are three 7-Elevens in close proximity that all have gas. I believe they are all visible from US-258 (Mercury Blvd)'s overpass over it, though one might be obscured by trees during the summer.

[Michael]

There are two Hess gas stations near the Carousel Mall in Syracuse, one on either side of Hiawatha Boulevard.  Here's a map.  One is on the northwest side of the road near the mall entrance. The other is on the southeast side of the road, at the corner of Hiawatha and Pulaski.  There are no turn restrictions, but Hiawatha is usually very busy and it's just easier to use the one on your side.

[Duke87]

Luxembourg is a tiny country located in northwest Europe. It's primarily known for cheap gasoline, generally € 0.40 per liter cheaper (that translates to a $ 2.20 per gallon difference with neighboring countries). Since there are no border controls, it's quite easy to fill up in Luxembourg.

And to think, all the "cheap" gas everybody's crowding there for works out to $5.37 US a gallon.

[SSOWorld]

I think it's pretty common, but then again, I live near a pair of PDQ gas stations on opposite sides of Fish Hatchery Rd.  My guess is that one is for northbound traffic and the other is for southbound.  Talk about convenience!

That's not the only location in the Madison area that has that.

There are two near US 18/151 (Verona Road) on McKee Road - one on each side of the highway.

[hm insulators]

A couple of comments, since the quote buttons just aren't working today:

I had a '79 Dodge with the gas cap under the rear license plate. As for driver's side vs. passenger side, I think more cars have the gas cap on the driver's side simply because it's more convenient for the driver. It would be nice if car makers did put a gas cap on both sides of the tank; on rare occasions, I have run into the hose that isn't long enough to reach the driver's side on my current car when I parked the car with the passenger side to the pumps.

Looking at those pictures of Luxembourg, I never realized that Gulf gasoline still existed! That brand disappeared from the States decades ago.

[TheStranger]

hm insulators: IIRC, the Gulf brand is also used for a bunch of stations in the Northeast as well...

[Chris]

We used to have Chevron in the Netherlands... that one also disappeared decades ago.

[hm insulators]

hm insulators: IIRC, the Gulf brand is also used for a bunch of stations in the Northeast as well...

Okay, I stand corrected. I've never been to the northeast, although that's one part of the country I would love to see! Especially this time of year when the leaves start to turn.

[brad2971]

Metro Denver has MANY corners where two Conoco stations are across from one another. Heck, there's a Conoco-branded Circle K and a Shell-branded Circle-K within ONE BLOCK of each other on Denver's Colorado Blvd (SH2).

[Scott5114]

If going to get gas were as inconvenient as that station in Stamford sounds, I'd just get gas somewhere else. Too many business establishments in this country for me to give money to one that doesn't allow me to get things done easily. Although I have a passenger side gas tank, so I'd not have problems there.

On Route 13 in Springfield, MO, right by the DDI, there are two Kum & Go stations right next door to each other. They're both built to K&G building standards, ruling out any sort of takeover. Wonder what the deal is there?

[agentsteel53]

Kum & Go

who on earth came up with that name?  Ron Jeremy in a white sheet??

[Scott5114]

Kum & Go

who on earth came up with that name?  Ron Jeremy in a white sheet??

The founder's names had the initials K&G. So they changed the spelling to suit. They have fun with it... when I was living in Springfield, which has tons of K&G's, their slogan was "We Go All Out", or something like that. All humor aside they are one of my favorite gas station chains. You can get a fountain drink for something ridiculous like 79¢ and if you go back another time to refill the cup you get a discount.

[agentsteel53]

they are a good chain; I've gotten good gas mileage out of them in general.  I've used them mainly in North Dakota.

[vdeane]

On the automatic pumping thing, here in NY I believe that it's illegal to have automatic gas pumps.  You have to hold the lever down yourself.

[Duke87]

Kum & Go

who on earth came up with that name?  Ron Jeremy in a white sheet??

And then there's Wawa.

Where they get away with selling gas for so cheap because they put wawa in it.

[US71]

Oklahoma City has a Circle K Shell and a Circle K Conoco on opposite sides of I-40 at Meridian

[SSOWorld]

Wisconsin has Kwik Trip.  Iowa (and Minnesota?) has Kwik Star (both the same company).  They're notorious for clerks welcoming a pump to Kwik Trip when it is used with the intent to pay inside (Wisconsin doesn't require pre-payment for gas).  Also everyone who steps up to the checkout is asked if they bought fuel (annoying, but justifiable).

[Scott5114]

Wisconsin has Kwik Trip.

How do they avoid lawsuits from the Tulsa-based QuikTrip?

[wandering drive]

Three words: Freshly baked cookies.  :drool:

They just call themselves "Kwik Star" in areas where they would be confused with QuikTrip, I guess.

[Scott5114]

I'm guessing there's some sort of an agreement between (Quik/Kwik) Trip to some effect prescribing that setup. I bet there was a lawsuit at some point.

Reminds me of a somewhat similar situation. There is a restaurant in Mattoon, Illinois which opened up in the 1950s and registered a trademark for their name with the state of Illinois. Unfortunately for them the name they picked for their restaurant was Burger King. Unbeknownst to them, there was another hamburger restaurant with that name which started up in Miami. Burger King of Florida  ended up growing into a franchise chain which eventually wanted to open up stores in Illinois. The Burger King of Illinois people said no, you can't do that, we have an Illinois trademark on that name so we are the only people in Illinois who can use that name. The Florida people said well we have a Federal trademark that trumps yours. They went to court and eventually agreed that while BK of Florida legally had rights to the name, since BK of Illinois had been operating under that name for an established period, they would get to keep the name, and BK of Florida would stay out of the Mattoon area.

[US71]

Reminds me of a somewhat similar situation. There is a restaurant in Mattoon, Illinois which opened up in the 1950s and registered a trademark for their name with the state of Illinois. Unfortunately for them the name they picked for their restaurant was Burger King. Unbeknownst to them, there was another hamburger restaurant with that name which started up in Miami. Burger King of Florida  ended up growing into a franchise chain which eventually wanted to open up stores in Illinois. The Burger King of Illinois people said no, you can't do that, we have an Illinois trademark on that name so we are the only people in Illinois who can use that name. The Florida people said well we have a Federal trademark that trumps yours. They went to court and eventually agreed that while BK of Florida legally had rights to the name, since BK of Illinois had been operating under that name for an established period, they would get to keep the name, and BK of Florida would stay out of the Mattoon area.

I vaguely remember BK of Mattoon. Much better than the "national" BK.

I also remember some the older traffic signals: late at night, they would go to flash cycle, flash 3-4 times, then resume normal cycle. Wish I'd had a camera then.


FWIW, I the "national" BK had a great sign along Western Ave somewhere between 127th and 119th (Chicago area). I think it was a king sitting on a burger.

[mightyace]

I'm guessing there's some sort of an agreement between (Quik/Kwik) Trip to some effect prescribing that setup. I bet there was a lawsuit at some point.

Reminds me of a somewhat similar situation. There is a restaurant in Mattoon, Illinois which opened up in the 1950s and registered a trademark for their name with the state of Illinois. Unfortunately for them the name they picked for their restaurant was Burger King. Unbeknownst to them, there was another hamburger restaurant with that name which started up in Miami. Burger King of Florida  ended up growing into a franchise chain which eventually wanted to open up stores in Illinois. The Burger King of Illinois people said no, you can't do that, we have an Illinois trademark on that name so we are the only people in Illinois who can use that name. The Florida people said well we have a Federal trademark that trumps yours. They went to court and eventually agreed that while BK of Florida legally had rights to the name, since BK of Illinois had been operating under that name for an established period, they would get to keep the name, and BK of Florida would stay out of the Mattoon area.

I don't know if there have been any lawsuits, but there is a restaurant/bar in Catawissa, PA (about 5 miles from Bloomsburg) that has been there forever and goes by the name Cracker Barrel.  I knew of this place long before I'd heard of the Lebanon, TN based Cracker Barrel chain.  Now, there's a Cracker Barrel (TN) restaurant near Bloomsburg at the Buckhorn exit (Exit 232 on I-80).  That national and the local Cracker Barrel are about 6 miles apart via PA 42!  (Bloomsburg also used to have a Hollywood Video movie rental store which was also an independent, but it's been closed for years now.)