So i have this idea in my head, for after i retire. I wanna open a little full service gas station. The kind of place we no longer see. Just full service gas, pop the hood check the fluids, wash the windows, check tire air pressures. No self service at all. I also wanna have a little 2 bay service shop, for the absolute basics, oil changes, battery and hose replacement, bulbs, etc. Nothing complicated our time consuming, nothing beyond the grasp of a hard working, diligent young man. I'll just be the nice old man at the station, you pay a little more to do the meaningless tasks people no longer have the time to do. I do believe in a good location there is a certain need for this type of service, and do believe people will pay a little more for that service. In fact if i was sharp and saw the same people over and over, it would be possible to track those regulars car condition. you can watch fluid loss, or uneven tire wear etc. I cant wait to retire, i think it would be great. as a bonus i could have a bay to work on and build my hot rod. It'll kill 2 birds with one stone, encompass my hobby shop, and give me a meager supplemental income to my retirement, while also giving me a reason to go on living. Dan

 

DD that is so kewl. I would love to be able to just chill while someone puts the gas in and checks the basics. I often over look some basic things that have cost me later down the road. It would be a great thing for me if just by hearing my beast as I pull in the attendant could tell me that i might want to check this or that, get this fixed etc. I remember going to the service station with my grandaddy and I loved it when the dinger bell went off. The guy washing the windows would squirt the window and make faces at me while he wiped them off.
Will you like throw in some steak knives or no pest strips with a fill up?

 

Damn HB you dont ask for much do ya? How about the rearview mirror hanging airfreshener, and an 8oz. can of pop of choice for the kiddies! I havent even started yet, in fact i am a good 25 years away and you are already eating into my meager profits! Dan

 

Dude - you gotta have the little black bow tie too.

 

Question... isn't that the a career change, not retirement?
retirement definition | Dictionary.com - just kidding with you. I'm sure you're looking forward to the change.

Businesses tend to eat up more time than most imagine, and I'll wager you'll end up working more hours than you ever did before. If you don't stay open the bulk of the day (before and after people drive to/from work) you'll have a hard time capturing business. If my trucks need fuel I get it when it needs it, at a place that is open. If a place is open at 11 pm and yours isn't... no matter how good the service is, I'm not going to wait until your shop is open to fill my tank.

About the service station... I think its an admireable ambition but honestly I have a hard time thinking it will succeed long term. The consumer is price conscious at the pump. Consider how many stations have tried to stay full service in the past and failed. Wipers last longer than they used too, tires are better built, most batteries are now sealed and maintenance free, oil change places are a dime a dozen so there's a lot of competition, etc.

Maybe consider making it a station with both full service and self-serve pumps, capturing both audiences? You'll get regulars at the self-serve pumps who'll think of you first when they need service if you establish yourself and your business in their minds. Or make it just a service shop, and not a fueling station? Personally, if I were the type to have someone handle my vehicle service I'd do it by paying them outright when I needed it, rather than pay extra for the fuel I could pump myself down the street for less. I'll bet the majority of your clients would buy their fuel elsewhere 95% of the time because they aren't paying a premium for service they don't need every time they fill up, and just stop by your place occasionally when they feel the need.

Just my perspective...

 

I was kidding. I remember a knife with each fill up. Can you imagine that give a way in todays time? The no pest strips were pretty weird for a gas station to give away. I think it was shell. Yes thats is Shell No Pest strips. Fill up you get one to hang in your kitchen.
Who gave away the steak knives? Chevron? Okay I suddenly feel old. Was that like from the sixties and early seventies? (suddenly I also remember getting my nap time towel for kindergarten outta the detergent box)
You will have to wear one of the lil white uniforms and hat and yes the bow tie.
Dont forget the bathroom key on a huge 2x4 or a tire rim. This is too kewl.
You can look like steve martin in "the jerk" best self service station footage ever.

 

we have a self service station in P town and it is about 8-10 cents higher and always aline. I chalk alot of it up laziness but when I see older folks I know its easier for them and maybe helps them relive some of their past. and yes they install wiper blades and do basic repairs, fill tires etc.
I am living proof a business eats up your life. Still no day off since april 8th. Every single day since april 8th has been almost 24/7. midinight...sound asleep..guests check in. rooms to clean etc and you cant afford to hire peeps or just cannot get good help...the list goes on. But its keeping beans on the table and i am okay with what i do and the hours I work. Ilive here as well so i can go home when I want but in reality I am still at work.
If you really want to make a go of it do it! Just research it. YOu have a while before the time of reality comes into play and who knows you may decide to take over a little motel.

 

Hess stations... gave away (and sold) the Hess toy trucks for the kids. As a kid I loved the toy Hess gas truck I had. Headlights worked on it, which for an 8 year old was pretty cool at the time.

 

They still have hess trucks.

What other give aways did stations have? sorry to hijack DD. But maybe this will give you some ideas.

 

Before things started falling apart back at home.....Daddy had three stations in town.....one was called Ole Man Biggies......it was a full service station, had the entire package......all the way down to the bow-ties......best part about it was that he was the SAME price as all the others, and had the best business in town.......

 

Old school is the best school,but to make any real money for your effort you will need a gimick. What about having a couple of young college girls there on week ends( wearing bikinis) to give special car wash jobs for tips. You may even want to have them do it with the bay doors closed for extra special customers......

 

Where are my mittens i need them now

 

Give KNIVES away? These days THAT will get you a visit from the HOMELAND SECURITY boys. Not to mention the official attorney subpoena from the first idiot that cuts themselves because they weren't warned properly that KNIVES ARE SHARP!!!.

Ahhh...running a station like you described could really bring back meories of "days gone by".

GOOD LUCK when you finally retire.

 

We've still got a couple of them here in Charlotte near downtown. Rough environment for the full-servicees......What is it? A 15 to 20-cent per gallon premium? Still the people that love them-----love them......

 

All great comments have been posted, but they fail in one major point..

Dan you say you are 25 years to retirement??

Will we still have vehicles, as we know it, that need those services??

Heck in 25 years we may have the Jetsons cars..