Yeah, gas stations were interesting back then. I was the guy who put a garbage can behind the last car in line during the gas shortages. Got me a few middle fingers and a lot of 4 letter words. But my car always had plenty of that good leaded high-octane fuel.
I missed that time. I was young kid in the 70's. I didn't get into automotive until 1994, after what I thought I wanted to do didn't work out. First job in automotive was at a tire store, that also served as a cooper tire distribution center to the area service stations. Sadly I did not pay attention to the service stations and what was going on there when it was my turn to make deliveries. From there I went to work for Firestone then Goodyear, the bulk of my carrier is between those two companies. After that worked for an independent repair shop as service manager / tech for a very short time.
Then went to work for a gas station. I actually turned down a much more lucrative position, to go to work for a gas station, at that I was told up front the shop had 2 - 3 years left before they had a planned remodel that would expand the convince store and close the shop, the last 76 branded service station in the area. I took the job managing the shop (there was another guy that ran the C-store), I took it because I looked around and all stations I use to deliver tires to were gone. When else could I possibly get an opportunity like that again. Well it pumped new life back into this automotive burned out guy. It was just a very different environment, and I enjoyed it. Well that 2 - 3 years turned into 7, once it closed I went to manage the shop I do today.
All this management stuff probably has you wondering how much time I've actually spent turning a wrench, I was never an in the office kind of manager. I had sales guys to do that for me. Sure I had paperwork I had to do, but I'd always spend as much time in the shop working next to the techs as possible. That is until the last few years, where my body is just no longer able to do the physical labor like I use to.
I used to sell tires at Pep boys. I was a parts counter guy. Didn't work in the shop but hung out in there some times. I do almost ball my work on my own junk. I have swapped failed valve stems that have failed due to the Chinese junk. I have swapped a few tires at the house. And I worked in my father in laws shop during some summers and breaks while I was in college. I never did anything real. Parts getting, helping on stuff and getting and dropping off cars and oil changes.
There is a Pep boys up the street from the shop, that we take our alignments to, it's run by a gal that's been there since they opened that location. And prior to that ran the same store for Goodyear after I did!
