Dec. 1 Marks 87 Years of 'Fill 'er Ups': What's Changed for Consumers?

29 November 2000

FEATURE/Dec. 1 Marks 87 Years of 'Fill 'er Ups': What's Changed for Consumers?

    ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Nov. 28, 2000--Customers at the country's first service station, which opened for business 87 years ago on Dec. 1, would not recognize today's gasoline retailing industry.
    They probably could never imagine today's Internet access at the pump, the variety of goods and services available inside, and even today's price of gasoline, which, back on December 1, 1913, cost 27 cents a gallon - almost $21 per gallon in today's dollars.
    But what they would recognize is the same level of entrepreneurship that was exhibited at the first service station, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores' (NACS). Today, convenience stores sell approximately 60 percent of all the motor fuels purchased in the country.
    Gulf Refining Co. opened the nation's first drive-up service station Dec. 1, 1913, in Pittsburgh, selling 30 gallons of gasoline that first day - about the amount of one fill-up with today's SUVs.
    Gasoline retailing has evolved from full-service attendants with white uniforms and ties to modern, state-of-the-art convenience stores selling self-service gasoline.
    Convenience stores, which now sell more gasoline than all other gasoline retailers, began entering the gasoline retailing business in the 1970s when states began allowing self-service gasoline. Today's customer-friendly gasoline services include pay at the pump, Internet-enabled dispensers and menu boards that motorists can use to order meals prepared inside the store.

    Here is a look at the evolution of gasoline retailing through the 20th century:

    GALLONS SOLD THEN: The first service station sold 30 gallons of gas on Dec. 1, 1913. NOW: Roughly 280,000,000 gallons of motor fuels are sold each day.

    VEHICLES ON THE ROAD THEN: When Gulf opened that original service station, there were approximately 500,000 vehicles on the roads. NOW: More than 200 million vehicles are on the nation's 2.5 million miles of paved roadways.

    DISPENSING GASOLINE THEN: Until the 1940s, most gasoline was sold from 55-gallon wooden drums and hand-pumped into glass bottles before it was poured into gas tanks. NOW: The typical convenience store sells gasoline from sleek and colorful dispensers - some of which offer Internet access and TV monitors. Today's typical store has more than eight fueling positions and sells 110,500 gallons of motor fuels per month.

    GAS SALES IN CONVENIENCE STORES: In 1975, motor fuels sales in convenience stores reached $600 million. NOW: By 1999, motor fuels sales in convenience stores were 220 times greater, reaching $134 billion.

    CONVENIENCE STORES SELLING MOTOR FUELS: In 1971, 1,340 convenience stores, or 6.8 percent of all convenience stores, sold motor fuels. NOW: More than 88,0000 convenience stores, or 75 percent of all convenience stores, sold motor fuels.

    GASOLINE SALES PER STORE: The average amount of motor fuels sold per convenience store per month in 1971 was 9,200 gallons. NOW: The volume of motor fuels sold per store had increased 10-fold, reaching 110,500 per store per month.