Blast From the Past
I’m old enough to remember not just when gas stations had actual, live attendants — but when gas was truly cheap, and competition for customers was such that gas stations on opposite corners would engage in price wars.
Yes, price wars.
At the extreme, you’d even see the stations’ signs attempt to lure customers with such things as free mugs or calendars (you know, the paper kind).
In other words, the same tschotkes (Yiddish for “crap”) that banks would offer new customers who opened “passbook” savings accounts (so-called because of the — yup — paper book you got to record your deposits and withdrawals in).
29.9¢ a Gallon*
No, I don’t see gas returning to 29.9¢ a gallon.
But, at the pace it’s been dropping, it might trip $2.99 soon.
I first saw $3.19 a gallon in the west suburbs a few weeks ago, and it’s now spread to urban Minneapolis.
South of the (Minnesota) River, where gas is historically cheapest in the Twin Cities, you’d guess it’s at or close to $3/gallon now.
“Free Mug With Fill-up”
Which brings me to one of my all-time favorite Op-Ed cartoons, circa late 1970’s.
Fast-forward from the Sixties, to the post-Oil Shock ’70’s, when consumers were still numb from skyrocketing prices, long lines, and the like.
The cartoon showed a gas station with a prominent sign offering “Free Mug With Fill-Up.”
As the customer drove away with a just-filled tank, the attendant ran after, yelling “Where’s my free mug?!?”
*Adjusted for inflation, that would be about $1.50 a gallon today.
