A Brief History of Gas Stations

Until the 1970s, full-service gas stations were the norm. Then self-service stations began gaining ground (for those not living in Oregon or New Jersey). The rise of convenience stores happened shortly after that. Entrepreneurs realized people would pay extra for a soda or a loaf of bread if they could get it quickly. The "quickly" part was much more applicable before they started selling lottery tickets. Thankfully, a cure to the problem of standing behind a line of bozos divining lottery numbers came in recent years with the advent of gas pumps with built-in credit card swipers. I never go inside to pay anymore if I have a choice. The problem with paying at the pump, though, is no soda. I'm surprised how few stations have vending machines outside their doors these days. Soda machines outside stations used to be the norm back before gas stations became convenience stores. It would be perfect if there were vending machines near the pumps somehow hooked up to the credit card eaters. Perhaps there would safety / legal issues with that; if so, I still would like to see the return of vending machines outside stations.