When I grew up, Service Stations were business's that sold automobile services. When I drove into one of the Service Stations, and I ran over the pressure sensitive thick black cord strewn across the driveway apron, a bell would ring in the station. This would alert the team inside that a customer has arrived and it was time to put down the wrench if they were working on a car and go help the customer.
In the old days, the Service Stations always had a mechanic to work on your car if you had mechanical problems. They had a tow truck parked out front with the name of their business on the side of it, always ready to go help a customer with a broken down vehicle. They had an air hose trailing from the inside of the garage to just outside of it where anyone could get some air into their tires, whether it be a car, truck or bicycle, it didn't matter. They never thought about charging for that service, it's just something they provided.
Upon entering the station, after alerting the team with the bell, I would pull up next to the pump. I would look at the door to the station in anticipation of the service attendant. He would come out usually fairly quickly with a rag in one hand, tucking it into his back pocket while wiping some grease from his forehead with the other. He would smile and say "Hi, filler up?" I had a choice of whether or not to have him check my oil and fluids, not only that, but he would clean my windshield while the fuel filled my tank!
The years have gone by and Service Stations decided I could pump my own gas. It was now up to me to check my fluids and clean my windows. It was cheaper for them to have fewer attendants and they didn't have time to pump gas themselves, since they were starting to sell wiper blades, oil, and windshield washer fluid to make more money. Then came the advent of franchised repair facilities like Goodyear, Tire Kingdom, Tires Plus, Firestone, etc. These companies took away from the Service Stations mechanical repair profits. The mechanics were now too expensive to keep on the payroll since fewer customers were coming in for repairs.
It came to the point, with rising fuel costs, that the profit in fuel wasn't enough to sustain them. They had to sell more then just wiper blades, oil, and windshield washer fluid. They had to become mini grocery stores. The company did all it could to stay in business, getting rid of the fuel attendants, the mechanic and all but one person to work the register and keep the coffee brewing. The fuel pumps now had built in credit card readers, so no need to even enter the store; you could pay at the pump.
The mini grocery stores have become the main focus of the now Semi-Help Yourself- Service Stations. The wiper blades, oil, and windshield washer fluid was now way in back and hard to find since most people bought that stuff at Wal-Mart anyway. In fact, just this morning when I went to one of these "Stations" to fuel up and get some oil, I was dumbfounded to see no oil being sold! They had shelves of candy, snacks, the soda fountain, and beer in the coolers, coffee brewing their latest brand and plenty of gum at the register, but no oil, wiper blades or windshield washer fluid.
I think we need to solve this energy crisis and find alternative ways to power our cars, and do it fast! The reason isn't because oil isn't a renewable source, it's because in a short time, the Service Stations will see there's no profit in it and stop selling it altogether!