Filling stations have traditionally gone under a number of guises, depending upon their main function and geographical location. Here in the UK they are usually known as the petrol station, filling station and are sometimes still referred to as the ‘garage’. The latter being a reference to the fact that years ago the place where petrol and diesel were sold in a town or village would often be attached to the local motor mechanic’s garage facility.
The filling station has recently celebrated its 130 year anniversary, with the first reported as being established in 1888 in the German city of Wiesloch. Here Bertha Benz refilled the tank of the first automobile on its maiden trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim.
Until 30 years or so ago, the filling station was simply that – a place where you would go to fill up, maybe top up your oil, wash your vehicle or purchase other auto related products and even buy a newspaper or bar of chocolate. Fuel companies would offer some unusual incentives to pull in customers including free glass tumblers or plastic roses with every gallon purchased. And who could forget Esso’s ‘Put a Tiger in Your Tank’ campaign when they gave away faux tiger tails for drivers to display around their fuel caps and tiger window stickers. These were also the days of Green Shield Stamps – the forerunner of the customer loyalty card. Stamps would be given away with fuel sales, saved in books which could be exchanged for all kinds of goods including food mixers, lawn mowers and the ‘must have’ home gadget of the day - a Goblin Teasmade!
In those days you would also undoubtedly have your fuel dispensed by an attendant who would fill up your tank for you, take your money and bring you your change – all without you having to leave the warmth and comfort of the driver’s seat.
While the first self serve fuel station was reported to have been created in 1947 the USA, in the UK they become common place in the 1970s and 1980s. Nowadays we serve ourselves and paying for fuel at the pump as opposed to going into the shop is commonplace.
Today’s modern filling station often doubles up with a supermarket as part of the forecourt experience for drivers. While many are also connected to bigger superstores, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Morrisons, affording fuelGenie customers the opportunity to take advantage of fuel rewards in an efficient and convenient way.
These new filling stations offer many benefits for the business and leisure traveller. In addition to general groceries, there is usually an excellent range of freshly made sandwiches, bread and pastries on offer as well as all the different types and flavours of tea and coffee today’s traveller wants and expects. Other services include cash machines and toilets and even shower facilities are sometimes also available.
Looking to the future, technology is likely to set the agenda for increased automated services. Could we be seeing robots and AI in the form of the forecourt attendant of the future? Alternatively, we may organise our whole visit via a dashboard control involving an automated dispenser that connects with the vehicle. Selecting the amount of fuel we want and paying for it without leaving the seat or winding down the window may be how transactions will take place. Buying that essential loaf of bread and milk could be also purchased at the same time and then collected from a drive-through arrangement, similar to those used by fast food outlets.
Whatever the future holds, the filling station has been part of our lives for more than a century and will undoubtedly continue to do so for many years and even decades to come.
