$4.00 A GALLON GAS? $4.25? $4.50? One Pricey Chicago BP Station Now Offers Gas for $5.00/Gallon - Nearly!
LOYALTY! IT'S OFTEN A HIGHLY-VALUED TRAIT! BUT WILL IT EXTEND WHEN A GALLON OF REGULAR COSTS NEARLY $5.00?
Very few full-service gas pumps exist anymore - in Chicago or its suburbs. Most of those old "Clean Your Windshield, Check Your Oil" stations went out with The Allman Brothers in the early 1970's, when gas approached the then-unheard of price of - gasp - 50 cents a gallon!
But there are a few left - mainly catering to those who don't quibble about the difference in price, or those that don't want the pungent smell of gasoline on their hands as they hurry to that important lunch meeting in The Loop.
One such station is a BP - at the intersection of LaSalle and Clark Streets, where Lincoln Park meets Old Town and The Gold Coast, on the Near North Side of Chicago. Driving by this tony-neighborhood gas station, you'll see the large station sign, high above Clark Street, advertise a gallon of regular self-serve for $4.59. Premium - $4.84/gallon.
But look closer, at the somewhat smaller sign posted to the wall of the station building itself, and you'll find that Full-Serve gasoline, with all of the old bells and whistles, weighs in at a hefty $4.999 per gallon - for any grade. That's practically $5 - unheard of even a few months ago, right?
There are four self-serve pumps at this neighborhood BP station - but EIGHT self-serve pumps, catering to those who are willing to pay up to 9 percent extra for the premium service.
The reason for some to frequent the station, and pay the up-charge? For some - loyalty! "This is my local gas station," said customer Susan Koltun. "I know all the attendants. They do a great job. I feel loyal."
Other loyal drivers have frequented the station for over 10 years - or, in other words, the days when gas cost less than $1.50 for the same gallon that costs drivers three times more today.
There is a problem at the corner of LaSalle and Clark Streets, however. Full-service gas sales have dropped at this BP, and some of the attendants, like Robert Aquileo, who has worked here for eight years, are considering looking for other work. His tips (even at this high price, patrons still tip, believe it or not) are way down. And he still needs to buy gas himself - if only for his own Yamaha scooter, which gets in excess of 60 miles per gallon.
Even loyalty, it seems, has its limits!
Read Mary Schmich's article in yesterday's Chicago Tribune for her full, in-person report.
DEAN MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
