To really like garages where they fill up your car with fuel whilst you wait?

[Susanjeffery1984]

Our Shell garage has a few people employed to fill up your car whilst you wait. The fuel is a couple of pence more but I don’t mind. There’s no risk of getting smelly diesel on your paws and you can have a nice chat with someone, or start queuing if you are in a rush.
It used to be more common but I can’t think of any other garages where they still do this, which is a shame.

I used to livr in South America and it is the norm there. The person filling the car also offers to clean your windscreen for you and you pay them (cash or card) from your car. Normal to tip them as they earn very little. I loved it. I once waited at a petrol station without realising it didn't provide this service (this happened only ONCE the whole time I lived there) and someone came over to tell me it was self-service, and then proceeded to explain how to fill the car, as he assumed I wouldn't know!! I guess many people there wouldn't know, as they have never had to do it themselves.

I haven't seen this in the UK since the 80s in the village I grew up in.

It would be a good service but I don't imagine it's something that will be implemented in the uk any time soon. Can you imagine how the great British public would react? "I didn't authorise £50.02, I said £50", "you've scratched my car/broken the fuel cap/put the wrong fuel in" etc etc etc.

By and large, consumers are awful and out to see what they can get.

I can remember when every single petrol station in the UK did this.

It died out in the 70s, quite rapidly after the introduction of self-service because people voted with their feet (or should that be tyres?) for the cheaper petrol. In the last pockets of full service (Channel Islands, I think) it had gone by the 00s.

I liked it, but I don't see it coming back.

I can still find some like this in small towns in Portugal. But it tends to be a one person operation.

Standard in the Middle East - the DC get really confused when we’re in UK and DH or I get out of the car to fill up ourselves!

Totally standard here. I hate it. I feel so lazy while the guys earning peanuts stand in the sweltering sun.

I'm 44 and can JUST remember a few petrol stations that were like this at the end of the 1970s. Two star or four star, sir?

Standard in Italy too (although you can do self service). I found that I had almost forgetten how to fill up myself though when I was in the UK as I hadn't done it for ages.

I LOVE it when they do this. The last time it happened to me was about 15 years ago on holiday in Suffolk. I find holding the nozzles quite difficult and sometimes painful (tiny hands, not much strength) and would always happily pay more for someone else to do it for me.

OP, I'd love to know whereabouts in the country you are, so I can track down this service!

I really like filling my car up. I like using the pump, and I love the smell of petrol.

I can understand not liking it, though.

Up until a year ago my local (esso) had a chap that did it, it was great, esp when I had to do it on school run mornings years back, lol, sadly he retired and they never took anyone else on, id love it as I have a slight knee problem so not having to get in & out would be so nice

One near me used to do it and I hated it. What are you supposed to do while they do it? I'm obviously not cut out to be serviced!

It used to be a job for school kids at our local petrol stations. But only for boys. Then one girl in my year got a job doing it - breaking down barriers - go Sharon! She was ace.

It used to be the way it was done, then more people got cars and things changed.

Like being in a shop and being served by someone from behind the counter, before self service and supermarkets. You would go to the bakers, be served, put the bread in your shopping basket, go to the greengrocers etc. Life was much slower and less stressful.

Buses had conductors that would give you a ticket from a machine with a roll of paper in it, and walk up and down the bus to collect the fares.

There are 2 near me that do it. I asked them to check the air pressure in my tyres too the other day, and they did for free 😊

If you are in London, there is a service called Zeebra who come to your house to fill up. That’d definitely stop me buying “3 twirls for £1.20” 😂

@Pradaqueen that sounds amazing! I’m moving to London just to experience this!

When I first started driving it was the norm where is lived.
What put me off was when I asked for “£5 of 4 star please” once, the guy got distracted and put nearly £20 in by accident.
I was a skint 17 year old(hence only adding £5 worth at a time!) and was just told I had to pay and that was that. Left me skint for the rest of the week. Bastards. still bitter 20 years on

I remember this in semi-rural Wales in the mid-80s. Yes to bus conductors, too - so helpful for the elderly, people with pushchairs* and so on.

• oldspeak for 'buggy'

LotsToThinkOf

On the pumps around here you can set the amount that goes in the tank so no overspend.

Our local does. :)

They did this when I lived in the Middle East. I thought it was great, and one of the many examples where they employed people to do any kind of small job just so people could earn a wage.

Our local petrol station (independently owned) does this. Love it!

Tesco/Asda etc do it if you ask them. I personally dislike places that do it for me

I remember the man coming out for my grandma even after her local changed to self service. I think it’s becauae she always wore nice hats.