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Rich's in Atlanta sold gas at the "tire and auto centers" in the old days (well, Rich's is gone anyway!!). In Eastern Europe, the mega stores (hipermarts) sell gas often. Auchan (French) sells gas in Hungary.

What goes around comes around... Fred Meyer stores constructed in the '70s usually operated a service station as an outparcel. They were eventually sold off to other operators. But, in the past several years, as gas stations have become a common sight at supermarkets, Fred Meyer has added them as well... often adjacent to their old auto centers/service stations!

About 3 out of 4 Giant Department Stores in the Washington, D.C. area had Giant gas stations next door.

Jeff wrote:Fedco did have gas stations at a couple of thier locations. The ones I remember are Pasadena (caddy-corner to the store), and Ontario (in the lot).
La Cinega, San Bernardino I dont recall having gas stations.

I do know the Buena Park Fedco didn't have one, since it was built in an old May Company store.

The S.B. location did had a gas station at one time. I was attending summer school at San Bernardino Valley College when Fedco folded and by then the gas station was an independent. I only used it once. The service station next to the gas station remained Fedco until its last days and still has the old signage. The store was gutted and converted into an hispanic market and clothing store.

Montgomery Ward in Oklahoma City had gas at their tire and auto center.....seems like it was called "Riverside" gas, or something like that. Also, JC Penney had at least one store here that sold gasoline.....Penncrest, maybe?

Jeff wrote:La Cinega, San Bernardino I dont recall having gas stations.

The La Cienega store's gas station is now the Arco on the corner of La Cienega and Rodeo. There was also a separate auto care center (tires, oil changes, etc) on the north end of the Fedco lot but it was torn down when Target took over.

terryinokc wrote:Montgomery Ward in Oklahoma City had gas at their tire and auto center.....seems like it was called "Riverside" gas, or something like that. Also, JC Penney had at least one store here that sold gasoline.....Penncrest, maybe?

I've seen a photo from 1965 with the name "Blendomatic" on Penney's gas pumps. Not sure if that's a reference to the fuel, or the pump itself.

In the Atlanta area, Rich's did sell gasoline at some of their tire centers as posted earlier. Some Richway locations had tire centers but I'm not sure if they also sold gasoline. Arlan's on Ponce de Leon, although it had a grocery operation, memory does not serve me well as to whether they sold fuel. One other chain nobody has mentioned was GEX. The location on I-85 had some sort of gasoline facility, and I think it was operated or at least branded by them. They also had a second location in Atlanta before shutting down, but I don't recall any details as to location or facilities.

tkaye wrote:

terryinokc wrote:Montgomery Ward in Oklahoma City had gas at their tire and auto center.....seems like it was called "Riverside" gas, or something like that. Also, JC Penney had at least one store here that sold gasoline.....Penncrest, maybe?

I've seen a photo from 1965 with the name "Blendomatic" on Penney's gas pumps. Not sure if that's a reference to the fuel, or the pump itself.

Probably similar to Sunoco's old "blender" pumps, where you would choose the octane by changing the dial.

jamcool wrote:

tkaye wrote:

terryinokc wrote:Montgomery Ward in Oklahoma City had gas at their tire and auto center.....seems like it was called "Riverside" gas, or something like that. Also, JC Penney had at least one store here that sold gasoline.....Penncrest, maybe?

I've seen a photo from 1965 with the name "Blendomatic" on Penney's gas pumps. Not sure if that's a reference to the fuel, or the pump itself.

Probably similar to Sunoco's old "blender" pumps, where you would choose the octane by changing the dial.

From what I can tell via a quick search, the Wayne 511 Blendomatic pump was what Sunoco used. It may have been used by others as well. If you want to look on page 233 of this document http://ag.state.nv.us/menu/top/ago/OldO ... 59_AGO.pdf, you'll get an overview of how the device worked (it's a 1959 Nevada Attorney General opinion that the pump didn't violate Nevada law as to labeling and sale of gasoline).

Gotta love arcane stuff.

Here's a shot of said Penney's Blendomatic pumps at the Tacoma Mall: http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/i ... 654818PM86 -- they look like everyday gas pumps to me!

By the way, this auto center is a Firestone now. The gas pumps are gone, but not much else has changed.

tkaye wrote:Here's a shot of said Penney's Blendomatic pumps at the Tacoma Mall: http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/i ... 654818PM86 -- they look like everyday gas pumps to me!

By the way, this auto center is a Firestone now. The gas pumps are gone, but not much else has changed.

If you look at the face of the pump - see that row of squarish things along the bottom? That's the different blends. I can't see where it says "Blendomatic" on the picture.

Here's a picture of a Blendomatic pump once branded for Chevron: http://www.oldgas.com/shoptalk/ubb/Foru ... 00889.html.

This talk about JC Penney and Sears selling gas brings me back to when I first got a driver's license, which coincided pretty neatly with the 1973-1974 Arab Oil Embargo. About the only place around my part of Richmond that seemed to have gas on a regular basis was the Sears at Cloverleaf Mall. I remember often spending a couple of hours in the afternoon on even-numbered days to fill up my VW at Sears, where the lines filled up a good portion of the mall parking lot.

Curiously, the JC Penney at the mall never seemed to have any gas, and they stopped selling it and took out the pumps shortly after the embargo, if not during the embargo. Sears gas pumps didn't last too long after that, either. I'm pretty sure that the Sears and Penney gas stations at Cloverleaf Mall were their only ones in Richmond.

Dave wrote:If you look at the face of the pump - see that row of squarish things along the bottom? That's the different blends. I can't see where it says "Blendomatic" on the picture.

Thanks for the insight -- a photo of the gas station that ran in the newspaper during the grand opening (most likely taken by the same photographer as this) shows a close-up of the pump where "Blendomatic" is written across the top of the pump, next to the Penneys logos, which are easily visible here.

tkaye wrote:What goes around comes around... Fred Meyer stores constructed in the '70s usually operated a service station as an outparcel. They were eventually sold off to other operators. But, in the past several years, as gas stations have become a common sight at supermarkets, Fred Meyer has added them as well... often adjacent to their old auto centers/service stations!

For what it's worth, the Fred Meyer store in Longview, WA has a Les Schwab tire center on its southwest corner as an outparcel building. I am not sure if it ever had a gas station, as I do not remember one since the late 80s. I have always wondered if it was originally a Fred Meyer-owned building as it is somewhat smaller than a typical Les Schwab, and has some architectural features similar to the Fred Meyer store. A few years ago Fred Meyer did construct a gas station, on its southeast corner.

Also, here is an odd one...a Publix branded gas station in BOISE, IDAHO. It was on the site of what was D'Alessandro's, which Albertsons later purchased and turned into Maxx Food & Drug. I have no idea if this station still exists, but remember a relative from Florida commenting about it when they visited in the 80s when I lived there. I highly doubt the nearby store was ever a Publix.