May 14, 2008 3:20 pm US/Pacific
Old Gas Pumps Unable To Keep Up With High Prices
SACRAMENTO (CBS) ―
Here's another sign the price of gas is skyrocketing: Even gas pumps can't keep up.
There are gas stations around the Sacramento area that were built back in the 30's, 40's or 50's and are still in use. They use mechanical gauges, and the station owners are finding that their old pumps are facing new problems.
One such station is called Oliver's Gas Station, tucked away on an old country road in Clipper Gap, not far from Auburn. Siblings Denise and Robert Sidell run the gas station that hasn't changed since the 1930's.
The gas pumps won't charge more than $3.99 a gallon. There's no $4.00 setting.
Whoever built these pumps years ago never saw this day coming.
"I can guarantee you they didn't think gas was going to be over $2 a gallon let alone $4," said Robert Sidell.
Take a look inside the pump and you can see what makes it go.
"These are the gears I can set to change the price of fuel," he said.
Updating the gears will cost up to $1,000, a hefty price for an old country station.
But Denise and Robert have figured out a trick that they're already using on their diesel customers.
"We cut the price in half, we dispense it half price and then just double the price that you see at the pump," Robert said. "In other words, if it's $4.10 a gallon we charge $2.05 coming out of the pump, and that would equal $4.10 a gallon."
They may work on an old country road in Clipper Gap, but this pair is making sure there's no gap in their profit margin.
The owners say they bought that station from the Oliver family two years ago. At the time, gas was about $2.50 a gallon.
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