Libertyville station pumps your gas for no extra charge

Motorists who pull into the Shell station on Peterson Road in Libertyville may feel as if they have entered a time warp.

While owner Bill Seitz says he strives to keep the price of gas lower than competitors — the closest is roughly a mile away — that isn't what induces the déjà vu.

Instead, it is a practice that hearkens to earlier times of motor travel that has gotten customer attention: station employees pump gas and wash the windshield at no extra charge.

“When I was in high school, I pumped gas so it brought back memories,” said Libertyville resident Jim Stiller, who gasses up about once a week.

He learned of the new service recently, when he was greeted as he pulled up to the pump.

“He came to the car and said, ‘I'd be happy to pump the gas for you,'” Stiller said of an employee who was at the ready. “I thought it was pretty innovative, especially in inclement weather.”

Heavy parkas have been purchased for the staff, although they won't be checking the oil or tire pressure — too many variables with modern vehicles make that a job for a mechanic, Seitz said.

The convenience of being able to stay warm on a cold winter day while someone else tends to the gas tank could also build customer loyalty and business for Seitz's adjoining Car Spa carwash and detail center.

“I've got the guys, I figured why not use them to the fullest? They're getting more hours and my customers are happy,” he said.

The service is unusual these days, said Bill Fleischli, executive vice president of the Springfield-based Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association/Illinois Association of Convenience Stores. Group members own, run or supply 3,500 to 4,000 convenience stores with gas pumps, he said.

“I'm not aware of anyone who does that at the self-service price,” Fleischli said. “As my members call me, I'm going to ask them if they thought of that.”

There are a few locations in Springfield with full service islands, Fleischli said, but he thought the practice fairly rare.

“He's certainly an innovator. We'll see in the local area if it catches on.”

Seitz and his brothers, Mike and Bob, also operate a Car Spa and gas station in Lake Forest — the original family business — and a 10-minute oil change business and Car Spa in Kenosha, Wis.

“I pumped gas at a gas station when I was a kid,” Seitz said. “I grew up at the gas station.”

They bought the carwash in Libertyville about 11 years ago. But that business ebbs and flows with the weather. Seitz said he has wanted to add a gas station for several years but the timing wasn't right.

In 2010, with favorable loan rates and terms and hungry contractors, the family decided to build a gas station to smooth the ups and downs of the carwash business. The station, revamped carwash and adjoining convenience store opened about a year ago.

The promotion is planned to run through March 31 but could be extended depending on the response.