Metropol

Keeping with the Tesco nostalgia, they recently Tweeted some delightful old photos of Tesco petrol stations:

http://twitter.com/TescoPFS/status/757485714275725312

I never knew that Tesco once had co-branding with Gulf and ICI, but I remember ASDA's petrol stations were once co-branded with Mobil.

I believe Morrisons co-branded with Texaco; in fact, I believe there is still some involvement somewhere.

2 Star and 4 Star, but no Unleaded. Or is 2 Star unleaded? I've never seen it before! I'm not even old enough to remember petrol being sold in gallons either!

Also found this photo of the petrol station at the Tesco near me from 1981


This is it how it is now (it was demolished and rebuilt in 1996- they replaced the drive-thru booths with a shop at that time. it was left alone when they rebuilt the rest of the store in 2006)
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.13321 ... V8aWlg!2e0

Also these photos of the interior and exterior of it from when it first opened in 1980 (was replaced with a modern Extra store in 2006):

That newsagents was always a John Menzies when I was growing up. Other shops in that outside area were a video shop, a pharmacy, an electrical store, an auto parts shop and the separate "Home n Wear" section (the latter of which became extra storage after the store was extended in 1996- but still had the 80s entrance/exit signs on the door, including the tick that was part of the Tesco logo at the time).



The interior's quite different to how I remember it being in the early 90s, not least because of the clothes there, which from as early as I can remember was in a seperate "Home n Wear" section, until the store was extended in 1996- must have had a refit before the end of the 80s (as I remember the old 80s style red/white striped typewriter aisle signage which doesn't seem to be there in that photo).

There was also a garden centre next to the store too- this closed in 1995 and was demolished and the store extended into the area it was in the following year.

Also a photo here of the town centre store from 1983:

I don't remember the "Superstore" text or the hanging restaurant sign ever being there, but that Tesco logo sign was still there right until it closed in 2007, even after a mid-90s refit!

james2001 wrote:2 Star and 4 Star, but no Unleaded. Or is 2 Star unleaded?

No, both 2 star and 4 star were leaded. Unleaded came later.

2 star was weaker stuff, a lower octane number. You could also get 3 star, where the pump drew up equal quantities of 2 star and 4 star out of the tanks.

There was also 5 star in the early days, which was 100 octane and needed its own underground tank.

5 star was the first to be discontinued, with the underground tanks often then being used for unleaded.

Then 2 star finished, giving more capacity for unleaded.

4 star ended at about the time diesel was becoming more popular, so the underground tanks got reorganised to their current configurations.

I'm too young, I can only remember 4 star, Unleaded and Diesel at petrol stations, and can only remember them being sold by the litre!

Then again, pretty much anyone under the age of 20 will be asking "What's 4 star?"

When I started driving, "ordinary", which became 4 star when the gradings came in, was 4/11 (a little under 25p) a gallon. That would work out at about 1/1 (a little over 5p) a litre.

No self service in those days, it was all attended. I put four gallons in each Friday for my week's motoring, was charged 19/8, gave the attendant £1, and let him keep the 4d change. The last of the big tippers, me!

Prices have gone up a tad since then.

Nick Harvey wrote:Prices have gone up a tad since then.

Especially in Devizes.

Momentous news! My local Tesco finally has contactless! The last grocery shop in the town to do so.

bilky asko wrote:Momentous news! My local Tesco finally has contactless! The last grocery shop in the town to do so.

Interesting you post this as my local Tesco Express has also recently upgraded to contactless, at least on the self-service.

Philip wrote:

bilky asko wrote:Momentous news! My local Tesco finally has contactless! The last grocery shop in the town to do so.

Interesting you post this as my local Tesco Express has also recently upgraded to contactless, at least on the self-service.

I admit I only checked the self-service too. Possibly a wide roll-out?

They're rolling them out in Express stores here but no sign of progress in normal superstores. Sainsbury's and ASDA have contactless PIN pads and have done for ages but still no sign of contactless there either!