A lost Emporia-Plus
John E. Peterson, Special to the Gazette
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I have written several of these columns about Emporia-Pluses, the positive things about our city. I have also mentioned the negative things, but my emphasis has always been on the positives. In two or three of these Plus columns, I have said what a big Plus it was to have a full-service station in our town.
That Plus is gone. Brodie’s Full-Service Station is out of business (selling fuel). Such would never have happened, if I had my way. We need a full-service station. Having one was a big Plus. What are we old folks going to do about filling our gas tanks? It will be very tough for lots of us.
I think our city commission, our Chamber of Commerce and even Kent Heermann should make an effort to get us a full-service pump. They are interested in attracting businesses and industry to Emporia, so why not try to get us a full-service gas pump. A financial incentive could be offered, as it is for other things.
A full-service station would be great, but just a single pump at one of our present stations would be a big Plus. As an example, R.V. Smith’s old station out on Merchant and the highway used to have both kinds of pumps. You could fill your own and it was cheaper or you could get full service and pay a bit more.
I would be pleased to pay 10, 15, or even 25 cents more per gallon for full service. I very much hope that our commission or chamber or others of interest will work at getting us some full service. I challenge them to do something. They would certainly bring us back some full service, if I had my way.
I have spoken of a community shortcoming, an Emporia negative. Now permit me to speak about a national shortcoming, a national weakness. I would, if I had my way.
It seems to me that Medicare is much too bureaucratic, too complex and too expansive in what it does. I am pleased with our coverage, but I do not understand what it tells me about how it works. Permit me to share some of my experiences with you.
There are a mass of entities involved, too many, it seems to me. Medicare is part of Social Security. Then, there are several parts of Medicare. Routine reports come from WPS Health Insurance, which also lists itself as a CMS Medicare contractor. That is in Madison, Wisconsin.
Prescription information comes from SilverScript of Richardson, Texas. But it also has CVS and Caremark on its return address. So what is its name? The dental portion is handled by Delta Dental of Kansas in Wichita. And then we get things about our Medicare from KHPA, which stands for Kansas Health Policy Authority.
That is an immense number of different agencies involved in our simple Medicare, it seems to me. Why so many different organizations needed to handle Medicare? It must be costly.
Masses of material comes to us about our Medicare. I say again, that must be very costly. It is usually on shiny, heavy, beautiful paper. Costly? Often there are blank pages and pages with only one little item on them. Costly, again? Why are they included?
A beautifully-done, 126 -page “Medicare and You” has come each year. A three-part mass of 16 pages, 28 pages and 24 pages comes from SilverScript. Three beautiful things, some in color, come from KHPA. They are about enrollment and option. A beautiful little 28-pager on Delta Health Care comes. And there are more.
Two big objections about all of this. First, two of all this comes to us. One is to me, the other to Merle, my wife. Why would not one to us be enough? Second, this material is so voluminous and so technically-written that I cannot read it all. Of course, I am dumb, but a professor for 40 years with a doctorate. But I still cannot understand it.
It seems to me that money could be saved with less paperwork and the system work better if it were simplified. It would be done, if I had my way.
After two negative subjects, permit me to close on a positive note. It was my good fortune to hear Ken Buchele and Ken Calhoun talk about the Emporia Community Foundation. The Foundation has been going since 1996, but it was all new to me. It is a big Plus for the Emporia region.
Its mission is to assist donors and others in improving our community. You would all learn about it, if I had my way. It has an office at 527 Commercial St., and a P.O. Box 1337. The phone number is 342-9304.
Enough of my rambling on these subjects. I shall end by saying that a full-service gas pump in Emporia would be a big Plus. We would find a way to have one, if I had my way.
lets_get_reasonable (anonymous) says...
Just so it's clear... Brodie's isn't out of business. They have moved to a new location (on 8th street where McNeese Customs was). They are still doing auto repair and everything is staying exactly the same with the exception of no longer selling fuel. Their new building doesn't have fuel pumps, but it has a bigger garage area so they can work on more vehicles at a time. It is an "Emporia Negative" for the elderly folks who want fuel, but it sounds like a big plus for Brodie's. Their new place is three times the size of the old building.
February 4, 2010 at 12:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
Another neat thing about Smith's Conoco-You could get tubes tested,and radio/tv repairs.Or rent a bicycle.During the "gas wars" I've seen gas for as little as 12 cents a gallon there.That's the first place I saw the transition from black and white to"color" in the Wizard of Oz movie,too.Now I have to have my own tube tester and vari-ac,and have to go to a friend's in KC to do any serious tube matching for audio.
February 4, 2010 at 1:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
That was the old Smith's at 10th and Commercial I mentioned.You got me to thinking about all these long gone old businesses that actually had service as part of doing business.
February 4, 2010 at 1:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I'm happy for Brodie's new larger digs which will also give him and staff more time to fix things instead of stopping to run out and fill somebody's tank.
Still, I'm disappointed that there is no longer a place that will pump your gas for you. Also, gone is the tire check and oil check and windshield service. I'd gladly pay more for the service. Before Brodie's, I used to love stopping at the little place that used to be down at Soden's Grove? It was my favorite place. So nice to stop for gas, get everything checked, and a short chat too. I think his name was Heins.
If I owned a gas station and had MY way, I'd hire a high school kid or two to pump gas and check tires and all that stuff at just one pump and still offer self-service at all the others. There's something worthwhile about offering something like that in a time of hurry-up-pump-your-own-gas-swipe-your-card-no-service-screw-you places.
February 4, 2010 at 2:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sandman (anonymous) says...
create, the problem with you last paragraph is when the kids are in school, which means they can't cover those pumps, etc. I do agree tho, our oldest son worked for Smiths on Merchant (P66) while going to High School, good experience for him and the Smith's were wonderful people for him to work for.
February 4, 2010 at 2:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
railroadhorn (anonymous) says...
If someone wants to hire me cheap, I'd gladly pump gas, check oil-tires, etc., at a full-service pump. I've got too much time on my hands! :)
February 4, 2010 at 3:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lets_get_reasonable (anonymous) says...
I hope that if any of you are customers of his like I am, that you'll continue to give him your business. In my opinion he's the most honest, reliable, and reasonably-priced in town and I'd hate for our town to lose someone like him. Its rare that you find a mechanic nowadays who's not spreading oil all under the bottom of your car and calling it a leak just to rip you off.
February 4, 2010 at 4:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lets_get_reasonable (anonymous) says...
I didn't mean mechanics in Emporia (I'm sorry if it came across that way), I meant that mechanics in general get a bad rap because of the tricks that some of them pull. It's unfortunate, especially to those who actually do treat their customers with respect. And when it comes to who the best mechanic in town is, I believe I started my sentence with "in my opinion..." for a reason =) Honestly.. I'm a customer.. repeat customers of one mechanic are always going to think they have the best in town! So I'm happy for Gene's Quick Lube that they have a loyal customer like you!
February 4, 2010 at 5 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Steve's my guy too and I'll defend him to whatever degree anybody wants to throw down. But good luck to Brodie too. I don't imagine it's very easy doing business during a recession.
sandman, seems like the problem is solved of the high school kid being in school during the day. Railroad horn solved it. Hire a retired guy for the mornings and afternoons. Man I wish somebody would do it.
February 4, 2010 at 6:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bnava (anonymous) says...
As an ex Emporian i still return to emporia to have my vehicles serviced and worked on. I refuse to take them to places here as they work on getting you to buy more then what is actually needed for an oil change.
February 4, 2010 at 6:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
I used to pump gas and give full service at the Thomas Truck Terminal back in the 50's and I can remember gas at 25 cents per gallon. Today if I had kept that quartter which was real silver, I could buy at today's price one and a half gallons. I remember a farmer telling me that in my lifetime gas would go to a dollar and that got me interested in the study of economics and discovering the hedges against inflation. In the next 10 years we will be looking at 10% interest on Real Estate Loans.
February 4, 2010 at 11:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
I pumped alot of gas at full service pumps, washed many a windshield, opened alot of car hoods to check the fluids, aired up alot of tires, met/saw alot of interesting folks, including the author of this article and his wife.
You're alot older than I reddog, but the first gas I pumped into my car in the 80's was 32 cents/gal, ethyl was still available at the pump, candybars were dime, sodas were 15 cents, and my first home purchase cost me 11% interest in 1989. Something most consumers may not realize, but the spread between full service gas and self service prices at some businesses was due in part to the greed of some of the wholesale fuel suppliers. They charged the retail businesses more for full service gas than self serve gas even though they are one in the same in the supply tank. The business I worked at didn't buy truckloads, they paid for the fuel as it was pumped just like the customer did. The pumps are metered and those numbers were submitted daily to the supplier who billed our business monthly for the fuel ran thru the pumps. Had it not been this way, you would have seen much more affordable full service prices. Yet another example of good old American greed ruining a good thing.
February 5, 2010 at 1 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
luvsnow1 (anonymous) says...
There are a lot of comments about the good and bad of losing a full service station, but one comment that caught my eye. I would like to correct it. If any customer wants to drive down to Brodie's new location at 11 W. 8th Ave. and you would like to have the fluid levels checked or the tires checked they will still continue to do this for you at no charge! Nothing has changed at Brodie's Full Service Auto EXCEPT they do not sell fuel.
February 5, 2010 at 10:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )