Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Are Service Station Pledge Signs Bogus?

I was sitting in my garage evaluating some of my Petroliana Collection when I ran across these two signs...promises from Corporate Office that these service station restrooms are guaranteed to be clean. In my experience as a human being I have to admit that the bathrooms in service station are the worst of the worst!

I was taken back to the scene when Lloyd (Dumb and Dumber) took the key (attached to the cinder block so no one would have make off with it! Good idea!) to the service station in order to relieve himself and how dirty everything was. It seems to me that it is always like that!

Is that your experience also and thus are our Corporate Office Restroom Pledge signs in our collections really a joke? I thought I would ask to see what someone else thought about it...and perhaps I had missed the clean ones for the past 67 years. What do you think?

Usually a Port A potty is a cleaner choice. Better after the self serve coinvent stores came along. 1950's-60's were the worst.

There were some nasty bathrooms in those old gas stations. I remember on vacation one time getting in trouble from my parents after reading a poem that I obviously didn't fully understand off one of those walls and reciting when I got back in the car.

Now the other end of the spectrum, if you're ever in one of the gulf states and stop at a Buc-ee's, visit the restrooms there. Not only is it one of the largest I've ever seen, but they constantly have someone in there cleaning! (They also have a ridiculous number of pumps. I was at pump 238 when I stopped at the one by the Texas Motor Speedway)

Remember some the objects chained to the key?

No, those signs and pledges were not a joke at all. Back then, station owners, operators, managers, and yes employees had pride in their stations. I'm sure there were some restrooms that were not up to par, but they were the exceptions not the rule.
Now however, is a different story.

My parents did not get the UNION OIL CO. Sparkle awards on a regular basis by having dirty bathrooms. The Sparkle Gals were out yearly to check our service station for cleanliness and service. The only person that set the bar higher for our bathroom standards than the Sparkle gals was my mother!!!

This all depends on how old you are. While I don't remember the signs above, I am pretty sure if I spend a few hours going through all the literature I have I will probably find something on them.
My memories go back to the early 1960 where I remember stopping a at very old, one pump, station, asking where was the men's room. I was told to look for the shed out back with the half moon on the door.
I will say this, now with all the great very clean stations, both outside and inside I do get a little confused when I go into the new style men's rooms. Now there are two sizes of urinals, one high and one low, I don't know if I should just rinse it off or give it a bath.
Hey it is late at night, maybe we can all take a little time off to have a laugh or two.

Jack Sim

to Stephenwarren and others -I dont know what roads you traveled or for that matter what part of the country -but speaking for the Texaco Rest Room Program it was anything but bogus.
I was employed by Texaco during the period when the pledge signs were introduced and I knew Paul Hicks(his signature on pledge sign),was in his company numerous times as a salesman and this
program was a serious program and anyone who did not take it seriously did so at their peril -I'm speaking of sales personnel. During this period, there were sales people driving white cars whose assignment
was strictly checking rest rooms on major roadways --they pulled signs where rest rooms were not maintained and I can tell you from experience there was a lot of grief when this happened in ones sales assignment
Sure there were rest rooms with cinder blocks -bricks and whatever affixed to the rest room keys -but I'm certain the station did not have the pledge sign of the green/white large RRR sign or the later tan one
Many dealers questioned the benefit -Many were mechanics whose could care less about the public and the appreciation for clean rest rooms. It was an interesting period of time, but I can assure you it was not a bogus program -at least not with Texaco Inc.
DSFoster

https://youtu.be/8Ig5vcY9R50

😂😂😂😂😂

Here is a Texaco Leather Key Chain Strap for Ladies Room (sadly someone painted Men over Ladies).
I remember Texaco Stations were the only stations my parents would stop at to buy gas and the rest rooms were always clean.

Lol