"When I bought the gas station in 1997, I didn't know anything about the fuel business, but I knew from my prior experience managing grocery stores that customer service is the key to success, so the [image-nocss] first thing I did was reinstate windshield washing," Couch told the newspaper.
Customers were so complimentary that Couch decided to go a step further and require his attendants to wear white uniforms with folded hats, like some service station attendants wore from the 1930s to the early 1960s, said the report. He said he got the idea from old photographs and watching old movies that showed crews of three or four uniformed attendants rushing to greet cars as they pulled in for fuel. One greeted the driver with a big smile and started pumping fuel while others washed the windshield, rear window and side windows and checked the tire pressure and oil.
Couch said window washing is mandatory for his attendants and they get bonus points, which translate into bonus pay, for each additional service performed for customers, time permitting.
"I figured if we are going to do the old-fashioned service, we ought to dress the look," Couch said. "We tell our employees the uniform represents good customer service, so you wouldn't want to wear the uniform and not provide good customer service."
That strategy has paid off, he said. Fuel sales have increased every year since 1997 at the station despite the depressed economy, Couch said.
Larry Kimmel, vice president of Bend Oil, a regional fuel distributor for Shell and Chevron stations in central and eastern Oregon, confirmed for the paper that Couch's sales have risen annually, even during the economic downturn over the past couple of years when sales have generally been flat for most gas stations across the region.
"His sales have grown compared to other sites we service," Kimmel told the Examiner.
To attract and keep good employees willing to meet his customer service expectations, Couch said he pays more than minimum wage and gives bonuses to employees who meet or exceed the company's service standards with secret shoppers. "We pay between $9 and $11 per hour for gas attendants, and they can earn an extra $25 to $50 each time they get a good score from a secret shopper," Couch added. And it is not unusual for customers to tip attendants, which can add $10 to $20 to daily pay during the summer tourist season.
While promoting gas sales with uniformed attendants and old-time service has been successful, Couch gained national attention in 2007 with a more daring promotion in which he tied helium balloons to a lawn chair, rode it to 16,000 feet and traveled 193 miles from his Shell station launch pad. (Click here for previous CSP Daily News coverage.)
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