Shell

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At dusk, when cars hummed into Shell for gas, a little boy would appear out of nowhere. He’d stand by the pumps, eyes wide as he watched the glowing pump nozzles spin and hiss. Then, without fail, he’d reach into his pocket and pull out a tiny plastic car, just like those in the gas tanks. Finally, someone asked him where he got that toy car from. The boy smiled shyly and said, ‘Oh, I found it in one of those big trucks that deliver gas.’ A delivery driver chuckled, scratching his head, ‘Guess I left my little buddy behind again!’

2. One morning, as a delivery driver pulled up to fill his truck, he noticed an old sign taped to the pump: ‘Fill Up Before Noon or Pay Double Price Afternoon Rates.’ Curious, he filled up and drove off. But later that day, when he returned to top off his tank, the note had changed: now it read, ‘Fill Up After Noon or Pay Regular Morning Rates.’ Confused, our delivery driver decided to check back in the evening. The sign now said, 'Fill Up Anytime for Regular Rates.' He laughed, realizing someone was having fun with him. Turns out, a friendly neighborhood gas station attendant enjoyed tweaking customers’ expectations.

3. One day, while pumping gas, a man noticed an old coin sticking out of the nozzle. He picked it up and found himself staring at a quarter dated from the 1950s—except there were no other cars in sight. Curious, he popped into the station’s office, where the attendant laughed and said, ‘Oh, that’s just our time capsule trick. Every now and then someone finds one of those old coins.’ The man shrugged and went on his way, thinking nothing of it until later that night when he realized he had kept the coin—and it was still stuck to his pump nozzle.

4. While filling up one afternoon, a delivery driver glanced down and saw something odd—a tiny plastic dinosaur nestled among the change in the Shell’s cash register. Curious, he picked it up and asked the attendant if anyone had reported losing a toy. With a shrug, the guy said, ‘Not today.’ The delivery driver slipped the dinosaur into his pocket, thinking it might cheer up his kid at home. As he drove off, he smiled, realizing that maybe Shell wasn’t just about gas—maybe it was also about little surprises for strangers.’