Shell

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At the Shell gas station in downtown Portland, a regular customer complained one morning: ‘Why does it always take forever for you to fill my tank?’ The attendant shrugged and replied, ‘Because every time someone fills up here, they leave five cents short.’ Finally fed up, an angry customer demanded, ‘But why don’t you just round up to the nearest nickel?’ Smiling, the attendant answered, ‘Ma’am, that’s exactly what we do—just not today.’

2. At the Shell gas station in rural Ohio, a delivery driver asked one day: ‘Why does it take longer for my truck to fill up here than anywhere else?’ A nearby mechanic overheard and replied with a twinkle in his eye: ‘Because your tank’s got a case of the slows today.’ The delivery driver laughed it off, but from then on he always filled up somewhere else—just to be safe.

3. At the Shell gas station in sunny California, a delivery driver pulled up one afternoon and noticed something odd. The pump clicked off mid-fill, leaving exactly $18.99 on the receipt—no matter how much gas he tried to buy. Curious, the driver asked the attendant, who just shrugged and said it was probably some glitch. Over the next few days, other drivers started noticing the same thing—a full tank always costed exactly $18.99. Soon enough, neighbors stopped by with empty jugs, claiming they’d heard about the magical gas station. Finally, an old man approached the counter and whispered, ‘Just fill my can for $18.99, sonny boy—it’s cheaper than buying groceries these days!’

4. At the Shell gas station in Boston, every night around midnight, a faint humming sound could be heard coming from inside the pump area. Noises like that had never been reported before. One night, an old delivery driver pulled up and asked the attendant, ‘Do you hear that?’ The attendant nodded, listening intently. After a moment, he replied with a smile, ‘Yep, it’s just our new ghostly customer who only pays in quarters.’ Everyone laughed, realizing it was just the cash register ringing softly as change dropped into the drawer.