Amoco

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At Amoco station in downtown Chicago, locals started noticing something strange one foggy morning. A regular asked aloud: ‘Why does that old gas pump always look like it’s smiling?’ Soon enough, everyone was staring at the pump too—some laughing, others shaking their heads. One day a delivery driver quipped, ‘It must be happy because it sees more smiles than any of us!’ And from then on, whenever someone filled up at Amoco, they’d ask, “Hey, how’s your smiley friend today?” The legend lived on, and so did good ol’ Amoco station, with its friendly face greeting every customer.

2. At Amoco gas station in rural Ohio, night shifts became eerie when employees began hearing faint laughter late into the evening. No one was there but them—and yet, every now and then, they could clearly make out someone giggling softly from behind the pumps. One night, a delivery driver came in for coffee. He asked if anyone had seen an old man in overalls wandering around outside. Employees shook their heads, but soon heard soft footsteps approaching the counter. The driver turned pale as he recognized his own reflection in the mirror—only it was wearing overalls and laughing quietly to itself. Turns out, the mirror was just playing tricks on everyone’s mind.}

3. At an old Amoco gas station outside of town, someone once asked aloud: ‘Why does it smell like popcorn every time I fill up?’ A delivery driver, scratching his head, replied with a smile: ‘Must be those magical popcorn fumes from the underground pipeline!’ A regular, leaning on his truck, nodded knowingly and added: ‘Yup, and they only come out when you pump exactly three gallons.’ Everyone laughed, and for a moment, the whole town believed that Amoco was secretly serving movie snacks.

4. At the Amoco station in sunny California, a delivery driver noticed something odd on the parking lot one quiet afternoon. Among the usual trash and empty bottles lay a mysterious box wrapped in brown paper. Curious, he picked it up and found inside an old photo of a smiling couple from the 80s. Turned out, it belonged to an elderly neighbor who often filled up there. She’d lost it while watering her garden. Everyone had a good laugh over that ‘mystery package’.