Hey Nashville,

[Black Bart]

Come on back! That gas-station post was excellent (never mind that it supported my position/rant/whatever).

[Snaggletooth]

Nomenclature

Bart, "Nashville" is really me, Snaggletooth. An identity which itself has resurfaced.

When the message board required everyone to register, the sign-on names were linked to the computer address. This is just another one of their features which prevents abuse. My job other than taxes is as a free-lance defense contract accounting consultant, and I have three large customers on an ongoing basis. One of them is in Nashville, hence the handle. There will be another one forthcoming shortly in Huntsville, AL. But I don't spend much time posting when I am working as a consultant charging my customers for the time. Mostly on lunch hour or downtime.

If you see a newly-registered user with a sign-on name that resembles a classic failure, it might be me. The Corduroy Frog was the name of a failed music effort, and the Golden Rocket was a luxury railroad idea that fizzled. If I need to register with another name, look for "Edsel", "Snake River Canyon" or some other infamous attempt at success gone awry. So if you see the emergence of exciting, fresh new personalities on the message board, be advised that some of them may be the reincarnation of just another old fogey like me.

The full-service gas station? They were worth an extra 3 cents. But they went the way of the dinosaurs. In like fashion, a good professional tax preparer is worth the extra money too. But the public responds to what they perceive, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Millions of self-preparers will never know the money they could have saved. As an industry, we have to respond to this challenge ourselves proactively and not depend on IRS (why should they care?) or on the public to suddenly change their mind.

Truth of the matter is that TT is eating our lunch. We all know better, and a few times a year we are called upon to bail out someone with a TurboTax disaster, and we gloat at the chance. But they've got 25 million customers we'll never see again, and their number is growing.

[Black Bart]

Bart, "Nashville" is really me, Snaggletooth...

...My job other than taxes is as a free-lance defense contract accounting consultant, and I have three large customers on an ongoing basis...One...in Nashville...another one...in Huntsville, AL.

A Huntsville defense contracting consultant, eh? You ol' rascal; I suspected all along you were in the pay of the CIA.

The full-service gas station? They were worth an extra 3 cents. But they went the way of the dinosaurs.

My experience with their passing was almost identical to yours. Our last, old-time full-service gas station in town was very much appreciated by the older widow-women who never learned how to pump gas. We were friends and I kept patronizing him for years (I have to admit I used his cheaper self-service pump) until, as you said, a day came when Uncle Sam told him to dig up the gas tanks. He said "I only make 2 cents a gallon on gas; it's just a convenience for my customers -- the wholesalers make the money." But gas was the main attraction, so he had to close up.

A bright note though (maybe the "quality service" advocates are right): He later opened a garage in an old block building down the street. He fixed flats and mufflers, sold used tires, replaced "points and plugs" (remember that?), did lube jobs and minor repair work for several more years. He finally quit and a young guy has a thriving little enterprise going there now. He/my pal does/did very good work at very reasonable prices (unlike our mainline Ford/Chev dealership shops).

You know what I miss? He always wiped the windshield. Try asking a convenience store clerk to do that!

[thomtax]

Martha's Vineyard, MA

On vacation about 3 years ago, we went over to Martha's Vineyard for a day and rented a car. All of the stations that I went to did not allow you to pump your own gas. I can't vouch for its accuracy, but I was told that all the stations on the island were that way.

LT

[outwest]

In Oregon ..

you may not pump your own gas. Attendant service only, which is a really weird feeling every time I drive through.

[GIMoe]

NJ is the same way...

you may not pump your own gas. Attendant service only, which is a really weird feeling every time I drive through.

...and it isn't anything like the way Full-Service stations used to be. They don't check your oil or wash your windshield unless you ask, usually at least two or three times.