Gas stations with old-time pumps are being forced to upgrade

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Motorists haven’t been the only ones to watch with concern as gas prices top $4 per gallon.

Mom-and-pop service stations are also running into a vexing problem: Thousands of old-fashioned pumps can’t register more than $3.99 on their spinning mechanical dials.

The pumps, throwbacks to a bygone era on the American road, are difficult and expensive to upgrade, and replacing them is often out of the question for station owners who are still just scraping by.

Across the nation, retailers with the older pumps have had to invest in conversion kits — if they can even get them.

Chicage Tribune