You will no longer come to Total by chance, said the slogan. In this case, the Jean-Pierre Marquis gas station is definitely worth the detour. Established since 1981 at the exit of Varades, towards Nantes, it has never stopped refueling for its customers even though this service had almost disappeared. “I like contact with customers, we discuss. Very often, it’s rain or shine. It’s the number one topic of conversation!”explains the pump attendant.
Roland, a passing motorist, is surprised to be served. “She was thirsty for the car”, Jean-Pierre tells him. Roland appreciates the service, it also reminds him of good memories: “It was my first job, I was 16!”, he says, laughing. He is not surprised that the job of pump attendant is coming back into fashion: “There is the service, which is interesting to promote, and I think human contact is becoming more and more important.”
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Since 1981, only prices have changed from francs to euros. The rest is in its juice: “The mixer is from 1968 and the pumps from 1985”. Jean-Pierre Marquis is not computerized, he kept his calculating machine from the 1970s and regulars pay at the end of the month: “They mark the price on a sheet and they sign. I have all the companies in Varades that have an account with me!”. The 70-year-old gas station attendant admits: “I’m not keen on the Internet, I use it to place my fuel orders but beyond that, I’m not very good at it.”
Anne Bertrand
And service at the pump is not the only vestige of the 80s at Jean-Pierre Marquis: “Inside, it hasn’t changed much since 1981.”. His shop is a real bric-a-brac. Next to cans of lubricants and window cleaners, there are old coffee grinders, cast iron irons and even helmets from the First and Second World Wars. “My wife does flea markets, she leaves me a lot of objects here. People don’t come to buy a helmet but sometimes they have a crush and sometimes they buy.”
Anne Bertrand
In front of the store, we even find a boat priced at 450 euros. “The Loire is down there, a kilometer away. So in the summer, I sell boats to people to go fishing.” The pump attendant is also currently offering apples and asparagus, from local producers. Marylène, from Haies Fruitières de Varades, arrives for the week’s delivery. “Jean-Pierre is a muse in Varades”she exclaims. “You can find everything at his place. He’s always open and always there.”
Hugues Auffray stopped at his gas station
Jean-Pierre Marquis confirms: “The guy who wants to find a bottle of alcohol at 9 p.m., where can he find it other than at my house? Sometimes people tell me that I’m the local Chinese !” The pump attendant is open every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. except Sunday when it starts at 10 a.m. He has never taken a vacation in his life and, at 70, he is not thinking about retirement: “I’ve been doing this for 43 years and it suits me perfectly”. One day, he even met Hugues Auffray: “About thirty years ago. He came into the station and visited my toilet!”
Anne Bertrand
On the other hand, go your way if you drive electric. There are no charging stations at home: “Ah no no no, electricity is my enemy! I sell oil!”
