# Amoco invasion

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 11, 2022, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371 "2022-09-11T10:11:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/1 "2022-09-11T10:11:58Z")

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Recently I’ve noticed in southeastern Wisconsin a slew of small, independent gas stations being rebranded as Amoco. One day it was Tommy’s gas n’ tow, the next day a brand new shiny Amoco sign and pumps were present. And there are a lot of stations that did this from the Milwaukee metro area all the way down to the flatlands border.

I can’t find anything online explaining this. Anyone know what’s up?

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**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/2 "2022-09-11T12:59:38Z")

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Maybe they were Amoco related.

Like down at the mall where the two jewelry shops and 3 of the clothes shops are all owned by the same multinational… Amoco may have had these service stations as a sort of fake competition… looks independent, but its really Amoco.

Now BP bought Amoco.

This allows BP to open Amoco branded service stations as well, in a form of fake competition (they admit to it.)

So they may have made it worthwhile for the individual operator to take up the brand name , or  
BP owned the real estate and had the power to tell the business owner to quit, or BP other power (can they just say, well we won’t supply fuel , or we wont supply it at the same prices, so you may as well quit ? )

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**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/3 "2022-09-11T14:09:44Z")

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BP has decided to bring back AMOCO to select cities. I was surprised to see one recently and it was a bit of nostalgia.

I thought that brand had disappeared after the BP merger.

And the local AGO’s are converting to CITGO.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/4 "2022-09-11T14:56:32Z")

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You in Waukesha County?  
Did you graduate from a Catholic School, there?

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**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/5 "2022-09-11T15:10:58Z")

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> [@chela](#):
>
> I thought that brand had disappeared after the BP merger.

When they first merged it was briefly BP-Amoco. There was a joke doing the rounds in the industry, based upon perceptions about which side of the merger was in charge:

Q: How to you pronounce BP-Amoco?  
A: BP. The Amoco is silent.

We had a curious change here in Oz. Caltex (owned by Chevron) pulled their branding, and all their outlets changed to the local Ampol branding, which had been absent for decades, but also owned by Caltex. Quite why Chevron decided to pull the Caltex brand was a bit mystifying.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/6 "2022-09-11T15:29:43Z")

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FYI, [this Chicago Tribune article](https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-amoco-bp-station-rebranding-20181002-story.html) talks about this. Among other things, it says, “The revival of the Amoco brand is both a nostalgic road trip down memory lane for older drivers and a way for BP to pack more stations into an area. Having a separate brand name enables the company to put an Amoco station next to a BP station without confusing consumers.”

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**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/7 "2022-09-11T15:47:01Z")

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> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#):
>
> You in Waukesha County?  
> Did you graduate from a Catholic School, there?

No, on both accounts.

And I don’t understand your question/post.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/8 "2022-09-11T23:53:15Z")

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I used to live there.

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**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/9 "2022-09-11T23:58:50Z")

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Why, you think you know me?

I’m 61, live in West Allis, and am originally from West Bend.

Haven’t seen an Amoco in these parts for decades.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/10 "2022-09-12T01:18:45Z")

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Maybe.  
I went to to Saint Joe’s in Waukesha, & Catholic Memorial.

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amoco-invasion/971371/11 "2022-09-14T21:30:24Z")

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> [@pkbites](#):
>
> I’m 61, live in West Allis, and am originally from West Bend.

Cornelius, is that you?
