In 1949, an attendant stands ready at a Seaboard Oil Company station in Jacksonville.

Besides pumping the gas, full service meant washing the windshield, checking the oil & water, inspecting the fan belt, and measuring the pressure in tires. When business was slow, attendants might brush out the car’s carpet too.  Other perks included free maps, calendars, balloons, mileage calculators, and sets of drinking glasses, maybe featuring the US presidents. Stations also sold tires & accessories like batteries and seat covers.

Here's the stereotype for a station attendant during the full-service heyday:  A smiling professional in a crisp, white uniform would greet each customer by name and then quickly & efficiently tend to each a car's needs.  He would've been sort of like a cleaned-up Gomer or Goober from The Andy Griffith Show.  However, reality often didn't measure up to the ideal.  Many disinterested teens frequently worked as attendants, for example.