He may not have sold a single vehicle because of it, but Bob Giles was nonetheless smiling from sun up to way past sun down yesterday. His 99-cent/gallon gas sale was a roaring success -- a generous gesture in light of $4/gallon gas and a downright fun-filled day (even according to those who waited in line for hours). Exceeding all expectations, the event quickly became an impressive publicity stunt for the Nissan-Volvo dealership, as word of the sale immediately caught fire over the Internet and was picked up by many national media outlets.
The sale was initially slated to run from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. but got under way much sooner, with cars forming lines before 5 a.m. There was no glitch. All you had to do was be willing to wait in line, in some cases as long as five hours -- as all of the gas was pumped from Giles' lone 1,200 gallon tank. Free water and free meal coupons courtesy of McDonald's were handed out as well.
Valerie Keller, CEO of Acadiana Outreach Center, the beneficiary of all the money raised from the sale, says there was still a line when she left at 10:15 p.m.