A "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Promo Included 30-Cent Gas And People In LA Almost Sold Their First Born

Look, if you were paying $3.58 per gallon...

On Wednesday, Aug. 15, Los Angeles flashed back to the marvelous year 1959.

Movies cost 51 cents, women could do what they wanted without men telling them how to do it better, people weren't racist...erm, well...at least you could get a killer hairdo for $3 and champagne was only $2!!

To promote its beloved, popular show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon created #MaiselDay, where nearly 30 businesses donned pink drapery and dropped prices to 1950s-levels.

We're talking 99-cent corned beef sandwiches, fancy cupcakes for a quarter, and a burger, fries, and a milkshake at a diner for a little over $1.

Folks it’s #maiselday in Los Angeles and everything is 1950s prices. I’m getting my makeup done for $2.50 and haircut for $3. I know Jews don’t believe in heaven but...

Heaven, right? Well, this is 2019, so things, obviously, went a little awry.

In case you haven't heard, people in LA drive a lot. Like, a lot a lot. We drive everywhere. We drive to the gym a mile away to go run on the treadmill and then drive home. Many of us drive hours to get to work, or to take our kids to school. We drive 25 minutes to go check out a new coffee shop while complaining about how far said coffee shop is. The Whole Foods. 7 miles away? Driving. We eat dinner in our cars. Meditate in our cars. We live, literally, in our cars. I have changed my outfit three times in a day with clothes I have found in my car.

As a result, there's always traffic. All the time. 2:00 p.m. on a Wednesday on the 405? RIP your soul. Trying to take the 10 downtown? Lol. The 101 at 4:00 p.m.? 👇👇👇👇

Also, in case you didn't know, Los Angeles has some of the most expensive gas in the country. A few months ago, prices averaged about $4 per gallon for the first time since 2015. Right now, we're hitting about $3.58 per gallon — way, way higher than basically every other state.

SO, when Angelenos heard that the #MaiselDay promotion included cheap AF gas at ONE station, we're talking 30-cent per gallon gas, shit got a bit crazy.

@ Santa Monica 30cent gas 😭 #MaiselDay

People and news stations were sharing stories, photos, and videos of long lines, cars blocking business entrances, police directing traffic, rumors police shut down the whole thing, tales of chaos, and stories of perseverance.

ABC7 captured the start of the swarm Wednesday morning.

Ben here, for example, showed up bright and early to fill up. He got stuck in such a log jam that he probably changed his address to that very spot and made plans to grow old and die there.

#maiselday chevron gas was a mistake. I showed up at 830 to get in line. Was told to move my car and then got stuck in a log jam that prevented me from leaving or any car moving. Yikes!

A few hours later, this Twitter user says she drove 40 minutes (see what I mean) to get that 30-cent gas but it was no more. "Smh. I hate liars!!"

Drove 40 minutes to Santa Monica to get 30 cent gas for #MaiselDay, only for them to tell me it's shut down. That was at 1:30p, but it was supposed to run until 5p. Smh. I hate liars!!

This guy apparently woke up at 6:00 a.m. and waited in traffic for two hours and got turned right back around.

Me at the office after I woke up at 6 only to drive two hours in traiffc for .30 cent gas and get turned away #maiselday

This person tried to come at the Chevron from "2 diff angles," before parking and running in to try and find out how to get the golden gas. A guy named Frank felt so bad he gave her a gift card.

Came at the Chevron from 2 diff angles before parking & running over to ask how to get in & finding out I’d need timing & dumb luck. I asked to be looked out for as I approached a 3rd time & while I didn’t make it thru, I WAS given a 40$ gas gift card! TYSM Frank⛽️🙏 #MaiselDay

At one point, ABC7 reported Santa Monica Police came and shut the whole thing down.

Santa Monica Police suspend an Amazon Prime promotion offering gas for 30 cents a gallon. Traffic issues are the big concern. Details coming up at 11am on ABC7. #maiselday

Amazon told the Los Angeles Times that officers were actually "counting the number of cars to ensure there aren’t too many in line before they bring more in."

However, about an hour later, police did pull the plug on the whole thing because it was such a mess. People started calling almost immediately when the promo began, quickly drawing officers to the scene, the Times reported.

The area became such a shit show that police decided to end the promo at 1:30 p.m., nearly four hours early, Lt. Candice Cobarrubias, a spokesperson with the department, confirmed to BuzzFeed News.

"We had two traffic services officers, two traffic services supervisors, one traffic sergeant and two motor officers [on scene]," she said. "This was a huge stretch on our motor unit. This impacted our daily motor deployment by fifty percent."

However, they let it run an hour more because people were almost selling their first-born child to fill up their tanks for $4.

"We did not shut it down until 2:30 so that as many people could take advantage of the promotion," Cobarrubias said.

Because of #gasgate, this Santa Monica art complex said it lost an "ENTIRE DAY" of business after police closed the street, blocking people from accessing the shops and galleries.

The show took to Twitter several times throughout the day to apologize. Oy!

When we brought LA prices from 1959, we didn't know they would come with Manhattan traffic. Oy! Thanks @SantaMonicaPD for helping our traffic flow! Our #MaiselDay deal at Chevron Santa Monica is over, but you can still enjoy more specials from #MrsMaisel. https://t.co/E0FMUO5WyF

Aside from the hellscape that was that Santa Monica gas station, other Angelenos reported waiting in crazy lines to try and snag $40 hotel rooms, $2.50 makeovers, and fancy 50-cent croissants.

This dedicated #MaiselDay adventurer hit up several establishments trying to get sandwiches and coffee before finally, "after a long wait," securing a coveted French Laduree macaron. 👏

The line to get a $40 room night at the @hwood_roosevelt today. If they smart they will reward the girls who dressed in super cute 50s dresses way in back of the line. #maiselday

But it wasn't all bad news bears. Many people had a marvelous time cashing in their quarters for pie, fries, milkshakes, pastrami sandwiches, chocolates, and cupcakes.

Not to mention, those who got in line at the right time even scored $2 manicures and blowouts.

(I would also like to point out that these are pretty solid portions, imho).

Had a marvelous Melburger with cheese, fries, and an apple pie slice at the West Hollywood #MelsDriveIn for #MaiselDay! Loved the Maisel greeters too! @MaiselTV @PrimeVideo

@SterlingKBrown Art’s Deli! Pastrami on rye! 99 cents for a $20 sandwich! A STEAL!!!!! #maiselday

Got a strawberry malted milkshake at @Cafe50sWLA, which is celebrating their 30th anniversary, for #MaiselDay! @MaiselTV @PrimeVideo

What kind of person would willingly wake up at 6:30am just to be the first person in line for a #MaiselDay haircut at #StarringByTedGibson? Me. I am that kind of person.

How adorable were these @pinkshotdogs ladies with their hot dog phone cases and purses?! @MaiselTV #MaiselDay

Unsurprisingly, though, people in New York were pissed that LA got all the attention and amazing deals.

Why the fuck cant New York have a #MaiselDay

Why does LA get #MaiselDay when New Yorkers are *actually* the ones inconvenienced by filming, they asked.

And nothing for New Yorkers that are inconvenienced by traffic being rerouted and blocks being closed? People cannot leave their houses or go in and out of businesses while they're filming a scene. 50's prices would have been a nice Thank You! #MaiselDay

I am not going to get into why Amazon most likely chose LA over NYC because I have better things to do like finding myself, sitting in my car in traffic, and then calling my friends to tell them about how I am sitting in traffic and listen to them talk about traffic.

But I will say that everyone can agree with Marissa here that 30-cent milkshakes are nice and all but can we live:

Call me when you do 1950s Los Angeles rent, @AmazonStudios #MaiselDay

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