While strolling through a So. Cal. KMart last night, I glanced at a few random bottles of Shell Rotella. It was old stock, referring to the old "SJ" standard. Then I picked up a bottle of Pennzoil Synthetic...same thing. Since API "SL" came around in July 2001, these oils date back as far as 3 yrs. (Most/all of the other brands there were current SL.)
Then I remembered...
(Nov. 2002) "'Shell Suspends Shipments To Kmart Because Retailer Sold Oil Too Cheaply,' The Detroit Free Press reports that because Kmart was promoting Shell Oil Products' Pennzoil and Quaker State motor oil for 99 cents a quart, way below what Shell felt the products should be sold for, the company has stopped shipping those motor oils to the retailer. Kmart said the decision wouldn't affect its marketing strategies as it struggles to get out of bankruptcy protection. Normally, Kmart sells the products for between $1.50 and $1,89 a quart." http://www.gmdc.org/News/iri_newsletters/news111502.html
So I'm wondering...where the heck is this vintage oil coming from? KMart's warehouses? But if bankrupt, they shouldn't have had much inventory, especially since vendors may have been gun shy about shipping to them. So is this Shell's "payback" by supplying KMart with their obsolete stock? KMart emerged from bankruptcy in May 2003...perhaps Shell's attitude through that point was "If we don't know we'll get paid by this bankrupt retailer, we'll dump our old stock on 'em in the meantime...???"
I feel sorry for anyone who went there, paid about $5/qt for Pennzoil Syn for their new car, and ended up with a pre-2002 spec oil, if only for the principal of it.