OT: I don't want to pump my own gas

[zgoru]

Fair point.

Like bathroom attendants, those gas station guys should work on tips if you choose to use their service. NJ needs to get with the rest of the country. It is silly to force people to use a guy to do something almost anyone can do themselves.

So all retail stores should have self checkout registers. Same amount of skill level, no? And we'll never see the savings passed along to us for going self serve, so just stop with that nonsense.

 

[j10oreo]

So all retail stores should have self checkout registers. Same amount of skill level, no? And we'll never see the savings passed along to us for going self serve, so just stop with that nonsense.

I don't agree with working for tips, but I don't agree with your argument either. You ever consider people being more comfortable with committing theft knowing that you're on the honor system while checking out of a store? How are you going to steal gas if a transaction has to be established first before the machine gives you any gas?

 

[RU4Real]

For whatever it's worth, if you're really anxious to pump your own gas in NJ you can probably do so. I do it on a fairly regular basis at my customary local fuel stop and the only reaction I've ever gotten is an occasional "Thanks for the help" from a busy attendant.

 

[Kbee3]

We've got a good deal in NJ. We pay less for gas, because of lower gas taxes and we don't have to pump it. Why would anyone want this to change?

Well, I could see if somebody owned a gas station,
But otherwise you're right. It makes no sense to change things here in New Jersey.

 

[j10oreo]

How many people enjoy the benefit of a bathroom attendant vs. how many people enjoy the benefit of having their gas pumped?

I would guess <50% for the former and >50% (in NJ) for the latter.

My own lack of any due diligence suggests it's actually less than 25% enjoy having someone pump their gas.

 

[miketd1]

 

[fezo]

Just write the law so that a station must have full serve but may provide self serve space allowing.

 

[RUsSKii]

Just write the law so that a station must have full serve but may provide self serve space allowing.

I can agree with this.
The point is, that I prefer to pump my own gas and in general be more responsible for at least basically maintaining my own vehicle (tire rotation, oil change, fluids, etc.). I have a choice with the latter, but none with the former in New Jersey.
And as was pointed out in the previous thread, offering self-serve would make a whole lot of sense at busier "super" stations, where attendants are usually running around between 4-8 vehicles. This wastes not only time spent waiting for service/payment processing, but also time in line before even being able to drive up to an available pump.

 

[RBNY87]

You can have both self and full service. But when you see the price difference, people tend to get out of the car.

 

[Upstream]

Just write the law so that a station must have full serve but may provide self serve space allowing.

The problem with that is that station owners make more money from a strictly self-serve model. Therefore, even if the law required them to offer full-serve along with self-serve, they have an incentive to push customers to the self-serve model. That means doing things like limiting full-serve pumps, and ensuring that full service is absurdly slow (perhaps assigning the full-serve attendant tasks that require him to be away from the pumps).

If there were truly a way to have a legitimate choice between full serve and self serve, that would be great. But that is not the case. It really is an either-or situation.

 

[RUbacker]

The problem with that is that station owners make more money from a strictly self-serve model. Therefore, even if the law required them to offer full-serve along with self-serve, they have an incentive to push customers to the self-serve model. That means doing things like limiting full-serve pumps, and ensuring that full service is absurdly slow (perhaps assigning the full-serve attendant tasks that require him to be away from the pumps).

If there were truly a way to have a legitimate choice between full serve and self serve, that would be great. But that is not the case. It really is an either-or situation.

no issue with someone else pumping gas. I normally don't wait more than a minute for a paid attendant while I sit in my comfortable car calling people or listening to the radio or just relaxing. No need to pump my own gas !