Oregon lawmakers last week gave final approval to a bill that ends the state's ban on self-service gas pumps, a prohibition that has been in place since 1951.
I understand if people have a moderate preference, but I don’t understand why some people have STRONG opinions about pumping their own gas.
When the weather is crappy, I’d rather have someone pump my gas for me than leave the car and do it myself. In New Jersey, pumping your own gas is actually illegal. Gas stations must pay an attendant, yet gas isn’t any more expensive in New Jersey than it is in New York or Pennsylvania. In fact, sometimes it’s cheaper. The overhead doesn’t appear to be passed on to the customer.
If there was a price difference, then okay, but since the prices are just about the same, I just don’t get it. I welcome any explanations or personal opinions.
It's a matter of personal independence and speed. If I'm at a gas station to fill up then I'm not making progress in getting where I want to be going. I know what grade of gas I want put in my car, I know how the pumps operate, and I can generally fuel my car faster than going through the back-and-forth process of dealing with an attendant. Of course, I've also only lived in places where self-service was the norm, so I'm very used to pumping my own gas. Whenever I drive down to visit my sister in Portland I always try to fill up across the river in Washington just so I don't have to deal with the mandatory full-service in Oregon.
I'm actually pretty bummed about the change. It's a luxury (and one of the things that makes Oregon special) to be able to wait in a heated or air conditioned car while someone else pump my gas. I also don't understand why some people are so gung ho to pump their own.
As an Aussie who has always pumped their own gas, I'd LOVE to be able to rock up and have someone just do it for me. Why is this the case in your state, out of curiosity?
For real! I understand it takes a few minutes longer but it's sooooo nice not having to get out of the car.
I am severely biased though, I drive a VW Golf diesel and Oregon allows drivers to pump their own diesel fuel. If the attendant takes more than two seconds to service me I just do it myself.