So you want to pump your own gas??? (credit card, buying)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As a born in NJ and 65 year resident who enjoyed having an attendant pump my fuel here are the great advantages to pumping your own.
Down here in "Pump your own" central (NC) there is nobody to pump gas for you so if you are not feeling well, too bad get out and pump it yourself.
If it's raining like hell, you get wet not the attendant with the rain gear.
When the kick back mechanism doesn't work and spills gas all over the ground who do you get mad at? The person who last used the pump and didn't tell anybody.
When a tire is a little low you ask somebody where do you get air because many of the pump you own places don't have air pumps.
When the Credit card reader is broken and you have to go inside and tell them to turn on the pump and then back inside to run you card after waiting for all the lottery ticket buyers to finish their transactions.
When you are finished pumping and you are waiting for your receipt the screen comes on and reads go inside for receipt.
When all the lanes are full and nobody is outside you just wait for the sandwich and lottery ticket buyers to get back to their cars so you can have the privilege of "pumping your own"
Perhaps NJ residents don't realize that pump your own Gas stations are also Deli's,Coffee shops,Lottery ticket agents, and all those things that slow down the process of just buying gas.
You guys have it pretty good back in NJ, you just don't know it.
For those who want to be a pseudo pump jockey all you have to do is ask the attendant most would be happy to let you pump your own.
I'm fine with that. I usually take care of my own tires and friends or family too. In NJ I see a lot of gas stations have jacked up the fees now for air up to a dollar and you do it yourself anyway. Some stations have free air still. I tend to patronize those.
Down here in "Pump your own" central (NC) there is nobody to pump gas for you so if you are not feeling well, too bad get out and pump it yourself.
I'd still prefer that to waiting forever for the guy to come over to my car. Most stations try to put as few attendants on as possible at any given time-it's getting as bad as the checkout line at the store where there are 20 lanes and two cashiers working.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
If it's raining like hell, you get wet not the attendant with the rain gear.
In NJ at least, rare is the station that doesn't have a canopy these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
When the kick back mechanism doesn't work and spills gas all over the ground who do you get mad at? The person who last used the pump and didn't tell anybody.
Why would that make you mad?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
When a tire is a little low you ask somebody where do you get air because many of the pump you own places don't have air pumps.
This is a good reason to have your own air compressor-I have a large stationary compressor in my garage, but there are plenty of 12V units that plug into a cigarette lighter that work quite well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
When the Credit card reader is broken and you have to go inside and tell them to turn on the pump and then back inside to run you card after waiting for all the lottery ticket buyers to finish their transactions.
I've bought gas quite a bit in PA, VA, MD, and DE and have never gone inside to pay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
When you are finished pumping and you are waiting for your receipt the screen comes on and reads go inside for receipt.
Never had to do that either, and even if I did, I rarely save gas receipts. Even if I'm driving for work I get paid on mileage, not gas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
When all the lanes are full and nobody is outside you just wait for the sandwich and lottery ticket buyers to get back to their cars so you can have the privilege of "pumping your own"
Perhaps NJ residents don't realize that pump your own Gas stations are also Deli's,Coffee shops,Lottery ticket agents, and all those things that slow down the process of just buying gas.
Again, this is only a problem if you can't pay at the pump, which in 99% of cases, you can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
For those who want to be a pseudo pump jockey all you have to do is ask the attendant most would be happy to let you pump your own.
LOL...I've seen attendants practically tackle people who pull the nozzle out of the pump on their own, which is kind of silly, especially considering I was watching from the diesel pump, where I was pumping my own fuel This thread is kind of like one of those TV gadget commercials where some mundane everyday task is deliberately depicted as utterly impossible and inconvenient in order to convince you that you need a product or service:
All of this said, I usually try to get gas at Wawa if at all possible because they seem to have the most attendants working at any given time, they're usually pretty cheap, and the price is the same for credit
As a born in NJ and 65 year resident who enjoyed having an attendant pump my fuel here are the great advantages to pumping your own.
Down here in "Pump your own" central (NC) there is nobody to pump gas for you so if you are not feeling well, too bad get out and pump it yourself.
If it's raining like hell, you get wet not the attendant with the rain gear.
When the kick back mechanism doesn't work and spills gas all over the ground who do you get mad at? The person who last used the pump and didn't tell anybody.
When a tire is a little low you ask somebody where do you get air because many of the pump you own places don't have air pumps.
When the Credit card reader is broken and you have to go inside and tell them to turn on the pump and then back inside to run you card after waiting for all the lottery ticket buyers to finish their transactions.
When you are finished pumping and you are waiting for your receipt the screen comes on and reads go inside for receipt.
When all the lanes are full and nobody is outside you just wait for the sandwich and lottery ticket buyers to get back to their cars so you can have the privilege of "pumping your own"
Perhaps NJ residents don't realize that pump your own Gas stations are also Deli's,Coffee shops,Lottery ticket agents, and all those things that slow down the process of just buying gas.
You guys have it pretty good back in NJ, you just don't know it.
For those who want to be a pseudo pump jockey all you have to do is ask the attendant most would be happy to let you pump your own.
gotta say....NC must be in the dark ages!
if you're not feeling well, in PA there are plenty of places with attendants (you just pay more for those places)
Raining? that's why the pumps are covered. I've never gotten wet or snow on my pumping my own gas.
I've never, since i started driving, had gas overflow.
I can't find air in NJ except for a few stations. In PA, virtually every gas station I go to has them.
You must have a lot of lottery players (and crappy credit cards)
I never click Yes for receipt - waste of paper
I'd rather wait for the lotto buyers than sit 30 deep on the turnpike because the attendant moves at a snail's pace
I've never had a "pump your own" station slowed down by people going into the convenient market
I despise this rule. I get out and pump my own if the attendant isn't at my car quickly. And that's what gets the attendant over PRONTO
I've never had more discussion IRL in my 40+ years living in this state about this topic than the 6 years I've been on this board. The fascination over this issue, well, fascinates me.
LOL...I've seen attendants practically tackle people who pull the nozzle out of the pump on their own
Really?
I would not question your own experiences, but I have to say that I have never been challenged on pumping my own gas, and--in fact--quite a few attendants have actually thanked me for doing it!
I prefer to pump my own gas, simply because I want to preserve the appearance of my cars, and because I want to avoid unnecessary repair expenses. To what am I referring?
I am talking about attendants who are not careful about what they are doing, and who (pick one or more):
Allow the gas cap to hit the fender on its tether, rather than hanging it on the hook that the car mfr provided
Spill gas on the fender
Insist on "rounding-up" the purchase to the next dollar, thereby over-filling the tank
By doing everything possible to try to pump gas myself, I avoid:
Scratches in the paint
Staining of the paint, and washing-off of the wax that I have carefully applied to the paint
Saturation of the carbon canister with liquid gasoline, rather than the gas vapors that it is designed to handle. One of my friends scoffed at my caution, and he wound up having to pay ~$400 to replace the gas-saturated carbon canister on his Toyota Highlander.
As to being exposed to the weather, there are so few gas stations left that are w/o a canopy in the pump area that it is easy to avoid them when there is precipitation. Ubiquitous gas station canopies may not be the case in NC, but they certainly are in NJ.
There are cases where I am not able to pump the gas myself, but in those cases, I stand next to the car, and once the pump clicks off for the first time, I tell the attendant, "That's enough! No more!" (or, more likely, "Bastante! No mas!). By not having the tank overfilled, I am potentially saving myself a lot of repair headaches and expenses.
At Costco (where I go most of the time for gas), and at Hess, the pump must be started by the attendant, who inserts his own card to initialize the pump. However, the attendants inevitably walk away to service other vehicles, and then I simply finish the task, grab my credit card receipt, wave it at the now-distant attendant, and drive away, thus saving time, and potential repair expenses. And, because I am so careful about this issue, that is one of the reasons why my cars still look showroom-new, even after as many as 8 years, thus getting me a much better trade-in value.
If I was handicapped, I would appreciate the concept of, "full service", but--since I am not--I try to avoid it whenever possible.
I have already explained the pitfalls of pumping your own but nobody has yet to explained why it is better even though it costs more to pump your own. I wonder if the people in pump your own states would rather have an attendant if they could save .05-.10 a gallon.
The two things aren't at all related though. The lack of political will to raise the gas tax (NJ is second lowest in the nation-AK is the lowest) combined with close proximity to refineries is the reason for NJ's consistently low gas prices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
I wonder how many woman would rather an attendant pump the gas for them.
Probably a lot-my wife and mother included. However, I simply want the choice to pump my own because of the convenience factor. I'm not advocating banning gas station attendants.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retriever
Really? I would not question your own experiences, but I have to say that I have never been challenged on pumping my own gas, and--in fact--quite a few attendants have actually thanked me for doing it!
Ok, "tackle" was an overexaggeration I suppose, but living close to the river I see a lot of drivers from PA come over here, pull up to the pump, get out, and grab the nozzle. That action is usually greeted with a forceful "HEY!-I'LL BE THERE IN SECOND!!!" or "NO NO NO!!!" at the stations where English is not the strong suit of the attendants.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
