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I actually thought this was an urban myth when I heard about this law on the radio. Well, after passing through, I actually noticed that every gas station I passed was full service.
Anyway, I'd be curious to know what the rationale behind this law is. The only plausible explanation I can think of is the presence of some powerful gas attendant lobby.
It's sort of a paradox. Supposing their was a state law that you had to have a servant wipe your bee-hind after you go to the bathroom and you weren't allowed to do it yourself. Everyone else in the universe would laugh and ridicule it yet it seems most of the "coddled" in NJ would say "We like it like that. We don't want to do it ourselves."
I've been to other states a lot and appreciate being able to pump my own gas without any questions or second thoughts, yet if you ask a question about the practice all these "entitled know it all's" will outnumber reason and profess how they don't want to pump their own gas nor tie their own shoelaces.
There are other myths such as if NJ allows everyone to pump their own gas the price of insurance would go up and therefore the price of gas??? And other such nonsense.
There are other myths such as if NJ allows everyone to pump their own gas the price of insurance would go up and therefore the price of gas??? And other such nonsense.
Another myth that is related to this whole issue is that some sort of swat team is going to swoop down on you and perform an arrest if you dare to fuel your car yourself.
(Yes, I am exaggerating, but people seem to think that you are going to be subject to a whole heap of trouble if you take charge of fueling your own car in NJ)
In reality, I have never had a gas station attendant challenge me on this issue, and--in fact--almost all of them thank me for doing it. By doing it myself, I accomplish the following:
I don't wind up with gas spilled on the fender, marring my careful waxing of the car.
I don't wind up with scratches on the fender, as a result of an attendant dropping the gas cap on its tether--instead of properly securing it on the hook provided on the inside of the gas filler door.
I don't wind up with damage to the evaporative emissions system, caused by continuing to force gas into the tank after the pump has clicked off for the first time.
(Many gas attendants want to "round-up" your purchase to the next even dollar amount, even though this is not even logical in the age of credit cards)
So, by taking charge of the fueling process, my cars still look showroom-new, even after 9 or 10 years, and I don't have additional repair expenses related to the evaporative emissions system. A friend of mine ignored my advice and the result was that he had to replace the carbon canister (the heart of the evaporative emissions system) after it became soaked with gasoline as a result of gas attendants forcing extra gas into the tank. This repair cost him over $300, back in...2000 or so.
Oregon and New Jersey are the only states with mandate full-service gas stations.
They provide hundreds of thousands of jobs, and people like to not leave their car and fill up their own gas (nice service but also laziness). I like the idea actually!
I live in NY but always fill up my car in NJ because it is cheaper and full-service
I prefer having someone else fill up my car but the concept of mandating the service isn't something I can rationalize honestly.
I didn't even know my evaporative emmisions system could be damaged by gas station attendants "rounding off".
They almost always do that to me.
I think another plus of doing it yourself is not having to wait for the attendants to come around to your car. Its has taken me 15 minutes to wait for an attendant,esp at the gas stations off the NjT. That is a waste of time.
I know it provides jobs for thousands,and I might feel bad for writing this,but lots of them are lazy,rude,and incompetent.
I know it provides jobs for thousands,and I might feel bad for writing this,but lots of them are lazy,rude,and incompetent.
you should feel bad for typing that. I have no recollection of encountering someone who pumped my gas that deserved to be put in those categories (maybe their wives or mothers would but I didn't see it as a customer). im not saying I haven't encountered that, but its so few that I don't recall. I remember not too long ago I had a slow person but it was an old lady and she was a sweety.
you should feel bad for typing that. I have no recollection of encountering someone who pumped my gas that deserved to be put in those categories (maybe their wives or mothers would but I didn't see it as a customer). im not saying I haven't encountered that, but its so few that I don't recall. I remember not too long ago I had a slow person but it was an old lady and she was a sweety.
I agree, I don't encounter rude or lazy attendants anymore than I encounter them in other retail businesses, very rarely.
I didn't even know my evaporative emmisions system could be damaged by gas station attendants "rounding off".
They almost always do that to me.
On the rare occasions when the attendant beats me to the pump nozzle as it shuts off, I simply say, "That's enough. No more!", or--depending on the attendant--"Bastante. No mas!", thereby avoiding an overfill.
I think another plus of doing it yourself is not having to wait for the attendants to come around to your car. Its has taken me 15 minutes to wait for an attendant,esp at the gas stations off the NjT. That is a waste of time.
Even worse than having to wait for them to begin the fueling process is having to wait for them to return to the pump in order to complete the process. While others are wasting while waiting for the attendant to return, I have already grabbed the receipt, waved it in the general direction of the attendant, and driven off into the sunset. I save a lot of time this way.
i dont mind it, but like mentioned above if i see the attendant busy with others and my gas stopped pumping, i will "finish" the transaction myself and wave the attendant fare well
I actually thought this was an urban myth when I heard about this law on the radio. Well, after passing through, I actually noticed that every gas station I passed was full service.
Anyway, I'd be curious to know what the rationale behind this law is. The only plausible explanation I can think of is the presence of some powerful gas attendant lobby.
The NJ Gasoline Retailers Association is the lobby you are talking about.
Most NJ residents prefer to not pump their own gas but if you are real anal and insist on pumping your own you can find some stations that will allow you to pump.
If you live in one of the other self service states and you happen to be handicapped, try finding somebody to pump your gas for you.
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