For the first time in more than seven decades, drivers in Oregon are allowed to pump their own gas.

  • Got_Bent@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I can’t see myself headed back to Oregon any time soon, but good. It was so frustrating trying to get gas behind a line of twenty five cars being “served” by a single slack jawed yokel taking smoke breaks between each car and God help you if you needed gas at night when everybody was closed.

    New Jersey gas attendants can be surly, but my experiences driving there at least moved the cars through getting gas efficiently.

    • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      As someone from NJ I agree 100% with surly. Also you can get someone weird or the guy who just wants to talk the entire time. I really do hope this changes one day.

      • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Or the guy who tries to wash your windows then asks for a tip. I’m still annoyed at that, and it was at least 15 years ago.

    • Dr. Zoidberg@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Having lived in NJ most of my life, and recently driving almost cross country to FL, the only benefits of living in FL is that there are like never any lines waiting for gas, and I don’t have to wait for a guy to come out. I just pull up, fill up, and GTFO.

      • DAMunzy@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Moved from Florida to New Jersey. You can keep Florida and I’ll keep my gas attendants! 😉

        • Dr. Zoidberg@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          I fucking hate this state. I’ve been here for 9 months, and hate every part of it. The water is fucking disgusting, the heat is absurd, the traffic is ridiculous, the roads are shit, the beaches are shit, the people are… mentally handicapped is the nicest way to put it, the food is meh at best unless you want Cuban or something fried. There are absolutely no cultural things, like museums or anything that’s not hick crap. Went to a ship museum in Tampa with my kids, and it was a rusted out hulk of a boat.

          Enjoy the cultural overload of the excess of museums, including the Nimitz, the amazing and huge variety of food, the cooler weather, really good pizza, and amazing pizza if you get closer to NYC, water that doesn’t smell like sewage until it’s ran for a minute or 2, water that doesn’t destroy your pots pans, and basically rust everything, you lucky bastard.

          Oh yeah, and go fruit picking other than oranges, because you can just hit up dozens and dozens of orchards for all kinds of fruit picking, without sweating your balls off, pretty much any time of year.

          Also, it’s called pork roll. Anyone that tells you it’s Taylor Ham is a monster, because Taylor Ham is the company that makes pork roll. Pork Roll with egg and cheese is a cure-all. Hangover, depression, snacky, quick breakfast, hungry, and dying? Yeah pork roll with egg and cheese on a roll will solve all your problems. If you have extra problems, add bacon and double meat. Pork roll with bacon, egg, and cheese on a hard roll will cure all your problems.

      • andrew@lemmy.stuart.fun
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        11 months ago

        Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features, it doesn’t mean that we too can’t not die in a freak gasoline fight accident.

    • morphballganon@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      The way I heard it, if the only people pumping gas were employees, the company didn’t have to pay as much liability insurance.

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          It’s a law specifically so that these jobs exist. It has nothing to do with liability insurance. Rather, one guy was able to lower his prices by having people pump their own gas and other gas stations didn’t like that

          Reingold decided to offer the consumer a choice by opening up a 24-pump gas station on Route 17 in Hackensack. He offered gas at 18.9 cents a gallon. The only requirement was that drivers pump it themselves. They didn’t mind. They lined up for blocks.

          "The other gas station operators didn’t like the competition. Someone tried shooting up Reingold’s station. But he installed bulletproof glass, so the retailers looked for a softer target - the Statehouse. The Gasoline Retailers Association prevailed upon its pals in the Legislature to push through a bill banning self-serve gas. The pretext was safety, but the Hackensack fire chief had already told all who would listen that Rein- gold’s operation was perfectly safe.

          https://www.nj.com/opinion/2014/02/the_real_reason_self-service_gas_was_banned_in_nj_corruption_not_safety.html

      • coffeekomrade
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        11 months ago

        Yeah this is made up bullshit. The fact that you have 19 upvotes for this is disappointing.

    • moitoi@feddit.de
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      11 months ago

      You never went to Switzerland where the only noise you’re allowed to do after 10 pm is pooping.

      • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Now I’m curious about the situation that lead to that to that exception being added and if there was a death involved where someone held it in until morning when they should have just gone right away.

        • moitoi@feddit.de
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          11 months ago

          The legend says that you aren’t allowed to flush the toilet after 10 pm. Actually, people must avoid making noise after 10pm by law. It’s not here for fun.

          Switzerland has a reporting culture. People will report you to the police and/or your landlord if you’re making too much noise after 10pm. Also, Sundays and holidays are by law a day of rest.

  • easydnesto@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    The state’s 72-year ban on self-service pumps was due in large part to safety concerns for drivers. A state law cited “increased risk of crime and the increased risk of personal injury resulting from slipping on slick surfaces.”

    What an abomination of an excuse, and I live here.

        • coffeekomrade
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          11 months ago

          I’ve used vintage gas pumps, and they work the same. It is cooler to see the mechanical counter turn over though than a digital display

    • cjsolx@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Fraud is a legitimate concern though. Skimmers are rampant, so I wonder if Oregon will see an uptick in card compromise.

      • easydnesto@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        That is a very good concern to have but even when the station’s had attendants, people still got skimmed at gas stations. It’s a concern that everyone should have at any place where you swipe or insert your card to pay. Banks, stores, ATM’s, etc

      • coffeekomrade
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        11 months ago

        so you take your hand, place it on the card reader and give it a shake. If the card reader is loose and can pull off its a skimmer.

  • fer0n@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    That must’ve been one of the most useless regulations. Is that just about jobs? I can’t really imagine it being a security risk issue or any other reason

    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Yeah, jobs. And yeah, it was fucking stupid. Imagine outlawing opening the front door to any business, so that every business would have to hire greeters to generate jobs. Same same.

      It’s just welfare, but in its cruelest possible form. If we’re going to require someone to piss 8 hours of their day away contributing nothing to society (worse than nothing in practice… gassing up in Oregon took FOREVER cuz you’d be stuck waiting for an attendant to serve a backup of 15 cars) just so that person can collect a pay check… why not just give them the pay check with no strings attached? Then they can use that time to improve themselves, or at the very least, not spend their waking hours inhaling gasoline fumes and ruining their knees and such.

      Protect people, not jobs. Robots and AI are replacing most of us soon anyway: mandating busywork is NOT the solution to getting food on everyone’s table.

      • MajorHavoc@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        So true. And as a bonus, a person receiving a universal basic income can also contribute by getting a useful job, even if just for a few hours a week.

        I would rather see someone doing art part time hours than having them make gas lines worse for full time.

  • fer0n@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    Did that also apply to electric cars? Or were you allowed to plug it in yourself

  • abcd@feddit.de
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    11 months ago

    Don’t worry guys. Whole continents manage to pump their own gas without Major issues. I’m sure you will manage it too 😉

    • cvozbosher
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      11 months ago

      We know. This wasn’t a ‘citizens needing help’ thing. This is a ‘propping up an archaic “job creation” law at the annoyance of the citizen’ thing.

  • andrew@lemmy.stuart.fun
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    11 months ago

    Time for me and my male model homies to finally have that gasoline fight we’ve been putting off forever.

  • ALavaPulsar@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Clearly no Oregonians in this thread. Everyone I’ve met in Oregon loves that they don’t have to pump their own gas.

    • dmention7@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      If enough people love it, then full service pumps will still hang around as an option. Personally as someone who lived in Minneapolis for 20 years, full service pumps would have been fucking amazing in the winter, but mandating them by law is just stupid.

      The fact that full service doesn’t exist even in the frozen tundra of MN leads me to believe very few people are actually willing to pay extra for it.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        If enough people love it, then full service pumps will still hang around as an option.

        Yes we all know that companies never cut out extras to reduce costs. That is why flying domestic gets better every year, when video games are released they have been properly QAed and dont need to be patched. I remember when I was a kid you had to bag and scan your groceries yourself, now every store has all these open registers where people do that for you.

        Corporate world is like this as well. Back in the day I had to answer my own calls, we didn’t have security or IT, or receptionists, or secretaries, and you had to make your own coffee. Now, I go to work in my nice office (thank goodness cubicals and open office are gone) and there are so many support staff to keep me focused on getting stuff done.

        I am positive that a product that is effectively irreplaceable will be the same way.

        • dmention7@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          What? I honestly have no idea what you’re on about. I was kind of following your rant till the last sentence.

          • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Companies tend to lower extras to lower costs. Once they do that the needle moves and that becomes acceptable.

            Grocery stores used to offer free shop for you services. They don’t anymore. They used to have multiple registers open they usually have about two now. They used to bag for you, they don’t anymore. They used to rig you up now they expect you to do it. Heck in my state they don’t even give you bags anymore.

            • dmention7@lemm.ee
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              11 months ago

              If people were willing to pay what it cost for those services, they would still be commonplace.

              Blame the people who will drive across town to save 10 cents on a can of soup as much as the companies who have found competing on price to be a viable strategy.

              You can still fly with plenty of luxury and service, but you’re going to pay more than a cheap coach seat. I can go to a store where my groceries are bagged for me, but their prices are higher than Aldi, where bags are not provided. I can get custom steaks cut to my liking, but it’s going to cost me well north of the pre cut steaks at Costco.

              Who knows if full service will stick around. If it costs and extra $.50 or $1.00/gal to fill up, are more than a tiny fraction of people going to pay for it? Probably not, but at least people aren’t being forced to pay for a service they don’t value.

        • BigNote@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          A full service option is mandated by law. This new law just means we can choose self serve now. The rules are different in rural Oregon where, due to the vast distances, especially in eastern Oregon, not being able to get gas can be legitimately dangerous.

    • Vonkilington@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Granted I’m not a native Oregoner, but when I lived there I also thought it was stupid. I have not missed that part of Oregon one bit.

    • Montagge@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      Born and raised Oregonian that prefers to pump his own gas. It’s about damn time.

      • Aa!@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I don’t understand anyone who says there’s long waits, because I never have that problem, even when it’s crowded. Conversely, when I lived in the midwest, I would have to wait for people to finish taking their sweet time paying inside before I could get to the pump.

        Here we have an attendant who handles the pump and most people don’t even get out of their car. They just drive away when it’s done.

        Anyhow, it’s not a big deal to me either way. I don’t mind that there’s people being paid for that, because our gas prices don’t seem higher for it compared to our neighbors. But I also wouldn’t terribly mind getting out and pumping it myself either

        • blackn1ght@feddit.uk
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          11 months ago

          How do you pay? Does the attendant carry cash and a contactless device for your card/phone?

        • BigNote@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          It depends on the station. Some are well staffed and you rarely wait more than a minute or two. Others, not so much. I know of one such station in Hillsboro. Many times I just get out and pump it myself rather than waiting the five or ten minutes it takes them to do it.

    • GiddyGap@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Doesn’t it just make gas more expensive?

      Also, how about electric vehicle charging? Do these attendants have to plug the car in for you? Just a matter of time before gasoline cars are obsolete.

      • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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        11 months ago

        No it’s actually cheaper than Washington and California prices. Companies aren’t going to lower their prices just because their costs went down. That isn’t how the gasoline market works.

          • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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            11 months ago

            Doesn’t apply to electric vehicles here in Oregon. At this point, the law just remained because people like not having to pump their own gas and it creates jobs. I’ve pumped my own gas plenty of times in other states and it honestly isn’t any faster. The longest I’ve ever had to wait for gas was at a station in NorCal where everyone wanted to go stretch their legs for 30 minutes inside the store before coming out to pump their gas.

            Currently, I fill up twice a week and never wait more than 5 minutes even with one attendant working.

            I see this change as a way for fuel companies to increase their profits while sticking the work on customers. Nobody is going to reduce their price when people were willing to pay the current ‘higher’ price. The gas/oil industry doesn’t exist inside a normal capitalist market (much like healthcare).

            • BigNote@lemm.ee
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              11 months ago

              Obviously you’ve never had the misfortune of going to the 7-11 station in Hillsboro.

              Also, not being able to pump our own gas is why most of our gas stations aren’t open 24-7, which sucks for working people who often have to leave home early in the AM before the gas stations are open. If you forgot to fill up the day before? Forget about it, you’re going to be late to work.

                • BigNote@lemm.ee
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                  11 months ago

                  That’s nice, but I’m talking about Oregon, not NJ which is far more densely populated and accordingly is a very different place. I can get a freshly made sammich here in Portland at 3am too, I just can’t get gas.

      • Aa!@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Electric vehicle charging is usually done at places you stop for a while, like department store parking lots. I don’t see the stations at gas stations much at all

        And they were never governed by the gas station laws

    • timetraveller@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I was about to say. I appreciate every time they agree to pump my gas. The convenience, and the speed of just staying in your car is awesome!

      Pick a better gas station is what I have to say to people that are upset at how the service was at one gas station.

      Having grown up in the east, and the size of MEGA GAS STATIONS that let cars just SIT PARKED IN THE GAS STALL was the true goal of this bill. It was about commercializing the “store” because there is no profit in the gas industry.

      I’ll still search out and return to gas stations that employ attendants.

      Sad day.

      • BigNote@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        How is having one attendant pumping gas for six vehicles faster than me pumping my own?

        Answer; it’s not. Source; I live in Oregon. Fun fact; due in part to this law, Oregon has relatively far fewer gas stations than other states, so picking another station often is not a viable option.

    • easydnesto@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      I live in Oregon most of my life. I moved to Montana for work for a period of time and moved back to Oregon. I absolutely hate having my gas pumped. I found it so much quicker to pump my own gas. Though when I traveled to and from Montana I noted there are a lot of idiots that don’t know how to responsibly pump their own gas. The only time where I somewhat even remotely hated pumping my own gas was when living in Montana and pumping when it’s -30F outside.

    • BigNote@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      I fuckin’hate it. Most people I know hate it. I know maybe a handful of people who like it, but they are the exception. In any case, we still have the full-serve option, except for in rural Oregon.

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I love having it done for me. It helps that I have fuel efficient vehicle that I only use when other methods aren’t practical. Get gas once every month or so and get to sit back in air-conditioning.

    • BuckWylde@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I grew up in WA state but have been in Oregon for 20 years now. I’ve become accustomed to someone pumping my gas, but it’ll be like it was. I guess I don’t understand the big deal either way.

    • BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      It’s probably 50/50 for me. Half the time I wish I could do it myself to get it done, but the other half of the time it’s nice to not have to get out

    • Blastasaurus@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      I’ve been to Portland 3x and nobody has ever stopped me from pumping my own gas. I’ve definitely interacted with attendants inside prior to gassing up as well. Wonder if it’s due to the Canadian license plates/accent?

  • 👁️👄👁️@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    I drove through Oregon and that threw me off when I was at the gas pump. What a weird law. Someone must have super fucked up to get that law pushed in the first place lol.

  • thelastknowngod@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    They always let me pump my own gas when riding a motorcycle in NJ. My mom would be clueless if they dropped that law though.

    • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      As someone from NJ and recently took a trip with a friend in his Tesla, no. Most likely because the law never included language for it because it never existed when it was put in place. I also doubt anyone is going to adjust this either not only because it is stupid to do so but because NJ has even had some rumblings in the past few years about ditching attendants and will most likely happen someday, just who knows how soon.

    • BigNote@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      They don’t have attendants, at least not here in Oregon. Maybe they do where you live?

    • eric@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      LI still has full service gas, but they have no law against self service, so it’s not really the same as NJ or Oregon.

      • arefx
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        11 months ago

        I love in western New York and places have full service still here, although it’s not as common and you can always pump it yourself.

  • Creamatine
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    11 months ago

    Don’t give in! I’ve been in NJ my whole life. I’m not ready for this

      • ExMimic@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I’m not for or against this law. I just like not having to get out of my car when it’s freezing outside.

          • ExMimic@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            That’s not a good argument. The workers are being paid to do the job. The same way Garbage collecters, crossing guards, etc are being paid to be outside.

            • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              How about health? Nobody should have to work a job that puts their future health at risk, especially a pointless job such as this. There are not a ton of studies on it but the ones that have been done show some of the effects from breathing in fumes majority of the day and it does negatively effect you where it could lead to higher % of complications later on. Of course people will argue against these claims, but who really wants to find out? It’s a job nobody should have to do so nobody should have to take the risk at all.

              • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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                11 months ago

                I used to change people’s oil for a living and get soaked in the stuff all day long. We should ban lube shops too as changing your own oil is super easy and only takes minutes to do yourself.

              • ExMimic@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                Should we also eliminat landscaping jobs due to the negative health risk? They’re have to work in the blazing heat of the summer, using loud equipment, breathing in fumes. According to you, we should ban landscaping companies, and make everyone take care of the own lawns and yards.

                Why have flaggers for road work? Drivers should just learn to slow for road work. People shouldn’t be forced to work such a pointless and dangerous job, right?

                Many jobs have some sort of health risk, gas attendents included.

                Once again, I am not for or against the law in NJ. If they got rid of the law tomorrow, than I couldn’t care less. I’m perfectly capable of pumping my own gas, and have done so both in and out of state. I just like the convenience of not having to do it.

                • Nusm@lemmy.world
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                  11 months ago

                  Why have flaggers for road work? Drivers should just learn to slow for road work. People shouldn’t be forced to work such a pointless and dangerous job, right?

                  Umm…

                • dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world
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                  11 months ago

                  This is such a ridiculous take. If we can get rid of a dangerous job, we should. If we can’t, they should get extra money as hazard pay, not minimum wage or just above it. If the argument is, but that job isn’t hard, maybe just maybe we shouldn’t mandate it exist just for the sake of having anything and actually take care of people.

        • iegod@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          Where I live, the business can choose. We have both options. People rarely choose the full serve since it’s more expensive.

          • ExMimic@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            That’s fine as well. If NJ allowed businesses to choose than I’d likely do full serve when I don’t feel like doing myself.

            • Vonkilington@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              Do I need a scientific study to know that me getting out of my car and pumping my own gas is faster than waiting for an attendant to come over, take my card, ask me which gas grade I want, whether or not to fill it up, have them walk away to service other customers, mine finished while they’re in the middle of talking to someone else, now I wait for them to come back over…

              Do you ask questions this stupid in real life, or are you just being dumb online?

              • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                Personal attack, enjoy your block, while you are waiting for all the pumps blocked by people not able to use the credit card reader.

                • enki@lemm.ee
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                  11 months ago

                  The rest of the country figured out how to use a credit card terminal and pump their own gas decades ago. Welcome to 2023 - we don’t have flying cars, but even grandma knows how Apple Pay works.

    • be_excellent_to_each_other@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      Pumping gas isn’t hard to do. I drive through Jersey sometimes and although I’m always happy that their gas runs a bit cheaper, I’m always annoyed that I can’t just get out and do it and be on my way.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        When I was a kid, gas stations in Indiana had “self-serve” and “full-serve” (they pump it for you) options. I’m not sure why they stopped. Probably to save money by hiring less people.

        • coffeekomrade
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          11 months ago

          Or, hear me out, having someone else pump your gas for you in the modern age is fucking wild

          • AngryDemonoid@lemmy.lylapol.com
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            11 months ago

            But why? What makes it different than any other service job? I pumped gas in NJ for several years, and it was a decent job all things considered.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            I hate pumping my own gas. It’s dirty, it smells, the machine is always different in every company, so you have to get used to a new thing if you go to some place you don’t usually go to, and if the weather is bad, you have to stand out in the cold and wind. I’d absolutely pay a premium not to do that. Maybe not 100% of the time, but often.

            • fer0n@lemm.ee
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              11 months ago

              That doesn’t keep gas stations from offering it, does it? It’s just not mandated anymore

            • coffeekomrade
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              11 months ago

              Gas pumps are pretty standardized, I’ve traveled all over the country and not once have I looked at a gas pump and been like “how the fuck do I use this?”, that sounds like a personal problem.

              • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                A hess gas station I was at a few years ago put regular in the middle instead of on the left. Started pumping before I noticed. Also, as I totally believe you about driving all over the country, you should know that octane levels vary a bit in places like Wyoming.

                • coffeekomrade
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                  11 months ago

                  The majority of states sell 87, which is what the majority of vehicles call for. Some states still sell 85/86 but this isn’t going to be the case long term since there aren’t many carburetor (older cars before fuel injection) vehicles still on the road. 85-89 for regular passenger cars, 91 or higher for performance vehicles.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                It’s the payment part that’s confusing. Because each pump does it differently. It’s not the dispensing gas part.

                • SheeEttin@lemmy.world
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                  11 months ago

                  Either you put the card in the slot or tap it on the reader. I’ve never seen any pump do it differently. And they all have prompts on the screen that walk you through it if you’re confused.

                  If you really can’t handle it, you can go in and ask for 10 gallons on pump 3 or whatever.

            • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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              11 months ago

              Pumps now also include ads as you pump your gas too. Now we’ll be able to stand in the rain listening to ads while we pay the same price to pump our own gas and then get our credit card skimmed because nobody is around to watch the pumps at night.

      • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        That sounds fair, but be aware that full service stations are probably going to disappear there within ten years because of the change.

        • minorsecond@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          Maybe not completely. There was one near the really wealthy area in Fort Worth, Texas when I lived there.

          There as in Fort Worth. I am not obscenely wealthy lol. This was near where the Bass family lives, if you’re familiar.

  • gillrmn@kbin.social
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    11 months ago

    Self serve drives up gas prices due to insurance. Insurance goes up due to a couple of people smoking while filling gas and gas station without anyone being the favorite place for looters. The self serve campaigns advertise how gas will come down due to it, but it actually goes up. So question is who you want to pay - insurance companies or min wage employees…

    • ephemerality@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Oregon has the fourth most expensive gas by state. New Jersey is pretty high up there, although admittedly cheaper than its neighbors by a few cents. I would doubt that full vs. self service has any real impact on gas prices

      • PBSkidz4Lyfe@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        The reason West Coast states have expensive gas is that there are no pipelines connecting them to the rest of the countr, specifically Texas. Washington and Oregon produce zero crude oil. California can’t produce enough for the whole West Coast so a majority of oil has to be shipped by a more inefficient way, causing prices to go up. This is reflected by the fact the 4 most expensive states for gas are California, Washington, Hawaii and Oregon.

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        11 months ago

        I suspect you tip the guy filling your car though? Probably a few dollars each time?

        From what I read tipped workers are generally paid below minimum wage and as such the cost difference to a station is probably negligible.

        But the real cost to you will be less because I doubt you’re going to tip the cashier and definitely not pay at the pump…

          • ExMimic@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            My son used work as a gas attendent years ago in NJ, and he was paid a little above minimum wage. Sometimes he would get tips.

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            11 months ago

            Anecdotal experience incoming…

            I used to pump gas in NJ at a Wawa. I got paid around $9 an hour in the early 2000s. At Wawa at least, the gas attendants get paid the same as the inside staff.

            Tips were always appreciated, but never expected.

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            11 months ago

            That’s interesting. I’ve seen all kinds of people you wouldn’t tip elsewhere routinely be tipped in the USA. So I assumed as someone performing a service they would be included.

        • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          I suspect you tip the guy filling your car though? Probably a few dollars each time?

          No, but continue to express an opinion on something that you don’t understand and doesn’t impact you.

    • coffeekomrade
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      11 months ago

      Yeah you are gonna need to cite some type of credible information for this.

    • r00ty@kbin.life
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      11 months ago

      I live in the UK and for as long as I can remember and probably considerably before that (and I’m not young) fuel has been self service.

      I also have seen plenty of people smoking and using phones (surely the bigger danger is backfiring cars though). You know I cannot recall a single news story about a fuel station exploding due to this. I reckon that’s the kind of story that makes it onto the news. Not to say it never happens, but with the amount of fuel pumped daily, I’d expect it to be a common event yet I cannot recall a single time I heard about it happening.

      So, feels like insurance companies fear mongering stations into higher payments to me. Sure it’s possible, but highly unlikely.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Because it is bull. A cigarette doesn’t burn hot enough to light gas on fire. If anything it would be the wood matches, you know that thing no one has anymore. There is a reason why sailors are allowed to smoke on tankers.

    • Zak@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      If this were true, full-service gas stations would be common in places where they’re not mandated by law because it would be cheaper and more profitable for the owners. They are not.