Oregon legalizes self service gas. Epidemic of drivers on fire expected at any moment.

I saw that Oregon legalized self serve this weekend, leaving New Jersey as the only state or province in North America that prohibits citizens and visitors from filling their own tanks.

In Oregon there will still be pumps for those  not  wishing self-serve at no extra cost.

Why would there be an epidemic of drivers on fire if they are pumping their own gas? It should be happening all across America…. The nozzles on gas pump hoses are not metal anymore. 

Strong is the corruption in Trenton.

I like pumping my own gas, I dislike using my card at the skimmer, I mean pump. 

yahooyahoo said:

Strong is the corruption in Trenton.

Explain the corruption.

tjohn said:

yahooyahoo said:

Strong is the corruption in Trenton.

Explain the corruption.

Murphy has referred to overturning the self-serve ban as "political suicide" and a "political third rail."

He wouldn't even consider a bill that proposed a hybrid solution. Self-serve will save NJ residents money but no one has the guts to do it. Even the gas station industry is pushing for it.  

Why exactly would Murphy be afraid? He can't run again but still won't push for it.

The state would lose millions in tax revenue from the loss of sales of  “Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas” merchandise. 

It’s a dopey law, second only to New Jersey liquor license rules. 

galileo said:

In Oregon there will still be pumps for those  not  wishing self-serve at no extra cost.

It will be interesting to see how long that lasts. You don't see that anywhere else.

Most states have had self-serve since I was a teenager just learning to drive and I am now retired. I was pretty surprised when I moved here and discovered that it wasn't allowed. And I'm equally surprised that it is still not allowed all these years later.

Is this a question of trying to preserve the jobs of the gas station employees who are paid to pump the gas?

yahooyahoo said:

tjohn said:

yahooyahoo said:

Strong is the corruption in Trenton.

Explain the corruption.

Murphy has referred to overturning the self-serve ban as "political suicide" and a "political third rail."

He wouldn't even consider a bill that proposed a hybrid solution. Self-serve will save NJ residents money but no one has the guts to do it. Even the gas station industry is pushing for it.  

Why exactly would Murphy be afraid? He can't run again but still won't push for it.

You are asserting that there is some sort of corruption, but you can't explain it.  And doing something that is politically expedient is not an example of corruption.

yahooyahoo said:

tjohn said:

yahooyahoo said:

Strong is the corruption in Trenton.

Explain the corruption.

Murphy has referred to overturning the self-serve ban as "political suicide" and a "political third rail."

He wouldn't even consider a bill that proposed a hybrid solution. Self-serve will save NJ residents money but no one has the guts to do it. Even the gas station industry is pushing for it.  

Why exactly would Murphy be afraid? He can't run again but still won't push for it.

yes, it's a silly law.

but repealing it won't save anyone money. The price of gas is determined by market forces. And stations are still going to need an attendant to keep an eye on the place, so the labor savings will be nil or close to nil. But it will allow us to fill up our tanks more quickly and be on our way. But no one should expect to save any money.

I'm temporarily living in California (family reasons). I have to pump my own gas and I hate it.  It means I have to get out of the car no  matter what the weather is and this winter there was rain and pouring rain for months. I'm also older and sometimes have trouble with the weight of the nozzle. I'm also taking a drug that is giving me a trigger finger problem and sometimes have a real problem holding the nozzle.

NJ also has blizzards, cold and other weather events and it's a pleasure to not have to get out and to have someone pump the gas.  

Getting rid of franchise laws that lock us into car dealers is higher on my list than the admittedly stupid gas pump laws.  A politically driven extra layer of cost imposed on us and a universally hated experience.

I'm with Nora.  I remember long time ago I owned a diesel car, was out of state and forced to fill up myself, no attendant on hand.  Got diesel on my hands and the steering wheel became slippery and smelly.  Asked if I could wash up and there was no washroom.  This was a bad experience.

I am happy with the status quo.

What does this even mean?

-s.

soda said:

What does this even mean?

-s.

My guess: Fuel your way. (Your choice, that is.)

It seems to work fine in every other state, so I'm not sure why NJ drivers are so timid about filling their own tanks. And it sure does speed things up!  

And whoever posted about prices is correct. The market will determine the price and, while there may initially be some slight price cuts if and when we ever get self-serve, that will no doubt be temporary.

Also, regarding preservation of gas station attendant jobs - jobs change constantly as technology evolves but there still seems to be lots of work to be done and get paid for. I got yelled at by a Stop & Shop employee for using the self-checkout and scanners there, when I asked for assistance with a problem once, despite the fact that the person still seemed to have a job.  I will keep on using them as long as it makes my shopping experience easier and faster. (And that's the case for me 99% of the time.)

mrincredible said:

The state would lose millions in tax revenue from the loss of sales of  “Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas” merchandise. 

It’s a dopey law, second only to New Jersey liquor license rules. 

Of which peculiarities do you complain regarding our liquor laws?

I've found that most  State's laws are odd to newcomers.

So, pray tell; which oddities of the Garden State's laws & rules irk you?

TomR

Tom_R said:

mrincredible said:

The state would lose millions in tax revenue from the loss of sales of  “Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas” merchandise. 

It’s a dopey law, second only to New Jersey liquor license rules. 

Of which peculiarities do you complain regarding our liquor laws?

I've found that most  State's laws are odd to newcomers.

So, pray tell; which oddities of the Garden State's laws & rules irk you?

TomR

Not to speak for mrincredible, but the whole "only 2 stores in a chain can sell alcohol" rule is stupid. It's not as stupid as some other states where you can ONLY buy alcohol in their liquor stores and have to get mixers and whatnot elsewhere, though.

Jersey still has the cheapest gas around even though we have an attendant pump it for us. Most people passing through Jersey will likely fill their tank up before leaving the state. I kinda like it like that. 

Lived in CA after college, and owned my first car. Kept gloves in the aptly-named glove box, because I didn’t care for the lingering gasoline odor on my hands. Also learned never to pump wearing flip flops, in case of drips. I’m one of the people totally okay with full-serve!

I'm not saying abolish full-serve, but at least give us the option of self-serve.  If there were any gas stations within a 100 miles of Maplewood that offered decent service, I'd might be okay with full-serve.

ml1 said:

But it will allow us to fill up our tanks more quickly and be on our way. But no one should expect to save any money.

Except for WaWa on Springfield Ave, where have you had to wait tor a fill-up?

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Except for WaWa on Springfield Ave, where have you had to wait tor a fill-up?

Many many places. The turnpike/ parkway rest stops are particularly bad. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of employees, but there are plenty of gas stations around the great Garden State at which I’ve spent more minutes than I wanted to. 

The wait is negligible imo. Plenty of times in the south I've sat behind a car at the pump and the driver was inside pre paying and getting coffee. They just usually have way more pumps which equates to less wait. 

mrincredible said:

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Except for WaWa on Springfield Ave, where have you had to wait tor a fill-up?

Many many places. The turnpike/ parkway rest stops are particularly bad. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of employees, but there are plenty of gas stations around the great Garden State at which I’ve spent more minutes than I wanted to. 

If there are more than zero cars at a gas station in NJ, you are going to wait. It's frustrating that I can't jump out and pump my own gas while the attendant is busy with other customers.  I agree with mrincredible about the parkway/turnpike.

There are also certain gas stations in our area that have developed a reputation for taking advantage of customers.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

ml1 said:

But it will allow us to fill up our tanks more quickly and be on our way. But no one should expect to save any money.

Except for WaWa on Springfield Ave, where have you had to wait tor a fill-up?

almost everywhere. It's not usually a long wait. But even 2 minutes is time I wouldn't be waiting if I was serving myself.

People are just impatient. A minute wait to get gas is a problem? But spend hours on this site….

Jaytee said:

People are just impatient. A minute wait to get gas is a problem? But spend hours on this site….

it's not a problem. But it's odd that a law remains in place that mandates we wait.