MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Pumping your own fuel at the station

Pumping your own fuel at the station

posted 2 years ago by TerraFirma69 (2088)
83 replies | jump to latest

Are there places in the US where an attendant still comes out and fills your car?

Edit: the reason I ask is because I assumed in most of the western world it was outlawed because of health and safety - ie they don't want employees overexposed to chemicals due to dispensing petrol all day every day (obviously this would be dismissed by anyone with even a grain of skepticism as just an excuse by companies to save money with less workers). But I still every now and then see/hear of incidences of gas station employees in the US doing it themselves.

[–] Who (5146) 2 years ago

There was a place near me that still did this a few select days per week. Haven’t seen their signs up for this service in awhile though. I think they faded it out because of covid protocols or rising gas prices.

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

Can I ask which state you're in?

[–] Who (5146) 2 years ago

California

[–] rex (2843) 2 years ago

not in the city but some small towns have that

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

It's not outlawed because of health and safety?

[–] rex (2843) 2 years ago

gas fumes kill covid

[–] ShogunofYonkers (76078) 2 years ago

Yes.
Off the Sawmill Parkway in Yonkers, New York there is a station where a small Hispanic guy runs out and gasses up your car.
He cleans the windshield as well!

He likes tips and he gets them👍

[–] samoanjoes (55092) 2 years ago

I like to travel with a Mexican in my car. Just in queso emergencies.

[–] Bloodshot77 (12323) 2 years ago

You did a racism.

[–] AndyKing1967 (36473) 2 years ago

Ariba! Andele!
https://youtu.be/zOvyRjVQLjE

[–] chilone (17637) 2 years ago

This kind of remark is nacho usual style!

[–] Carrot (1666) 2 years ago

There's only one full-service station in my town that I know of. I think in New jersey self-serve is still illegal.

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

Interesting, I wonder what the reason for it being illegal would be.

[–] Freddy (1320) 2 years ago

I stopped pumping my own gas when the gas cap rolled under car, enough give someone a job stop trying to do jobs others can do like bag your groceries

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

Hey I like the idea of it still being a thing. When I'm at a supermarket and they ask me if I'd like to use the self service area my response is always a polite and affable "No thanks, I don't work here".

[–] moviechatterer (14951) 2 years ago

We are never going to reach the utopia of not working at all and robots catering to our every need if you luddites keep insisting humans toil away doing mundane shit that can be easily automated .

[–] Magicdave (702) 2 years ago

While I agree somewhat with your statement, I shudder to think what will happen if everything is automated and no-one has to do anything for themselves. I think of the movie "Wall-E" and hope it NEVER comes to that. We would all become useless.
Of course, with the attitude of a lot (but not all) young people these days, they could be headed that way.

[–] 102000 (6208) 2 years ago

Yes, self-service gas is illegal in New Jersey.

Edit - just checked and much of Oregon doesn't allow self service either.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

I once pulled into a gas station in in what I thought was far northern California, and it was when a guy came out to pump my gas I realized I was in the wrong state and lost.

Not very lost, of course. I'm never seriously lost, except for the time I let a high school kid navigate. Then, we ended up just heading west towards the afternoon sun, and waiting to come across someplace identifiable.

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

Can I ask what state you had 'drifted' into, and how long ago this was?

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

Ah, I had assumed that my reference to far northern California made Oregon obvious, but I forget not everyone lives in the West of the US.

It was 3 of 4 years ago, in such utter boondocks that I was lucky to find a gas station.

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

I live in Australia so I'm pretty far from the West of the US.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

Point taken.

But way down in Oz, do you pump your own gas, or does someone get paid to do it for you?

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

We've pumped our own for about 30 years now.

Edit: correction maybe 25 years now I think about it. Personally I don't mind doing it myself but I do lament the employment it costs. Same reason I refuse to do the self serve thing when checking out at supermarkets etc.

[–] moviechatterer (14951) 2 years ago

I do lament the employment it costs

I dont .
people need to be doing jobs that our useful to society , not jobs where we wouldnt notice if they wernt doing it .

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

Society needs low-skill jobs, too. There are people with no skills who need their first job, people getting back on their feet who need to do something uncomplicated, people who need to learn things like basic customer service skills before they go on to develop the rest of their abilities, etc.

And it worries me that so many jobs that can ease people into the job market are being automated - like the horrible self-service checkout machines at grocery stores. They're horrible, and if you're buying more than five items you're guaranteed to have a problem with the machine and you'll be standing there waving for help when a good fast checker would have gotten you out of the store! So those damn things are not only an inconvenience for the customer, they mean jobs lost.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Came here to say this. We travel from BC to Oregon often and it's always a pleasant surprise when an attendant comes out to pump the (cheaper!) gas for us.

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

When you say BC do you mean Canada?

If so can I assume it's not a thing in Canada either?

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Yes, Canada. Yup, up here it's all self-serve.

However, on a recent trip I stopped at a gas station on a reserve and they did have an attendant filling up the cars. So, maybe they are the exception.

[–] TerraFirma69 (2088) 2 years ago

It's interesting that it's not allowed, I wonder why.

[–] Bloodshot77 (12323) 2 years ago

New Jersey like others said.

[–] MaximRecoil (4513) 2 years ago

I've never heard of laws against full-service gas stations. I've only heard of laws against self-service, such as in New Jersey. There are no full-service stations in my town anymore (the last one went out of business several years ago), but there was still one in the next town over last I knew.

They've become less common over the years, but I assume that's because people have discovered that they can make as much or more money if they don't have to pay someone to pump gas.