Oregon lifts ban on self-serve gas, leaving N.J. as the only state prohibiting it
Oregon lifts ban on self-serve gas, leaving N.J. as the only state prohibiting it
The new law took effect Friday after Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill allowing drivers to dispense fuel themselves.
For the first time in more than seven decades, drivers in Oregon are allowed to pump their own gas.
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Clearly no Oregonians in this thread. Everyone I’ve met in Oregon loves that they don’t have to pump their own gas.
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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.
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.
What? I honestly have no idea what you're on about. I was kind of following your rant till the last sentence.
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.
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.
You know sucking up to corporate is only going to pay off as long as you are useful to them. Maybe show some class loyalty?
lol
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.
*yawn
Maybe don't live in an area where a gas station is what separates you from death?
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.
Born and raised Oregonian that prefers to pump his own gas. It's about damn time.
Serious question: why? It seems worse in every way.
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
How do you pay? Does the attendant carry cash and a contactless device for your card/phone?
There's a card reader on the pump. You hand them your card and say how much you want. Or hand them cash.
But wouldn't you have to give them your PIN for your card?
This is in America. The vast majority of credit cards there don't have pins.
What are you talking about? Just use the credit option like a normal person.
Guess your card payments must work differently there, we have to put the PIN in whether it's a credit or debit card. Unless you're paying via contactless.
You hand them your card or cash.
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.
I love not having to get out of the car.
In what way is it worse?
Is it expected to tip the person who pumps your gas?
No... where do you get that idea? They are paid a wage.
Everyone you have tipped is also paid a wage
Yup. But I've worked pumping gas so do tip ... especially when it's -40C and/or during a snow storm.
I see it as an appreciation of the work they do for shit wages.
Just assumed, I get asked for tips basically everywhere at this point so I assumed that would be the case with someone pumping your gas for you.
Sounds pretty nice.
nope
No, but I will if the weather is fuck awful or if it is around the holidays.
No
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.
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.
I guess there is a difference in frequency. I fill up once every two weeks, at 510 miles to the tank. I tend to do it when I run an errand near a gas station that has the best quality gas, and the best prices. I tend to see the same attendants, and they are always on top of every car there, and have mine filling in no time flat.
I do recognize that in the east, many cars would pull up and get only $5 in gas, very quickly, and then drive away. I get that scheduling a moment to stop and let someone fuel up your rocket-ship is a a little more of a hassle. But the last many years living in Oregon have been a blessing I'll continue to look for.
Thankfully attendants will still be available, and there is no penalty to the customer for getting "Full Service", so we both can get what we desire.
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.
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.
Wonder how this will work in an electrified world. Especially in NJ.
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).
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.
Obviously you have never been to NJ where there are 24/7 gas stations. I can also get a freshly made sandwich at 3 am.
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.
And that's the thing. The densely populated areas are paying taxes and dealing with the CO2 output of the rural areas that we subsidize.
The whole sons of the soil, oversized pickup trucks, farmer cosplay lifestyle can only exist because of the federal government. You can't manage without gas for your pickup? Well, maybe you should do what the rest of us do and move to an area where you can use public transportation.
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
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.
How are you sitting in air conditioning while your gas is pumped? Doesn't the car have to be off?
You turn the key one notched instead of 3. The engine is off and the AC runs on battery.
The compressor needs the engine on. It might be blowing air, but it's not ac.
Fine I guess the residual is what I am feeling. It's not like I ever tested it for a while.
Which could be a fun to die I guess.
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.
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.
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.
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