New Jersey is the only other state that prohibits it, I think. Originally (early 20th century), it was a safety thing. But in Oregon, anyway, it became a cultural thing over time.
Right now, a number of my Oregonian friends are upset that they've legalized it. Mostly because it's a loss of a cultural touchpoint, but also because they don't want to have to get out of their car in cold Oregon rain to pump their own gas.
I have a dumb sounding question, but I don't know anything about Oregon... or really anything.
Do you think full service gas stations positively affected the economy via tourism? I ask because I've never experienced one and if one wasn't too far out of my way on a road trip I might have checked it out and the surrounding area.
I can confidently say no. US states, especially those in the West, are big and spread out. With few exceptions, you can't make minor detours to visit a state. Basically, if you were driving through Oregon, you didn't have any other option but to drive through Oregon, and if you're driving through Oregon, you're almost certainly going to have to stop for gas, because one tank probably won't get you across the state.
full service in this context just means some gruff gentleman pumps your gas. getting your windows washed or oil checked is all but non-existent. so no, i don’t think there is any appeal for tourists. it’s an inferior experience.
gas stations are extremely understaffed these days, to the point where it’s rare at some stations for all the pumps to even be open. cars queue at popular stations while two employees man a dozen pumps. it can be agonizingly slow and frustrating.
i’ve read and heard a lot of pushback on self serve and i don’t get it. iirc stations are still required to offer full service on a portion of the pumps, so folks who don’t want to pump still won’t have to.
edit: all of this is of course my anecdotal experience from the willamette valley area.
This is exactly my experience too. My usual gas station experience involves waiting in a long line (they’ve only got one guy working the pumps, so only 2 or 3 pumps are open); pulling up to a pump; waiting a while for the attendant to get to me; handing him my credit card and yelling my rewards phone number at him (my gas tank is on the passenger side, making this annoying and error-prone); waiting briefly for the actual pumping; and then waiting for the guy to come back around to disconnect the hose.
It’s 5-10 minutes of waiting on a good day, or upwards of 20 minutes on a bad day, for 60 seconds of pumping gas. All the while most of the pumps are sitting there unused.
In NJ, I always thought the reasoning behind it was to provide more jobs and if you cut jobs it can backfire on the local politicians as it's really politically unfavorable to do so.
I have to get out of the vehicle to enter my PIN at the gas pump, and more times than not have to wait for an attendant to serve me. So I welcome this change. However out in the unincorporated areas a lot of gas stations already let you self serve so I may not see much of a change in that area.
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New Jersey is the only other state that prohibits it, I think. Originally (early 20th century), it was a safety thing. But in Oregon, anyway, it became a cultural thing over time.
Right now, a number of my Oregonian friends are upset that they've legalized it. Mostly because it's a loss of a cultural touchpoint, but also because they don't want to have to get out of their car in cold Oregon rain to pump their own gas.
I have a dumb sounding question, but I don't know anything about Oregon... or really anything.
Do you think full service gas stations positively affected the economy via tourism? I ask because I've never experienced one and if one wasn't too far out of my way on a road trip I might have checked it out and the surrounding area.
I can confidently say no. US states, especially those in the West, are big and spread out. With few exceptions, you can't make minor detours to visit a state. Basically, if you were driving through Oregon, you didn't have any other option but to drive through Oregon, and if you're driving through Oregon, you're almost certainly going to have to stop for gas, because one tank probably won't get you across the state.
oregonian here.
full service in this context just means some gruff gentleman pumps your gas. getting your windows washed or oil checked is all but non-existent. so no, i don’t think there is any appeal for tourists. it’s an inferior experience.
gas stations are extremely understaffed these days, to the point where it’s rare at some stations for all the pumps to even be open. cars queue at popular stations while two employees man a dozen pumps. it can be agonizingly slow and frustrating.
i’ve read and heard a lot of pushback on self serve and i don’t get it. iirc stations are still required to offer full service on a portion of the pumps, so folks who don’t want to pump still won’t have to.
edit: all of this is of course my anecdotal experience from the willamette valley area.
This is exactly my experience too. My usual gas station experience involves waiting in a long line (they’ve only got one guy working the pumps, so only 2 or 3 pumps are open); pulling up to a pump; waiting a while for the attendant to get to me; handing him my credit card and yelling my rewards phone number at him (my gas tank is on the passenger side, making this annoying and error-prone); waiting briefly for the actual pumping; and then waiting for the guy to come back around to disconnect the hose.
It’s 5-10 minutes of waiting on a good day, or upwards of 20 minutes on a bad day, for 60 seconds of pumping gas. All the while most of the pumps are sitting there unused.
In NJ, I always thought the reasoning behind it was to provide more jobs and if you cut jobs it can backfire on the local politicians as it's really politically unfavorable to do so.
I have to get out of the vehicle to enter my PIN at the gas pump, and more times than not have to wait for an attendant to serve me. So I welcome this change. However out in the unincorporated areas a lot of gas stations already let you self serve so I may not see much of a change in that area.
Are gas stations in Jersey not normally covered?
They are. But they are not heated.