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Oregon lifts ban on self-serve gas, leaving N.J. as the only state prohibiting it (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 3 years ago* by to c/news@lemmy.world
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For the first time in more than seven decades, drivers in Oregon are allowed to pump their own gas.

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[–] 22 points 3 years ago (12 children)

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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  • [–] 16 points 3 years ago* (8 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    Serious question: why? It seems worse in every way.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    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

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago (2 children)

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

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years 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.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I love not having to get out of the car.

    In what way is it worse?

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    Is it expected to tip the person who pumps your gas?

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    No... where do you get that idea? They are paid a wage.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago* (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 9 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    Wonder how this will work in an electrified world. Especially in NJ.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    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).

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years 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

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago

    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.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years 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.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    How are you sitting in air conditioning while your gas is pumped? Doesn't the car have to be off?

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (2 children)

    You turn the key one notched instead of 3. The engine is off and the AC runs on battery.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years 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.

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