Do you know how to pump gas?

[mommyoffive]

Saw in the news that Oregon is getting rid of the rule that you can't pump your own gas.  On another board people that live in Oregon are flipping out that they have to do this.  They don't know how.  I didn't even know this was a thing in New Jersey still??   This seems so crazy to me.  I mean I guess I get it if you lived in Oregon and just never in your life left the state?  But it blows my mind because these are not young people, they have kids over 18.  

Ok so can you pump your own gas?  Can your kids pump gas?

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by mommyoffive

[Scarlett]

5 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Saw in the news that Oregon is getting rid of the rule that you can't pump your own gas.  On another board people that live in Oregon are flipping out that they have to do this.  They don't know how.  I didn't even know this was a thing in New Jersey still??   This seems so crazy to me.  I mean I guess I get it if you lived in Oregon and just never in your life left the state?  But it blows my mind because these are not young people, they have kids over 18.  

Ok so can you pump your own gas?  Can your kids pump gas?

 

Of course. I do remember the old days of full service though and  I liked it. 

[kirstenhill]

Ha! I didn't know there were any states that still had laws like that.  (I've traveled a lot, but I've never been to Oregon, and I think I just passed thru NJ without needing any gas).  In my state, it is only legal for licensed drivers to pump gas, so my older kids have learned when they turned 16 and got a drivers license.

[Heartstrings]

It’s not exactly hard.  I usually teach my kids around 11 or 12.  They all have auto shut offs so you can’t spill anything unless you try.  

[mommyoffive]

Just now, kirstenhill said:

Ha! I didn't know there were any states that still had laws like that.  (I've traveled a lot, but I've never been to Oregon, and I think I just passed thru NJ without needing any gas).  In my state, it is only legal for licensed drivers to pump gas, so my older kids have learned when they turned 16 and got a drivers license.

OH I haven't ever heard of a law like that.  What state is that?

[mommyoffive]

4 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Of course. I do remember the old days of full service though and  I liked it. 

I am pretty sure my grandma never learned how to pump gas.  There was a full service station around for awhile that I remember when I was kid.  And then either her kids or grandkids would pump gas for her after my grandpa died.

[Indigo Blue]

I loved old-school full service, but I can and do pump my own gas. I had no idea people lived in areas where they did not.  I’m not crazy about touching gas pump handles, though, because…I imagine people using restrooms and not washing their hands…especially men. But then it wouldn’t be surprising that I was one of the ones who put paper down on toilet seats in the other thread. Lol. 😐
 

ETA: Our sons pumped gas for me long before they ever had a driver’s license.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Indigo Blue

[kokotg]

My grandmother never learned to pump her own gas and would go out of her way to the only full service station in the area all the time. I was always mystified; she was not generally the incompetent sort, and pumping gas is just...easy. 

[Wheres Toto]

I'm in New Jersey so I still don't have to pump my own gas usually.  But I do know how to do it since I travel out of state enough.  And it's really not that hard.  

There have been different rationales for keeping it illegal here.   Employment, safety, gas prices, etc.   Whenever it comes up for a vote it basically gets defeated.    

[mommyoffive]

Just now, Indigo Blue said:

I loved old-school full service, but I can and do pump my own gas. I had no idea people lived in areas where they did not.  I’m not crazy about touching gas pump handles, though, because…I imagine people using restrooms and not washing their hands…especially men. But then it wouldn’t be surprising that I was one of the ones who put paper down on toilet seats in the other thread. Lol. 😐

Same.  I sanitize my hands after filling up.   But now I can't remember did I do that before covid?

[mommyoffive]

Just now, Wheres Toto said:

I'm in New Jersey so I still don't have to pump my own gas usually.  But I do know how to do it since I travel out of state enough.  And it's really not that hard.  

There have been different rationales for keeping it illegal here.   Employment, safety, gas prices, etc.   Whenever it comes up for a vote it basically gets defeated.    

This blows my mind.  

[Scarlett]

1 minute ago, Indigo Blue said:

I loved old-school full service, but I can and do pump my own gas. I had no idea people lived in areas where they did not.  I’m not crazy about touching gas pump handles, though, because…I imagine people using restrooms and not washing their hands…especially men. But then it wouldn’t be surprising that I was one of the ones who put paper down on toilet seats in the other thread. Lol. 😐

Ha I have taken a bunch of paper towels and put a bunch of display on it and scrubbed down the toilet seat before drying it and putting down  clean toilet paper to sit on. 
 

People  are gross. 

[Scarlett]

2 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Same.  I sanitize my hands after filling up.   But now I can't remember did I do that before covid?

I don’t think I did before Covid. 

[73349]

It's basically a self-checkout. I've never lived anywhere with a full-service station.

[Brittany1116]

This came up on another board like 6 or 7 years ago and I thought it had already changed in Oregon. 

[Pawz4me]

I knew that a handful of states don't allow people to pump their own gas. But around here it's like any other essential skill--it's something everybody knows how to do and most don't remember actually learning to do it. I'm old enough that I remember when everything here was full service, but that was like the very early 1970's. Then it went to where most stations had a full service island and one or more self-service, then everything went to self service.

[vonfirmath]

21 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Saw in the news that Oregon is getting rid of the rule that you can't pump your own gas.  On another board people that live in Oregon are flipping out that they have to do this.  They don't know how.  I didn't even know this was a thing in New Jersey still??   This seems so crazy to me.  I mean I guess I get it if you lived in Oregon and just never in your life left the state?  But it blows my mind because these are not young people, they have kids over 18.  

Ok so can you pump your own gas?  Can your kids pump gas?

 

My kids probably know how to pump gas intellectually but have never done it because my oldest just turned 16 last week.

I remember driving through Oregon and having to wait for them to pump the gas.  At some of the stations, they would do minimum necessary (put the pump in the hole and walk away). At some they'd also wash your windows, let you pay at the car, etc.

 

[stephanier.1765]

Pumping gas was the first thing (other than bathrooms) that grossed me out and started at first to go inside to wash my hands and then later I started using sanitizer right after before I touch anything in my car. This started well before Covid. Covid convinced me to do it anytime I got in the car after anywhere but home.

[mommyoffive]

6 minutes ago, Brittany1116 said:

This came up on another board like 6 or 7 years ago and I thought it had already changed in Oregon. 

After 72 Years, Oregon Finally Legalizes Pumping Your Own Gas (forbes.com)

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

My kids probably know how to pump gas intellectually but have never done it because my oldest just turned 16 last week.

I remember driving through Oregon and having to wait for them to pump the gas.  At some of the stations, they would do minimum necessary (put the pump in the hole and walk away). At some they'd also wash your windows, let you pay at the car, etc.

 

Do you have the rule of having to be over an age to pump or be licensed? 

[Clarita]

Yes I know how to pump gas. Although where I live you are expected to. My kids don't know how because my oldest is 6.

I have spilled some now only because I rarely fill my tank up all the way, because we have a hybrid car and how it works.  If I fill it up all the way it's not an issue.

I mean gas pumps are gross for the germ factor but also the gasoline factor. 

[Indigo Blue]

We had an old country store a quarter mile from our house where a sweet elderly man and woman who lived nearby ran the store full time. The wife had a small florist shop in the back. Old men would gather and sit around and talk. 
 

That man would come out, pump your gas, check your tires, wash your windshield, etc. He’d patch a tire on the spot if needed. They were put under by regulations which had never before been acknowledged or enforced: that their underground lines and tanks were too close to the road. He was the last known place of business that I knew of where someone came out to pump your gas. 
 

They have long since retired. All these type country stores that have been around for so long are being replaced by big name gas stations or just sit empty. Theirs just sits empty. 
 

An iconic gas station in our area was basically put under by the construction of a roundabout which killed their business for too long of a period. They succumbed to the pressure to sell to something bigger. 

[Clarita]

2 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Do you have the rule of having to be over an age to pump or be licensed? 

I imagine this might be just when it would naturally come up. I'm not sure my kids would "practice" this skill before they are driving. I mean it's so easy, I just wouldn't think to train them to do so beforehand.

[vonfirmath]

3 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Do you have the rule of having to be over an age to pump or be licensed? 

I don't know for sure. I think so so I did not allow my kids to.

 

[Arcadia]

10 minutes ago, kokotg said:

My grandmother never learned to pump her own gas and would go out of her way to the only full service station in the area all the time. I was always mystified; she was not generally the incompetent sort, and pumping gas is just...easy. 

I don’t like the smell of gasoline so I avoid being the one to pump gas. At my nearby Costco gas stations, it is common to see people wearing disposable gloves to pump gas. I find disposable gloves safer than using hand sanitizers as disposable gloves don’t interact with my skin. 

I do know how to pump gas even though I don’t have a drivers ID. It was just a life skill that my cousins, nephews, nieces and I learned growing up in the 70s/80s. Whoever was driving might want to make a quick phone call or grab stuff from the convenient store at the gas station 

[marbel]

I lived in Oregon for 9 years, but I learned to drive in CA so I knew how to pump my gas. I did enjoy having gas pumped for me while I lived in OR but when I moved to PA it was easy enough to start pumping my own again.

Up till recently gas in NJ was much cheaper than in PA, so I would fill up whenever I was over there. But now the prices are comparable.

My daughter had a roommate in college (in PA) who was from NJ and had a bit of a panic when she realized she had to pump her own gas. Of course she managed to learn. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by marbel

[PeterPan]

28 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Ok so can you pump your own gas?  Can your kids pump gas?

One, I don't pump gas. My dh usually does it and I've done it maybe a handful of times in the last 25 years. It was part of our agreement when we got married and it's just what he does. 😁

Two, we've been to Oregon with their full service approach, and it was a tedious mess when you're in a hurry. I'm just surprised they're changing it. Did something change culturally? Are people of another political persuasion moving in?? The gas lines and the slow service at restaurants just seemed to fit with the whole "Oregon time" experience. Are they losing Oregon time and speeding up? 🤣

[kirstenhill]

20 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

OH I haven't ever heard of a law like that.  What state is that?

Come to think of it, the law might actually be that you have to be 16, not have a license.  I'll have to read the fine print on the sign the next time I get gas.  This is Minnesota. 

[Clarita]

1 minute ago, PeterPan said:

One, I don't pump gas. My dh usually does it and I've done it maybe a handful of times in the last 25 years. It was part of our agreement when we got married and it's just what he does. 😁

DH always asks me if he needs to fill the tank and sort of expects that he's the one that does it. I get more annoyed with him going back out at some other time to do it that most of the time I'd just rather do it myself. I mean in the time that he's getting gas for me I'd rather him put away the laundry or the dishes... 

[QueenCat]

It's not hard. The people of Oregon will catch on to the concept.

 

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, Clarita said:

going back out

We just make it a little date time. 😉

[Catwoman]

19 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

This blows my mind.  

Why?

It's great not having to pump your own gas. You never have to get out of the car in hot weather, cold weather, rain, sleet, or snow. All you do is hand the attendant your credit card and sit in your nice comfy car while your gas is being pumped. 🙂 Being able to stay in the car also feels a lot safer in questionable neighborhoods.

[SKL]

Yes and yes!  It annoys me so much when I am in states that don't allow it.

I remember when "self serve" first came to my area when I was a teen.  At first, it was a choice, and you had to pay more for "full serve."  My mom did not embrace self serve, LOL.  Maybe because gas stations used to be pretty dirty, and she would be on her way to/from work in a business suit.  She used to make us take her car and get gas when she got low.  😛

I definitely had my kids pumping gas by age 8 or 9.  If it's illegal here, I did not know that.  😛

PS I also remember when "no lead" was a choice at the gas station.  😛  I'm old.

 

[rebcoola]

Yes I know how to pump gas. My 16 yr old can pump but not the others.  I thought it was illegal here but it just might be a thing some gas stations post for liability.  No reason to practice to before you need to.  

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Why?

It's great not having to pump your own gas. You never have to get out of the car in hot weather, cold weather, rain, sleet, or snow. All you do is hand the attendant your credit card and sit in your nice comfy car while your gas is being pumped. 🙂 Being able to stay in the car also feels a lot safer in questionable neighborhoods.

I am sure it is great.  I would LOVE it in the Winter. 

is gas more expensive?

It blows my mind that this is still going on when almost the entire country is pumping their own gas.

I guess when it comes up for a vote people don't want to get rid of the luxury of not having to pump gas.  Honestly I forgot this was a thing in Oregon and didn't ever know it was thing in New Jersey. 

[Starr]

While we’ve all pumped gas for years there was a couple full service gas stations in our former small town. When those temperature dropped to zero I would happily tip anyone who was willing to put gas in my car. 

[Carrie12345]

I “learned” when I moved from NJ to PA, but it wasn’t exactly a complex lesson that needed practice; directions are right there.

Dh knew because he had a gas station job in NJ!

It’s still so much nicer to have an attendant. And cheaper, for me at least.

[Wheres Toto]

So below is what the NJ legislature says is the reasons for not having full service gas.    I know I've also seen that it started a long time ago to prevent price fixing - some gas station owner tried to undercut prices by offering self-service so the rivals pushed through a ban.    I've also seen it tied to employment numbers.  It's a very common job for immigrants near me.  

As Catwoman said, I like not having to get out of the car in rain, snow, heat, late at night, etc.   It's just one of those things about living in NJ.    It doesn't usually take any longer than self-service does in other states.  In fact, last time I was out of state,  I think in Connecticut, it seemed like people took forever to put gas in their cars.   Many of them seemed to have no idea what to do, walked away and left the car for longer than it took to fill.    The lines were ridiculous. 

Nj legislature official wording on gas pumping: 

a. Because of the fire hazards directly associated with dispensing fuel, it is in the public interest that gasoline station operators have the control needed over that activity to ensure compliance with appropriate safety procedures, including turning off vehicle engines and refraining from smoking while fuel is dispensed;

b. At self-service gasoline stations in other states, cashiers are often unable to maintain a clear view of the activities of customers dispensing gasoline, or to give their undivided attention to observing customers; therefore, when customers, rather than attendants, are permitted to dispense fuel, it is far more difficult to enforce compliance with safety procedures;

c. The State needs stronger measures to enforce both compliance by customers with the ban on self-service and compliance by attendants with safety procedures;

d. The higher general liability insurance premium rates charged to self-service stations reflect the fact that customers who leave their vehicles to dispense gasoline or other inflammable liquids face significant inconveniences and dangers, including the risks of crime and fall-related personal injury, which are a special burden to drivers with physical infirmities, such as the handicapped and some senior citizens;

e. Exposure to toxic gasoline fumes represents a health hazard when customers dispense their own gasoline, particularly in the case of pregnant women;

f. The significantly higher prices usually charged for full-service gasoline in states where self-service is permitted results in discrimination against low income individuals, who are under greater economic pressure to undergo the inconvenience and hazards of dispensing their own gasoline;

g. The increasing use of self-service has contributed to the diminished availability of repair facilities and maintenance services at gasoline stations;

h. Even in filling stations which offer both self-service and full-service gasoline, customers are less likely, because of the much higher price usually charged for full service, to have attendants make needed maintenance checks, thus causing significant neglect of maintenance and danger both to the customers and to other motorists, as well as the unneeded costly repairs which often result from deferred maintenance;

i. The prohibition of customer self-service does not constitute a restraint of trade in derogation of the general public interest because the Legislature finds no conclusive evidence that self-service gasoline provides a sustained reduction in gasoline prices charged to customers; and

j. A prohibition of self-service gasoline will therefore promote the common welfare by providing increased safety and convenience without causing economic harm to the public in general.

[wintermom]

We lost all/most of our gas attendents years ago, and now it's pretty much all self-serve gas across Canada. The hardest part of pumping gas is opening the dang gas cap on the vehicle, IME. If there's a key lock entry, that can be the most frustrating part of the task. Otherwise, what is there to learn? You lift the handle, insert in the vehicle and squeeze the lever. Opening a can of pop is sometimes more challenging. 😅

I like it when the pump handle has the bit that allows you to pump hands-free, but most handles removed these. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by wintermom

[Wheres Toto]

7 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

I am sure it is great.  I would LOVE it in the Winter. 

is gas more expensive? 

Generally no.  NJ still has some of the lowest gas prices in the country.    They used to be even lower but we've had some new taxes in the recent past.  Something about the shipments coming into the Port of Elizabeth so have less overland transportation costs.    That is another rationale I've seen to keep the full service - that prices were already lower so self-service wouldn't really make them any lower.  

[MEmama]

The full service gas thing was so weird to me when we lived in Oregon. I hated it. I never knew what I was supposed to do while someone else was doing something I’m perfectly capable of. So awkward and archaic. 
 

Of course I remember growing up when all stations were full service, and they’d check your oil and clean the (bazillion) bugs off your windscreen. Thankfully we didn’t have those in California anymore by the time I learned to drive. 
 

DS was probably around 12 when he first started pumping gas. 

[Scarlett]

y son started pumping gas for me when he was around 12. So I had several years of never having to pump my own. 
 

I really dislike getting my own fuel. I would love full service again. Sigh.  In about 1983 or so I remember going to a full service where he checked my oil, my tires, washed my windshield and then asked me out. 

[TechWife]

Use, I’ve “always known,” so to speak.

My dh showed my son when he was learning to drive.

It’s not a hard skill to pick up. Full service gas stations are pretty rare now. 

[Lady Florida.]

I knew NJ didn't allow it but wasn't aware that Oregon didn't allow you to pump your own either.

I've been pumping my own gas for almost 50 years. Florida started allowing it in 1974 and it wasn't long before we started seeing self service stations. I don't know of any full service stations anywhere near me. Haven't seen one in forever.

[Bambam]

I've always pumped my own gas unless I had my kids or DH in the car. 
It's easy. 

We did find it unnerving when we visited Oregon and they told us it was illegal for us to pump our own gas. Ridiculous - it is not a rocket science thing. And super expensive. 

[Laura Corin]

Absolutely.  I can't remember the last time I saw a petrol station in the UK that wasn't self service. 

[Pam in CT]

We lived in NJ before moving to CT, and it was sooooooooo lovely not to have to do it; and even decades later whenever I'm driving through NJ I always stop for the luxury. Even with full service, NJ gas taxes are enough lower than DE, NY and CT gas taxes that the pump price in NJ is lower than the rest of the area.

But, of course everyone in the household can do our own pump. It's... not very hard.  Anyone who can manage self-checkout at Walmart or the supermarket, or self-order at Panera, is more than capable of pumping their own gas for heaven's sake.

[City Mouse]

I haven’t even seen a full service gas station in I-don’t-know how many years. There used to be one near the River Oaks section of Houston that I remember using probably in the early 1990’s. That one may still be there as that is where the very, very rich live. - like that is where former president George H.W. Bush lived.

 

This does make me wonder. - When I hear stuff on the news about National averages for gasoline, are price averages adjusted for the extra cost of full service, or is that why the national average always is much higher than where I live?

Edited August 9, 2023 by City Mouse

[whitestavern]

I can and do pump my own gas, as do dh and dc. But it’s quite lovely whenever we travel south and get to stop in Jersey to fill up 😊

[dsmith]

I know how to do it, but I don't have to, living in NJ. I'm very happy to let someone else do it for me.😁When we are traveling, dh fills it up. I really don't like the smell of gasoline, and some brands give me a headache. On one of our longer trips it felt so nice to fill up back in NJ and have our windshield washed without asking, for 15 cents less per gallon at that time. Our local gas stations are small, 4 - 6 pumps. The lines aren't long unless there's a storm coming, so I rarely have to wait for a pump if I time it right, and I have two gas stations right down the street from me. I hope NJ never changes! Most people I know feel the same.