Ahm jes an old fart.
Full service was the norm in WI in the late 70s. When self serve stations started up, they’d charge something less (5 cents? 10 cents?) less per gallon,
And I was paying about .80/gal.
I also remember that, for awhile, there were sort of hybrid stations, where you would go to one set of pumps for full service, and a different set of pumps if you wanted to fill the car yourself. And yes, I remember there was usually a discount for self-service.
Full service was the norm when I started driving (1971). That’s a very long time ago.
One of the many things I hate about Oregon was the fact that you couldn’t make it across the state without tanking and I now hate full service stations. The changed law hasn’t changed my feelings for Oregon any.
What is it in that area that most/all of them are full serves. NY doesn’t require it like NJ does; is it some local law?
Yep - Town of Huntington Code 111-59(b):
It shall be unlawful for any person to dispense or cause to be dispensed Class I flammable liquids into the fuel tank of a vehicle or into a container unless the activity is under the control of a service station employee.
Plenty of self-service stations around here, mostly independent ones.
Presumably a leftover from when you filled your tank first, then went inside to pay; and they trusted you not to drive off without paying. (Plus which, they could probably see your plate number, and could call the cops.)
I was indignant when gas stations first started treating me like I was a thief. But I suppose enough people actually are thieves that they have to do so.
– full service disappeared around here a while ago; at least, almost anywhere that I go. I think there’s one place a couple of towns over that still pumps the gas for you.
In the 50’s and 60’s while a team of four would be unusual, having the one person who filled the tank, or possibly one additional person, also check oil and tires and windshield was quite common. IIRC it was becoming rare, but not unheard of, in the '70’s.
Many gas stations would also do minor repairs. Some would do major ones.
I’m an older fart. I remember around 35¢.
Of course, minumum wage was around 1.60.
Of course. That was when gas stations still called themselves service stations, and the building next to the pumps contained lifts and roll-up garage doors so cars could be worked on. There are fewer and fewer of those, mostly being replaced by convenience stores.
Edited to add that the change is partly because cars need much less minor maintenance than they used to. For example, I don’t think cars need “lube jobs” any longer.
Back in 1988, I was driving from a small town in northern Montana to the airport in Great Falls and stopped in an even smaller town (under 1,000 people) for gas, as the tank was almost empty. It was a full-service station. The attendant who filled my tank told me my car was leaking oil. I got teary and explained that I had to catch a flight to California because my dad had died, so I didn’t have time to get repairs. The station owner/manager checked and said it was a slow leak. They topped up the oil and told me I should make it the 70 miles to the airport OK.
They refused to charge me for the gas and oil.
You know that, whoever it is responsible for that reg, sure as shit pumps their own gas. Or their family does.
And half the time they were crooks, especially on cross country highways. “Look, buddy, your tires are bald, you got four leaky shocks, you battery is ready to go, and your radiator is leaking.” “Wow, I just had all that fixed at the last station! This car is a piece of junk!”
And in New Jersey, do the interstate gas stations/truck stops also require full service attendants?
Yes, all gas stations in NJ are still no pump your own.
Yes, there were a lot of dishonest car mechanics on the road. I vaguely remember a story perhaps on 60 Minutes, in which they started with a car that had been thoroughly looked over and then brought to some of these people who proceeded to find all sorts of nonsense issues.
I usually do, & no, I had nothing to do with that code.
Yup, & they’re assholes on the turnpike rest stops. There can be six or eight cars in line for the left side fill while the right side fill are empty; don’t even try to pull around as they’ll scold you & not serve you if you’re facing the wrong way. 
There are two gas stations near me (1.3 miles and 2.9 miles) that are “full service” only.
Both are branded (global companies, Exxon, Mobil, Shell, BP, Gulf, Chevron, etc) but of course locally owned. One by a family that has operated it for 80 years and it gas a very old timey feel, with a maintenance/repair facility and a few used cars for sale. The other is just gas, these isn’t even a find convenience store. It’s a tight location and they want people coming in and going out exactly the way they are supposed to.
Both are priced 50-60 cents a gallon higher than the nearest competitor.
Please, you’re an honored elder.
I just wanted to point out that from a slightly younger (and again, national and regional) perspective, this is quite literally only something I’ve seen in older TV shows and movies.
Not really. About a year ago J went to a small station in the rural Ontario (Canada) which included this service. That was the first time I had seen it here in twenty years.
During the era of transition from full serve to self serve, I usually used full serve, probably by inertia. Because that was waht IU was used to. I got a fair ration of shit from my contemporaries about that. “Pump your own damn gas!”
I haven’t used it lately, but a few years ago, there was still one within about 20 minutes of my house. A nice thing when you need to fill up on really cold days. And their prices were usually better, too, which was surprising.
The deal in Australia is, you pull up at the pump, undo your petrol (gas) cap, stick the nozzle into the hole and fill it to however much money you have to spend, or continue until full.
Return the nozzle to the holder, take a note of which pump number you used, go into the store and at the counter say, 'pump 5 please), they will ring it up, you can either pay cash, or use your card. Walk out, drive away.
No prepaying for fuel (except for some remote servos who ask for prepayment between the hours of say 10pm and 5am) for security reasons.
The Shell station nearest me is full service only. A few cents a litre higher than the BP across the street. But they have a complete auto repair shop that is very reasonably priced and I use them exclusively for that reason. They replaced my left front turn joint a couple years ago that was making a horrible noise whenever I turned the wheel.
My first memory of gas prices was 24.9. Go over to Jersey with its legal price fixing and it was 29.9.
One thing I remember in Switzerland in 1970 was an automated gas station that operated 24/7. Put a five franc coin into the slot and get that much gas. No attendant at all. That was before self-service was common.