# Pumping gas isn't rocket surgery you lazy twit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 12, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976 "2016-04-12T04:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/21 "2016-04-12T14:36:30Z")
_The dream of the 'Nineties is alive in New Jersey!_ New Jersey? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/22 "2016-04-12T14:39:36Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > Really, it’s not that hard to fill up a gas tank, if it was so dangerous they would be blowing up all the time. Oh but they do! In every other state, other than the lone voices of sanity NJ and OR, dozens of cars explode every hour! Right this minute, somewhere a car is exploding because of poor self-service discipline. It never makes the news because the lamestream media suppresses it. Big Fuel wants their profit margins, and they’ve bought off the regulators. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/23 "2016-04-12T14:49:09Z")
You all know that topping off is bad for your car, right? The OP should complain to the manager of the station where the attendant insisted on doing it. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/24 "2016-04-12T15:22:06Z")
Flyer, you’ve done an excellent job of convincing people to listen to you and join your cause.\* \*not really ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/25 "2016-04-12T15:30:26Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Dear Oregon, > If New Jersey jumped into the ocean, would you do it too? If NJ jumped in the ocean OR wouldn’t give a flying fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/26 "2016-04-12T15:39:08Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > Dealing with cash and people counting out / making change is a pain in the ass and slows down the line for everyone else. Just because you can’t manage your time doesn’t mean we’re all as stupid as you. > [@](#): > > just paid for his gas with a credit card. So someone should go into debt and pay interest just because you’re too retarded to deal with cash. Looks to me like you’re the shit-bucket. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/27 "2016-04-12T16:03:23Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > So someone should go into debt and pay interest just because you’re too retarded to deal with cash. Looks to me like you’re the shit-bucket. Nobody who uses a credit card is required to go into debt or pay interest. **Absolute** is still a moron tho. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/28 "2016-04-12T16:24:44Z")
That is why I tried to avoid getting gas in New Jersey. I ended up needing some anyway and the idiot attendant did the stupid topping-off bullshit. Thankfully, it didn’t cause any spillage. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/29 "2016-04-12T16:49:53Z")
Just one of the reasons I hate Oregon. The state is too tall to get from California to Washington without tanking, and the gas attendants are just as stupid there as they are in New Jersey. They don’t know how to drive, either. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/30 "2016-04-12T16:50:44Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > May you die young, and yet outlive all of your friends and family. [Moderating] Wishing death on other posters is against the board rules. Please avoid this in the future. No warning issued. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/31 "2016-04-12T16:59:55Z")
People who use cash, checks, or credit or debit cards are all a bunch of degenerates. Cut out The Man, and barter for what you need by offering goods, services, or sexual favors in exchange. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/32 "2016-04-12T17:01:15Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > Dealing with cash and people counting out / making change is a pain in the ass and slows down the line for everyone else. The OP is a good example. The whole stupid little freakout over whether the attendant stopped the pump at a $0.50 multiple would have been unnecessary if he just paid for his gas with a credit card. When we complete Project Mayhem, your credit card will useless. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/33 "2016-04-12T17:07:46Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Dear Oregon, > If New Jersey jumped into the ocean, would you do it too? Well, not the same ocean. Seriously, what is the rationale offered for the “no self-service” laws in these two states? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/34 "2016-04-12T17:08:27Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > **Loach, LavBlue, Green Bean** , & the other Joisey Dopers - _please_ try to get your lawmakers to come into the 20th Century & be like almost every other state. Hell, if the inbreds in Appalachia can be trusted to pump their own gas, surely the Luddites in your state can do it, too. Are you kidding? Watching out-of-staters get all bent out of shape about it provides excellent amusement value. We get cheap gas AND we get to troll the rest of the U.S. What’s not to love? p.s. Oregon is just our sock puppet. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/35 "2016-04-12T17:12:33Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > So someone should go into debt and pay interest just because you’re too retarded to deal with cash. Looks to me like you’re the shit-bucket. Finally someone says “retarded” in the Pit so I can respond appropriately. Fuck you for using that word as an insult. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/36 "2016-04-12T17:13:42Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > **Loach, LavBlue, Green Bean** , & the other Joisey Dopers - _please_ try to get your lawmakers to come into the 20th Century & be like almost every other state. Hell, if the inbreds in Appalachia can be trusted to pump their own gas, surely the Luddites in your state can do it, too. The worst part of it is that it takes about 3 times as long to get gas as it does for a self-service place. First you have to wait for the service guy to come over, and then when the gas pump clicks off you have to wait for the guy all over again. (And the fact that it takes so long also makes the gas stations more prone to be backed up at busy times.) Plus, there are very few stations are open all night here. Not worth it to hire a guy to sit around in middle of the night in case someone drives by (plus such places are targets of thieves). And yet, the idea of bringing self-service gas to NJ is extremely unpopular with voters. A recent governor (Corzine, IIRC) promised to do it if he got elected but it nowhere in the polls or the legislature. As I recall it, the main opposition was activists for disabled people claiming self-service would drive full service out of existence and disabled people would be stuck. But some others also felt it was helpful for jobs (though it’s generally minimum wage jobs held by recent immigrants) and others just didn’t like pumping their own gas. > [@kayaker](#): > > Yeah, I _like_ cash. As a business owner, I’ve had checks bounce (no longer accept them) and I’ve had credit card payment reversed over silly reasons that weren’t worth fighting. > > I love it when I quote a fee, say $425, to a local (often a farmer) and he pulls out a wad of cash and asks what I’ll take in cash (waggling his eyebrows). I say, $400, he winks and hands me the cash. > > Not sure what it’s all about, but everyone ends up happy. I assume “what it’s all about” is his assumption that the real reason you like cash is because you don’t pay tax on that income. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/37 "2016-04-12T17:20:34Z")
Why would anyone want to pump their own gas? The argument that you CAN do it is irrelevant. I can haul my garbage down to the landfill too, but would prefer to have someone else do it. This is really all just sour grapes. Yeah sure, I’m sure everyone would much prefer to get out of their climate-controlled car into the sweltering heat, breathe in gas fumes, grab a nasty smelly pump and then get back in with smelly hands. Anyway, I think topping off is very fair for an attendant to do if the customer is paying cash. It’s the customer’s duty to inform them in advance if they don’t want the top off. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/38 "2016-04-12T17:35:17Z")
> [@Subterraneanus](#): > > If NJ jumped in the ocean OR wouldn’t give a flying fuck. And eastern Pennsylvania would be prime oceanfront property. Everybody wins! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/39 "2016-04-12T17:49:25Z")
1. The OP’s anger is justified. 2. Using cash is annoying. 3. Nobody should be “topping off.” The pump has an automatic shutoff valve for a reason. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Why would anyone want to pump their own gas? Why wouldn’t I? It’s not like it buys me some quality time to work on my novel or something. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/40 "2016-04-12T17:49:41Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Why would anyone want to pump their own gas? The argument that you CAN do it is irrelevant. I can haul my garbage down to the landfill too, but would prefer to have someone else do it. This is really all just sour grapes. Yeah sure, I’m sure everyone would much prefer to get out of their climate-controlled car into the sweltering heat, breathe in gas fumes, grab a nasty smelly pump and then get back in with smelly hands. > > Anyway, I think topping off is very fair for an attendant to do if the customer is paying cash. It’s the customer’s duty to inform them in advance if they don’t want the top off. I don’t want them touching my car, I certainly don’t want them topping off my tank, I don’t want to wait, I don’t want them to “clean” my car, and I get confused about how the fuck to handle payment when I’m not supposed to touch the pump but I also have to in order to put in my debit pin, and the guy just stands there dumbly waving about me touching the pump because he doesn’t speak english. So, I’ve made a point to always have enough gas to get through New Jersey without stopping ever since. Fuck Jersey. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976.md?page=3)