# State of Oregon has collective freak-out **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 4, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834 "2018-01-04T04:48:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 4, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/21 "2018-01-04T18:22:30Z")
The current Facebook twaddle is a meme about how 37% of all the cars in Oregon are now inoperative because the poor, befuddled Oregonian drivers had to pump their gas for the first time and automatically reached for the _green handled_ pump. Get it? Because they think everything should be _green_! Yuck yuck! My big problem with the Oregon pump law is that the state is too far across to get from California to Washington without filling up. ---
**Author:** ![BlueMerle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@BlueMerle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMerle)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/22 "2018-01-04T18:29:03Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Passing through from out of state, can you now pump your own gas if you want to? Nope. About 10 years ago I took a new job and needed to return to my home state of TX from AK. I took the ferry to Bellingham and drove from there. While in OR I stopped for gas, got out and tried to start pumping. A kid comes running out of the station screaming Wait! Wait!.. Imagine my surprise. I’d never heard of such foolishness… ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/23 "2018-01-04T19:28:33Z")
I usually get my gas at a station that has full service and charges 1/2 cent a liter more than the self-service across the street. It is really worth it. The comment about NJ having the cheapest prices is correct. When I drive to NYC, I end up on the Palisades and fill at the last station in NJ, which is very crowded. On the other hand, when I was growing up in Philly, Jersey was consistently a nickel a gallon higher than us, so we made sure to have a full tank when driving down the shore. They had legal price fixing there. When I was in Switzerland in 1970, they already had unattended stations. You dropped a five franc coin in a box and got $1.15 worth of gas. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/24 "2018-01-04T19:38:44Z")
Here’s the thing, having lived here, and not here, I have reached the following conclusions. Can everyone who is not disabled pump their own gas if allowed? Yes. Does it rain a lot in Oregon? Yes. Does it rain so much in Oregon that the sun is rare sight November to May? Yes. Do you like standing in the rain to pump gas? No? Me neither. Ditto snow, freezing fog, sleet, and so on. I like having some nice person pump my gas, especially when the weather is crap. It doesn’t make me feel like less of an adult to have them do this. It makes me feel warm and dry. Slightly guilty, but dry. Mock all you want, but I’ll still be in my warm, dry car. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/25 "2018-01-04T19:52:10Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I admit to being happier sitting in my car than standing in a pounding rain to pump gas. > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Do you like standing in the rain to pump gas? No? Me neither. I don’t remember the last time I got rained on whilst pumping gas. Don’t most gas stations nowadays have roofs over the pump area? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/26 "2018-01-04T20:16:47Z")
It may be a question of region, type of rain, size of roof and other variances. Here I would say, roof or not, you’re going to get wet. In Missouri, roof or not, I got wet, and snowy, and cold. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/27 "2018-01-04T20:18:38Z")
Well, maybe the idiots were right. Shocking footage has been obtained of [Oregonians attempting to use a self-service station](https://youtu.be/e2MfsMmki5U?t=77). ---
**Author:** ![BlueMerle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@BlueMerle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMerle)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/28 "2018-01-04T20:27:27Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > It may be a question of region, type of rain, size of roof and other variances. Here I would say, roof or not, you’re going to get wet. In Missouri, roof or not, I got wet, and snowy, and cold. I don’t think anyone has a problem with those people that choose to have an attendant pump the gas for them. The issue, at least for me, is forcing, until Jan 1st, the entire state to only be able to have an attendant pump the gas. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/29 "2018-01-04T20:29:31Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Well, maybe the idiots were right. Shocking footage has been obtained of [Oregonians attempting to use a self-service station](https://youtu.be/e2MfsMmki5U?t=77). Outstanding! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/30 "2018-01-04T20:40:00Z")
It seems that the teeming masses really prefer self-pumping, once they get the hang of it. IIRC, when self-pumping became a thing in California, all stations made it optional: There was at least one island of self-service pumps and at least one island of attendant-serviced pumps. The self-service was a bit cheaper per gallon. Presumably (?) the slightly-more-expensive attended pumps should have paid for the employees to operate them, so (again, presumably) the station owners wouldn’t have gone ALL self-serv just to reduce staffing expense. Anyway, self-serv seems to have won out. Enough customers went there, to the point where attended pumps have mostly disappeared. Remember when gas stations also gave out free road maps? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/31 "2018-01-04T20:42:28Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I mean, some poor Oregonian, looking at the business end of a gas pump for the very first time in their lives, what will they do? Point the nozzle at their head and say “is this thing on” while they squeeze the nozzle? While smoking pot. Wouldn’t Darwin say, this is just as it should be? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/32 "2018-01-04T21:26:37Z")
Having had to sleep upright in a moving truck cab with a friend and two cats because we were stranded at a rural Oregon station until morning when someone appeared to pump (we had gas but not enough to get to the next presumably all-night station, in the days before smart phones), I approve. Also, as I’ve said before, Oregon natives look at you with awe and respect if you can leap out and pump your own gas. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/33 "2018-01-04T21:27:40Z")
> [@](#): > > I mean, some poor Oregonian, looking at the business end of a gas pump for the very first time in their lives, what will they do? Point the nozzle at their head and say “is this thing on” while they squeeze the nozzle? While smoking pot. I see you’ve visited my town. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/34 "2018-01-04T21:41:11Z")
No one who has had to drive US-26 after 10pm would complain about this law. After my GPS took me around a town with a working gas pump I had to camp out at a gas station until they opened. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/35 "2018-01-04T21:58:10Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I mean, some poor Oregonian, looking at the business end of a gas pump for the very first time in their lives, what will they do? Point the nozzle at their head and say “is this thing on” while they squeeze the nozzle? While smoking pot. I heard about this months ago and immediately started planning my vacation. I arrived in Oregon 12/31 and spent the night in a cheap motel. Just before first light on 1/1 I went to the nearest now-self-serve-station, took off all my clothes, held up a sign reading “Regular $2.39” so that it covered me from head to waist and stood between the gas pumps. I got 73 hand jobs that day alone. It would have been the perfect vacation except for that one guy who apparently mistook my ass crack for the squeegee holder… ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/36 "2018-01-04T22:57:51Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Gatopescado: > > Sure you don’t mean New Jersey? > > ftg: > > New Jersey, which doesn’t allow self-pumping, has the lowest gas prices on the east coast. I doubt there’s a single New Yorker or Pennsylvanian who won’t fill up his tank in New Jersey when he’s passing through the state. ??? GasBuddy says that the cheapest gas in NJ right now is $2.39 and that the cheapest in NC is $2.19. (Both are at Costcos, so…whatever.) Did NC get kicked out of the East Coast Club recently? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/37 "2018-01-04T22:58:57Z")
Self-serve was a negative for my family when it came to Melbourne ~40 years ago. As part of the re-regulation they regulated that self-serve pumps couldn’t click “on”, you had to hold the nozzle the whole time. My dad used to always get out of the car and start the pump, then do other things (like filling out the log book, checking tires etc). They’ve recently re-legalized non-attended filling, but only for high-speed diesel (ie trucks) I assume they use a lock-on nozzle, but I’ve never looked. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/38 "2018-01-05T01:01:54Z")
ZonexandScout: > [@](#): > > GasBuddy says that the cheapest gas in NJ right now is $2.39 and that the cheapest in NC is $2.19. (Both are at Costcos, so…whatever.) Did NC get kicked out of the East Coast Club recently? It’s been a long time since I’ve been in NC, so I have to admit that states down south were not on my mind. Mea culpa. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/39 "2018-01-05T01:02:38Z")
I shall continue to sit in my car while my gas gets pumped like a gentleman. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834/40 "2018-01-05T02:09:42Z")
Am I understanding this right? Self-serve gas is now an option in Oregon, but attendant pumping is still allowed? Because in NJ self-serve is legally not an option. I grew up in Michigan where it’s mandatory. ISTM Oregon now has the best of both worlds. Self-serve when you’re in a hurry and attendant pumping when it’s bitch-ass cold. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-oregon-has-collective-freak-out/805834.md?page=3)