Dallas Jones had a good synopsis above. Essentially, in counties with less than 40K residents, gas stations have the option to provide self-service. They can continue to provide full service as well. Most of them have indicated they will provide full service during the day, and self-service at night when they would be otherwise closed. People in places like Portland and along the I-5 corridor will not have a choice; it’s full service only.
The freak-out happened when a TV station asked online if this should be law throughout Oregon, and a few people vehemently and comedically voiced their disagreement. Their concern is that if self-service is an option, full service stations will eventually disappear due to lack of demand and other factors. This is a reasonable concern, given the lack of full service in states that don’t require it. It is perhaps an overreaction to think they wouldn’t be able to survive such a change.
As I’ve lived in both self-serve and full-serve states, the change seems ideal to me.
I did learn that people in New Jersey do tend to collectively lose their shit whenever any politician suggests going to self-serve. I really can’t emphasize enough how nice it is not to have to get out of your car in the winter time. I kind of internally grumbled when I had to go back to pumping my own gas.
When I worked at a gas station if there were 2-3 on duty someone would go out an pump their gas. If there were only 2 people on duty and it was busy enough that both registers had line they’d have to wait at the pump until it slowed down enough for someone to come out and help them. If there was only 1 person on duty then they’d have to wait at the pump until the store was completely empty of customers, we’d then have to lock the doors*, and then go out and help them (3rd shift always being a solo shift). Also it wasn’t really practical for anyone to press the call buttons on the pumps w/o getting out of the car unless they parked way too close to the pump and partially climb out the window. :dubious:
*Same process to go to the bathroom.
I “managed” for many years in Alaska and everywhere else I’ve ever lived in the past 50+ years of driving. This is the first place I’ve ever lived where self-service wasn’t an option. Self-service was instituted to increase profits, not because of customer demand. You people are talking like pumping your own gas is some sort of privilege or macho activity. I have no problem with pumping my own gas, as most every summer we take the RV out of state. I’m just saying I’m fine without having to “manage”, but it’s not a deal breaker if it goes away.
It’s a time-saver to not have to wait until an attendant notices you’re there, then when your pumping is done, to notice that it’s done so he can remove the nozzle from your tank and give you the receipt. And if the station is backed up, you have to wait for the attendant(s) to do that for everyone ahead of you.
Every time I pull into a station in Oregon, it takes fucking FOREVER for the slack-jawed idiot to put down the comic book and slowly shuffle out to somewhere generally in my direction, with a few detours here and there. Goddammit! MOVE! I’m in a hurry to get the hell out of this State!
Then they under-fill the tank, screw the gas cap on with Monkey Strength and drop my credit card into a puddle of oil.
The one thing I did to convince my mother that I was now an adult was to pump my own gas. By comparison, graduating from college, holding down a job, getting married, etc., meant nothing.
