# Why not pump your own gas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564 "2004-06-22T03:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tadc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@tadc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadc)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/41 "2004-06-22T22:00:42Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > People I’ve known who live in Oregon seem to believe that employment is the real reason it stays on the books. sure, and convenience. Although the super-discount stations(Arco) usually make you go inside to pay anyway, so the minimum wage gas jockey isn’t tempted by handling cash. I know I enjoy not having to get out in the rain to pump my gas when it’s icky out, although I prefer to do it myself generally (to avoid spills and rental-car-full tanks). Fortunately I drive a diesel so I have the option in Oregon. > [@](#): > > The last time I was in Oregon, gas stations STILL managed to have two price levels of service anyway - a lot of them had a “full service” and a “mini service” where they would put gas in your tank, but not do anything else (and if you thought the window needed cleaning, there were no self-service squeegies available to do it yourself, of course). Must have been quite a while ago… I haven’t seen a full service station in Portland in years. Although sometimes the full-price stations will wash your windows. And as far as that goes, I’ve never seen a station with no window squeegies. Although I’ve been to discount self-service stations with nothing but a half-inch of nasty black water in the bucket… > [@balthisar](#): > > Why is it dangerous? The pump turns off when it detects the back-pressure anyway. Except when it doesn’t, and then you have an unattended flammable liquid firehose. 🙂 > [@](#): > > Yeah, I wish stations had pumping service. It might be worth $1 or something. But the few stations that do offer “full service” charge per gallon, usually like 25¢. That’s almost $5 for my car! And totally not worth the dude’s time if I decide I want only one gallon. In LA panhandlers hang out at the pumps and try to get tips for pumping your gas. While visiting LA a few years back I drove up to the pump and saw a scroungy looking guy standing there and nearly handed him my credit card and said “fillerup” before I realized I wasn’t in Oregon anymore… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/42 "2004-06-23T00:23:26Z")
I don’t think I’ve seen any lockable pump handles since I moved to NY. Which is really annoying when it’s -13F out. It’s also a crime to jam something in the handle to make it pump, 'round these parts, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/43 "2004-06-23T01:16:44Z")
> [@Green Bean](#): > > Well, then! You must come up for a visit! You can tour our lovely full-serve gas stations, oil refineries, toxic waste dumps, and the Port of Elizabeth! Then we’ll go out for some Manhattan clam chowder, made with Jersey tomatoes of course, and laugh at all those stuck-up stickybeaks up there in New England. > > Do you talk funny? A friend swears I do, but I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/44 "2004-06-23T03:13:50Z")
Besides self-serve and full service, there are some other variations in some jurisictions. For example, in Soviet Russia, gas pumps you! ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/45 "2004-06-23T03:50:07Z")
Dumb people. They’ll pump gas into a paper bag if you let them. That’s another reason not to allow self serve. Peace. * * * BTW: While NJ is not part of New England, it is part of the Northeast. Probably where the confusion is from. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/46 "2004-06-23T03:50:44Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > So do I. I went to grad school in Houston for 2 years and pumping my own gas was quite the nuisance. You get all sweaty in the heat, your hands end up smelling like gasoline, and you get a headache from the fumes. Plus, if you’re paying with cash, you have to walk to the cashier and tell them your pump number. The cashier is usually smoking a cigarette and you’re forced to breathe in 2nd-hand smoke. So now, for the rest of the trip, your clothes smell like smoke and your hands smell like gas. It’s really ridiculous. Now I’m back in NJ (Exit 138) and I really appreciate having someone else pump my gas for me, and then collect my cash and give me my change right through my window. Vapor return hoses are required in metropolitan Houston, now. It greatly reduces the amount of vapor released into the atmosphere, or onto your hands. When I left the Houston area, it took a while to get used to having to endure gas fumes again. What about card readers? In my little town, none of the gas stations are open all night, but they all have at least one pump that has a pay-at-pump card reader. Therefore, you can get gas any time of the day or night, and even on holidays. While I don’t use that service often, it’s indespensible (ha!) when I do need it. You folks in New Jersey and Oregon don’t have that option? ---
**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/47 "2004-06-23T04:09:03Z")
In upstate NY, almost all gas stations are self-service, and I haven’t seen an attendant in years. Most gas stations have been removing the locking mechanism on the handles, but others still have them. I wish all handles were so equipped, because the handles are \*really \* cold in the winter, and one’s hand quickly freezes. When I was younger, with the option to do it yourself or have an attendent pump it for you, my mom always chose to have us do it, to avoid having to give a tip. Do people in NJ and Oregon give tips to the gas pump gurus? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/48 "2004-06-23T05:21:21Z")
In my experience growing up in Jersey, it’s true you might have trouble finding a station open in the middle of the night. Yet in my current location of Connecticut, the self-serve stations close at night anyway. Holidays and such are no problem. There’s always someone open. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/49 "2004-06-23T05:54:28Z")
Exposure to hazardous vapours = potential for litigation. People employed to pump gas all day will be at greater risk of exposure to aromatics, such as benzene, in the fuel than motorist who only pump gas occasionally. Petrol (gas) contains up to 5% benzene, which is a carcinogen. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/50 "2004-06-23T15:49:45Z")
> [@Drum God](#): > > What about card readers? In my little town, none of the gas stations are open all night, but they all have at least one pump that has a pay-at-pump card reader. Therefore, you can get gas any time of the day or night, and even on holidays. I wonder if this is just an oversight? I would think that state laws prescribe that _someone_ that’s trained and responsible be at the gas station when pumps are in use, just for safety. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/51 "2004-06-23T17:21:40Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Dumb people. > > They’ll pump gas into a paper bag if you let them. That’s another reason not to allow self serve. > Peace. > > * * * > > BTW: While NJ is not part of New England, it is part of the Northeast. Probably where the confusion is from. You do understand that the vast majority of states somehow seem to muddle through allowing untrained citizens to pump gas without major problems don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/52 "2004-06-23T17:40:16Z")
> [@Lush Jinks](#): > > In [this recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=259221), I was a bit shocked to learn that people in the state of New Jersey do not pump their own gas. Apparently this phenomenon also occurs in Oregon and NYC. Why? I can’t imagine. It seems a bit strange to me having lived in the U.S. all my life (but obviously never in these areas) and never hearing about this before. So what’s the dope? Several years ago I was listening to the Howard Stern show , on Q-107 out of Toronto and Stern was having a chat with then Govenor Christie Whitman. One of the things that she was mentioning was the issue of the full serve gasoline stations. Since they had some sort of employment problem , she said she could not fathom why Gas distributors were opening self serve gas stations , so that all gas stations opening would have to be full serve. Hope that helps Declan ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/53 "2004-06-23T18:11:08Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > For the last several years here in the US, this mechanism has been removed on most self-serve nozzles, because they don’t want people wandering off while refueling–a safety issue, I gather. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a response to the type of static-ignited fire , where the driver gets back in the car while refueling and gets out (generating a static charge on himself) to pull out the nozzle and touches off a spark when his hand nears the nozzle handle’s metal parts. Hmm, must be a regional regulation thing. I occaisonally (Washington state) come across a handle where this is removed, but they are usually old out-of-the-way independent gas stations. All of the new mainstream stations and minimarts have locking mechanisms. I work early in the morning, and in the winter there is nothing that I hate more than getting out of my warm car and being forced to hold a sub-freezing gas handle that won’t lock. Thankfully, most of what we have are lockable now. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/54 "2004-06-23T18:12:13Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I’ve never seen a pump handle that didn’t have that mechanism, and there’s been vast suburban growth out here (thus, brand new gas stations). Maybe that’s true in your region, but certainly not for the US in general. Here in New Hampshire, every gas station I’ve seen has pumps that come with the self locking mechanism; however, in roughly two thirds of them, they’ve been removed systematically. Since they’ll be removed from all pumps at one station and no pumps at another, I think it’s more likely that the station owners are removing them on purpose than it is that they are gradually becoming broken or vandalized. I don’t recall the proportion being terribly different when I lived in Houston. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/55 "2004-06-23T18:17:49Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I work early in the morning, and in the winter there is nothing that I hate more than getting out of my warm car and being forced to hold a sub-freezing gas handle that won’t lock. You know, you don’t _have_ to hold a freezing metal gas pump handle. They have these new things called “gloves.” Might want to check it out. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Mahma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Joe\_Mahma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Mahma)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/56 "2004-06-23T19:31:29Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I wonder if this is just an oversight? I would think that state laws prescribe that _someone_ that’s trained and responsible be at the gas station when pumps are in use, just for safety. Back when I worked at a gas station (as a teenager) I received no training of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/57 "2004-06-23T20:22:43Z")
Another chime in that I’ve never been to a gas station that didn’t have a locking mechanism. So, does one tip a gas pumper? I’m considering moving to Oregon, and this is something I’ll need to know, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Barry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@Matt\_Barry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Barry)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/58 "2004-06-23T22:23:06Z")
> [@MaceMan](#): > > When I was younger, with the option to do it yourself or have an attendent pump it for you, my mom always chose to have us do it, to avoid having to give a tip. Do people in NJ and Oregon give tips to the gas pump gurus? HA!!! No, I don’t think I ever have. Do people who choose to have service at a gas station tip in other states? ---
**Author:** ![tadc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@tadc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadc)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/59 "2004-06-24T01:38:42Z")
> [@Drum God](#): > > What about card readers? In my little town, none of the gas stations are open all night, but they all have at least one pump that has a pay-at-pump card reader. Therefore, you can get gas any time of the day or night, and even on holidays. While I don’t use that service often, it’s indespensible (ha!) when I do need it. You folks in New Jersey and Oregon don’t have that option? We do have card-reader pumps, but it’s kinda silly since you just hand your card to the guy who sticks it in the pump for you. Here in Portland (or along an Interstate) there’s no problem with late-night gas since there are plenty of 24 hour stations around, but when you get out into the boonies (anywhere away from I-5/I-84) it can be a problem. I once spent several dark and cold hours at a cardlock station in Chemult, OR until someone stopped at the cardlock and I was able to buy some gas on his card. I had made the mistake of pulling out of Klamath Falls (where I was going to school) around midnight with about 1/2 tank of gas. Little did I know the next open gas station (not counting the cardlock) was in Eugene, about 3 hours away. Re: tipping the gas guy, it happens occasionally but I’ve never done it or seen it done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564.md?page=2)