For the first time in more than seven decades, drivers in Oregon are allowed to pump their own gas.
Self serve drives up gas prices due to insurance. Insurance goes up due to a couple of people smoking while filling gas and gas station without anyone being the favorite place for looters. The self serve campaigns advertise how gas will come down due to it, but it actually goes up. So question is who you want to pay - insurance companies or min wage employees…
I live in the UK and for as long as I can remember and probably considerably before that (and I’m not young) fuel has been self service.
I also have seen plenty of people smoking and using phones (surely the bigger danger is backfiring cars though). You know I cannot recall a single news story about a fuel station exploding due to this. I reckon that’s the kind of story that makes it onto the news. Not to say it never happens, but with the amount of fuel pumped daily, I’d expect it to be a common event yet I cannot recall a single time I heard about it happening.
So, feels like insurance companies fear mongering stations into higher payments to me. Sure it’s possible, but highly unlikely.
Oregon has the fourth most expensive gas by state. New Jersey is pretty high up there, although admittedly cheaper than its neighbors by a few cents. I would doubt that full vs. self service has any real impact on gas prices
The reason West Coast states have expensive gas is that there are no pipelines connecting them to the rest of the countr, specifically Texas. Washington and Oregon produce zero crude oil. California can’t produce enough for the whole West Coast so a majority of oil has to be shipped by a more inefficient way, causing prices to go up. This is reflected by the fact the 4 most expensive states for gas are California, Washington, Hawaii and Oregon.
I suspect you tip the guy filling your car though? Probably a few dollars each time?
From what I read tipped workers are generally paid below minimum wage and as such the cost difference to a station is probably negligible.
But the real cost to you will be less because I doubt you’re going to tip the cashier and definitely not pay at the pump…
I suspect you tip the guy filling your car though? Probably a few dollars each time?
No, but continue to express an opinion on something that you don’t understand and doesn’t impact you.
I’ve never seen anyone tip a gas station attendant in NJ before. I don’t know what they get paid though
