Will N.J. gas pumps go do-it-yourself?
MAY 17, 2015, 11:14 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015, 11:20 PM
BY RICHARD NEWMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Gas station owners who have wielded enough clout in Trenton to keep self-serve gasoline out of New Jersey for 66 years recently reversed their position on the issue, and that could mean the days of full-service-only gas stations, one of the singular features of the Garden State, are numbered.
“Our position is different than it was 30 years ago,” Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline C-Store Automotive Association, an independent gas owners group, said last week. The competitive landscape is different now, he explained, because the small owners’ Big Oil rivals don’t own the gas stations anymore.
The seismic shift by the gas station owners is one of several significant developments that may bring self-serve pumps to New Jersey and end a ban that originated in Bergen County. Gas-station owners in New Jersey have come under increased scrutiny from regulators over underpaid workers. And how transactions are made at the pump is likely to be altered as credit or debit cards are embedded with computer chips. While Governor Christie has been silent on the issue of self-serve recently, two area legislators have introduced a bill to end the prohibition.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/will-n-j-gas-pumps-go-do-it-yourself-1.1336652
Let me get this straight, we are going to cut jobs so we can stand in the rain and snow pumping gas like animals? Gas station attendants are hardworking and have a good job. They are dressed for the weather and safely and efficiently dispense gas. Not so much for drivers who want to just stop, fill up and keep moving.
Trust me, I have been to some of these uncivilized places where you have to pump your own gas, like NY and CT and it is a nightmare. The one civilized thing about the state and these politicians want to ruin it. A pox on both their houses.
Never had a problem pumping gas any where my wife or myself have traveled it is a non issue. That being said there should be someone on hand to assist the handicapped and elderly. For the 11:53 comment get over your immaturity.
Well one good thing will be the reduction in some of these gas attendants ripping customers off. Over the years, I’ve had three of my credit cards compromised using NJ gas stations. It’s one of the few credit card transactions where you temporarily lose sight of your card and they have the opportunity to run it through a skimming device.
never had an issue pumping gas , even in a foreign country but I doubt anyone is going to save money
Must be the same Luddite afraid to use his or her CC or smartphone to pay for parking. Apart from the Japanese, most able bodied humans fill their own ranks or part extra for “full service”
Since the surly foreigners don’t bother to wash windshields I’d gladly pump my own gas.
Blue laws are next
no chance on that one
exactly James.
Self pump fallacy is that it will save $$ … nothing can be further from the truth.
NJ has some of the lowest pump prices in the country… it has to do with refining in NJ… not who pumps the gas.
Keep the attendants – I pump now if I want and they pump when I don’t feel like it
As a lifelong New Jersey resident now approaching 70 and having spent my entire life happily letting other people pump gas into my car while knowing that it did NOT cost more as a result, I truly dread this possible change. I know it’s already the case in most states and I have done it when driving through them–but I hate it, especially in bad weather, and would have hated it even more when dressed for work. I was shocked when this began to be standard because it seems extremely uncivilized. I also don’t think it’s safe for young, old, or even in-between-aged women driving alone at night or in solitary places to have to do this. What about somebody in a wheelchair or temporarily impaired, such as using crutches, but able to drive? UGH.
What happened to Corzine’s first lesson as Governor after he deigned to cross back over to our side of the Hudson, to wit: Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas?
Not wanting an attendant to walk away with your credit card does not make you a luddite.
It makes you cautious.
It must get rid of the cash/credit price difference if we pump our own gas. Unless they’re going to offer a cash slot at the pump. Walking inside will really slow things down. They will transfer the increased price per gallon to the full serve pumps which is fine with me.
I have NEVER paid for gas with anything but cash. It’s faster and nobody can steal your Special Number.
By the way, I look exactly like the woman in the picture.
You just pay at the pump by swiping your smart card, smartphone enabled mobile wallet, or chip & pin CC. The 70 year old can pay for full service with an attendant. By the time I’m 70, most gas stations will no longer exist, replaced by smart charging stations for electric vehicles and self-drive cars… Even in NJ!
OMG just get your fingers out of your _ _ _ and pump gas like the rest of the world. If you can’t handle that, then the bigger concern is your competency to drive a motor vehicle.