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Why not gas up in New Jersey?
by Will - April 27, 2006 - 5:18 AM

We ran an article in our last issue about how gas prices work and in doing some digging on prices around the country, we noticed that if New Yorkers look across the border into New Jersey, they’ll see gas prices are about 30 cents cheaper there. So by driving a few extra miles, you could save a significant amount of money over the course of a year, right? Not exactly. Did you know there are still two states in the union – Oregon and New Jersey – where self service pumps are still forbidden? So even though the gas itself is a little cheaper over in the Garden State, you end up paying extra for full-service, which erases most of the savings.

A few facts to prep for Jeopardy’s gasoline category:

  • Self-service stations first popped up in California in 1947
  • It wasn’t until the 1970s that self service started to become common around the country
  • One of the main reasons Oregon and New Jersey prohibited self service was the fear that customers wouldn’t handle the pumps properly and would put themselves and others in a dangerous situation. Is this really still a concern?
  • Both states have stations that allow self service for diesel, because the lawmakers believed truck drivers would know how to handle their gas properly.

gasolinepost.bmp                 Speaking of gasoline, I can’t believe this story about two girls that “fuel the fire” wasn’t up for an Oscar.

Check out this wikipedia article for more than you ever wanted to know on gas stations.

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Comments (3)

  1. I remember encountering this phenomenon for the first time. As a Southerner, I had always pumped my own gas, but on a secret road trip to NYC my freshman year of college, I made the mistake of stopping for gas in Jersey and almost got into, shall we say, an altercation with the pump guy because I was so confused. I’m still confused as to why this is necessary — although I imagine if Jersey tried to go fully self-serve, there would be a huge outcry from whatever kind of labor union represents the pump guys (and, as Will notes, girls.)

    posted by Mary on 4-27-2006 at 7:02 am

  2. Speaking of gas, and terrible segues, have you seen this article?

    My roommate in college was an aspiring vegetarian for a week, and the entire time we had to keep the windows open, candles burning round the clock, and we went through two cans of that Glade Garden Potpourri crap (no joke). Eventually, we all convinced him not to be a vegetarian because it ended up being a lot more humane.

    posted by Mangesh on 4-27-2006 at 7:53 am

  3. “One of the main reasons Oregon and New Jersey prohibited self service was the fear that customers wouldn’t handle the pumps properly and would put themselves and others in a dangerous situation. Is this really still a concern?”

    YES. I couldn’t stress it harder without defecating! Forecourt attendant certainly isn’t the most skilled of jobs, yet much of the public still fails at doing it themselves.

    posted by Bakedpotatoes on 11-13-2009 at 12:12 am

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