Comments on: Why not gas up in New Jersey? http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/70 Feel Smart Again Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:35:33 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Bakedpotatoes http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-236657 Bakedpotatoes Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:12:55 +0000 http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/?p=70#comment-236657 "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. “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.

]]> By: Mangesh http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-55 Mangesh Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:53:09 +0000 http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/?p=70#comment-55 Speaking of gas, and terrible segues, have you seen this <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience/ ">article</a>? 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. 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.

]]> By: Mary http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/70/comment-page-1#comment-51 Mary Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:02:02 +0000 http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/?p=70#comment-51 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 <i>still</i> 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.) 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.)

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