Circular "hatch" on the right rear of my car....

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by new2subaru

It was the best trip we've ever taken! We got a lot of "How ya'll doin. Y'er a long ways from home!" Kids waving when driving by. There's was no real planning. We just went where/when we felt like, which was the best part. We also learned what real heat is lol

Funny because CDN plates are all over FL in the winter...

Yep, ....... August + Georgia + humidity = heat

[Cal3000]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

I haven't seen a full service pump in California since about 1980.

I was born in the mid 80s and I remember seeing self service signs at many gas stations growing up. I never quite understood why they placed that until I reached my 20s. lol

[Adam Anthony]

I was in Portland OR with my wife in 2012. We had rented a car there and I went to fill it up and this guy comes running out of the station screaming that I can't fill up the car myself and that it is against the law because it takes specialized knowledge.

Needless to say I was shocked. I asked a friend who lived there and they assumed it was for purposes of employing people. Make it mandatory for others to do it and you employ a lot more people.

[sgtcarrot]

I think people default to the "jobs" thing, but it makes no sense unless you are employing the difficult to employ (learning/disabled). This is not a good job (especially in the hot/cold extremes) and in jersey I am pretty sure that you are also not allowed to tip them (I tried once and was told this).

The reason for this law that makes WAY more sense is simple: Insurance.

Think of the cost they pay annually to ensure just anybody rolling up and pumping gas (scene from Zoolander in my head). Now imagine the cost savings when they employ specially trained/paid people to do it at minimume wage.

I bet there is a margin to this, especially with high volume statiosn (like on 95) that want to keep everybody moving along.

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by sgtcarrot

I think people default to the "jobs" thing, but it makes no sense unless you are employing the difficult to employ (learning/disabled). This is not a good job (especially in the hot/cold extremes) and in jersey I am pretty sure that you are also not allowed to tip them (I tried once and was told this).

The reason for this law that makes WAY more sense is simple: Insurance.

Think of the cost they pay annually to ensure just anybody rolling up and pumping gas (scene from Zoolander in my head). Now imagine the cost savings when they employ specially trained/paid people to do it at minimume wage.

I bet there is a margin to this, especially with high volume statiosn (like on 95) that want to keep everybody moving along.

Keep in mind that you may not want to work in these conditions but there are others that see it differently. Personally, I would rather work in these conditions than indoors.

It is also a good entry level job. As a teen I would rather pump gas over working fast food. I would also rather do farm work over fast food. I would rather work in a scrap yard over working indoors. I would rather do anything than work indoors.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by sgtcarrot

The reason for this law that makes WAY more sense is simple: Insurance.

I seriously doubt a station in New Jersey saves enough on insurance to pay salaries and benefits for unnecessary employees. If there were really that much of a difference in insurance rates, there would be stations in other states hiring pump attendants to get the discount.

The reason the law went into effect was price fixing, as I posted somewhere above. The reason it continues in effect is that women don't want to get out of their cars. Polls show that 78% of women in New Jersey are opposed to repealing the law because they'd have to haul their fat lazy asses out of their cars to pump their own gas. Politicians are afraid to change the law because to do so would be framed as part of a "war on women."

No politician wants to be the woman hater who made them pump their own gas, so New Jersey stations get to keep paying for unnecessary employees.

[NoHaveMSG]

Most people freaking out over it don't realize it only applies to counties with a population of under 40k. So we have maybe 300K people this effects. Doesn't CA have larger power outages then that?

The PDX metro area makes me glad I am not from this place.

[PandaSPUR]

Originally Posted by new2subaru

It is also a good entry level job. As a teen I would rather pump gas over working fast food. I would also rather do farm work over fast food. I would rather work in a scrap yard over working indoors. I would rather do anything than work indoors.

I think the problem these days is that teens dont think the same way you used to.

I'm 26 and I've noticed this with friends my age and some of the ones that are just graduating. What they consider "entry level" is graduating out of college and getting a full time job in some office for 60k+ a year. Most of them dont bother with finding internships at all until their third or fourth year in college, if at all. Some of them got all the way to graduation without working a single day, and just sit at home until they find that office job.

And then the ones who do end up at the entry level, manual labor, part time jobs like gas stations and fast food restaurants think they deserve more. At the same time, they hate their jobs so they're terrible at it. I sat at a NJ gas station for a good 10 minutes just a week or two ago because the gas attendants were just chatting with each other. The other drivers would be done filling up but they couldn't leave because the attendants didn't disconnect the pump yet.

The decrease in work ethic plus demands for higher wages will just lead to there being less of these jobs. Even fast food places are starting to have in-store kiosks and mobile orders to replace cashiers.

Damn I ended up ranting more than I expected.

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by PandaSPUR

I think the problem these days is that teens dont think the same way you used to.

I'm 26 and I've noticed this with friends my age and some of the ones that are just graduating. What they consider "entry level" is graduating out of college and getting a full time job in some office for 60k+ a year. Most of them dont bother with finding internships at all until their third or fourth year in college, if at all. Some of them got all the way to graduation without working a single day, and just sit at home until they find that office job.

And then the ones who do end up at the entry level, manual labor, part time jobs like gas stations and fast food restaurants think they deserve more. At the same time, they hate their jobs so they're terrible at it. I sat at a NJ gas station for a good 10 minutes just a week or two ago because the gas attendants were just chatting with each other. The other drivers would be done filling up but they couldn't leave because the attendants didn't disconnect the pump yet.

The decrease in work ethic plus demands for higher wages will just lead to there being less of these jobs. Even fast food places are starting to have in-store kiosks and mobile orders to replace cashiers.

Damn I ended up ranting more than I expected.

I totally understand what you're saying and 100% agree with you. Entitlement...What they don't realize is that they're actually missing out on life lessons.

There's nothing "wrong" with working with your hands outside in shitty weather waiting on customers. It teaches you so many things it's mind boggling!

How to pump your own gas for starters!

[yurikaze]

When I rented an 86 in Japan, I filled up at a full service Eneos station near Mt. Usai.
A man in his 50's came out to fuel the car up, and the level of professionalism and attention to detail was insane. He even directed traffic for cars entering and leaving the station.

I saw this at other stations too, as I was walking around Tokyo. Each place had a team of employees doing everything with utmost care and courtesy, and every station was completely spotless. If all gas stations were like this in the US, I'd have no problem with an attendant fueling my car.

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by yurikaze

When I rented an 86 in Japan, I filled up at a full service Eneos station near Mt. Usai.
A man in his 50's came out to fuel the car up, and the level of professionalism and attention to detail was insane. He even directed traffic for cars entering and leaving the station.

I saw this at other stations too, as I was walking around Tokyo. Each place had a team of employees doing everything with utmost care and courtesy, and every station was completely spotless. If all gas stations were like this in the US, I'd have no problem with an attendant fueling my car.

And...that's the way it used to be here.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by yurikaze

When I rented an 86 in Japan, I filled up at a full service Eneos station near Mt. Usai.
A man in his 50's came out to fuel the car up, and the level of professionalism and attention to detail was insane. He even directed traffic for cars entering and leaving the station.

I saw this at other stations too, as I was walking around Tokyo. Each place had a team of employees doing everything with utmost care and courtesy, and every station was completely spotless. If all gas stations were like this in the US, I'd have no problem with an attendant fueling my car.

That is Asian culture in a nutshell anyway. I am actually flying out there tomorrow.