One has to wonder about the state of New Jersey. It is an oft-forgotten adjunct to its neighbors. Many strive to visit the Big Apple or the City of Brotherly Love. Each is across a river from New Jersey. Some jokingly say the two biggest cities in New Jersey are New York and Philadelphia. They continue that the third largest city is Wilmington, Delaware. But, New Jersey has a significant airport in Newark, and for that reason, I have visited as a way-point on journeys to destinations in the northeast. That said, I have never made it a destination in a true sense.
New Jersey has an intriguing distinction. I first learned it about a decade ago when returning a rental car to that airport and needing to top off the fuel tank to avoid a penalty. I pulled in, got out, and could not pump fuel. The gas station was something called "full service." For the next generation, that used to be common a thing in America. A detour down that path is worthwhile.
Back in the day, you would pull into a station and drive over a hose secured to the ground. That would change the air pressure in the hose and cause a bell to ring in the station. An attendant (some say they witnessed times when more than one attendant) would come to your car, pump fuel, clean your windscreen with a squeegee, and more. Sometimes they would ask if they could check your oil. Sometimes they might check your tire's air pressure, your wiper blades, and your washer fluid.
Those facilities were called "service stations." They had someone there who could work on your car. No, you did not need an appointment. The mechanic would examine your challenges and could replace a belt, change a fuse or bulb, change your oil, and more. Unlike today's convenience stores with an endless selection of accouterments and treats, the service stations then generally had a pop machine with 3-7 choices of sugary soda and maybe a candy machine with Zagnuts, Clark bars, and Hershey. But they all had wiper blades, batteries, and more to fit most every car.
In 1947, as legend has it, such a station in Los Angeles began offering a discount on gasoline if you would forego all of that "service" and pump your own fuel. The age of "self-service" dawned, and the station was successful. The model spread. The great state of New Jersey looked west and saw trouble. Its forward-thinking legislature outlawed such democratization. No self-service fueling in New Jersey (but you can across the river in Delaware, Pennsylvania, or New York).
Some might see that legislation as short-sighted. Certainly, it protected a certain volume of jobs. There was some discussion of misogyny. More on those below. But it is undoubtedly a minority view on the topic of vehicle fueling. In fact, it is now a minority of one.
Until recently, the view was shared by the great state of Oregon, about 3,000 miles to the west, an approximately 41-hour drive west. The trip might be a vivid reminder of America, out across Interstates 90, 80, and 84 seeing Cheyenne, Omaha, Cleveland, Chicago, and more. But you would likely have to know how to pump your own fuel a few times if you were to make the trip between these two.
Oregon made the news recently for the repeal of its 72-year-old ban on self-service fuel (1951). The change, the abandonment of the minority view, was not without controversy as noted by Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Some Oregon residents praised the repeal. One noted that she had been to California, knows how to pump fuel, and concluded "Everybody should know how to pump their own gas.” Others disagreed noting that the ban gave "people jobs and opportunity.” As an aside, so did making buggy whips, but all those companies are out of business now. Those people lost their jobs because people like us quit buying buggy whips. We voted with our wallets.
The OPB says that the self-serve ban originated from "safety concerns." Legislators saw worry in "slick surfaces at filling stations subject to Oregon's notoriously rainy weather." Thank goodness it never rains here in Paradise (Oregon's average rainfall of 27 inches is half that of Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and more). Perhaps the rain has become less of an issue.
There is some degree of labor issues involved in the repeal of the ban also. As noted, some see value in creating jobs. But apparently, gas stations in Oregon have struggled recently to find workers and there are challenges with their workers being outside in the summer heat. Oregon's average summer temperature is a searing 64 degrees.
Organized labor was critical of repealing the ban. A union noted that allowing people to pump their own fuel would lead to "job losses and called the law a 'blatant cash grab for large corporations.'” I remember when the newspaper folks said similar things in arguing to ban that new-fangled internet thingy years ago. The OPB cites an argument that the repeal of this ban will eliminate many jobs and save "giant corporations" "millions of dollars a year . . . . in wages, benefits and public payroll taxes.”
Some might suggest that the repeal instead could save drivers a few cents from time to time on the fuel for their cars. I remember that I first went to self-serve as an option specifically to save a few cents per gallon. Of course, the entire impact may be short-lived as internal combustion is on its last legs. The EVs are taking over. I wonder if New Jersey will allow people to plug in their own cars or whether an attendant will be legally required to insert the charge cord?
The final argument for banning self-service is that "older adults and people with disabilities" may be deprived of having their fuel pumped. For now, the Oregon repeal mandates that urban stations have a balance that includes at least half of their pumps being full service. The repeal thus seems unlikely to result in deprivation. Perhaps delay at times, but not deprivation. I have seen handicapped accommodation signs in many states that are predominantly self-service. There seems to be widespread accommodation. I am curious if anyone has ever been refused such full service when requested?
There was a nice lady in the news who successfully sued over denial of full service, in Oregon of all places. There was a story on an internet bulletin board of stations refusing full service because of a particular vehicle, in Oregon actually. A man sued when he could not get gas pumped for his lawn mower. You guessed it, Oregon again. There have been lawsuits elsewhere regarding disability, in Kentucky, California, and the American's with Disability Act addresses this topic specifically.
There are those who see this as a safety issue. They cite a variety of bad behavior. People smoke while pumping, forget to take the hose from the car before departing, and use unsafe containers for fuel. Some see it as a convenience issue in the "rain, cold, and snow" of Oregon. But, at least for now, consumers in Oregon have a new choice.
That leaves only New Jersey as the state of no choice. It's bumper stickers, mentioned in the OPB article are dated, misogynistic, and inappropriate. Some might see humor in “Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas,” but what does being a girl have to do with this? Yahoo recently ran a story about men being more likely to buy electrics than women. That seems to be a bit conclusory and misogynistic also. Perhaps someone will email and explain why gender or sex matter in the context of having a choice to pump fuel.
The New Jersey Legislature strove to repeal its self-service ban in 2015. As it becomes a minority of one in 2023, perhaps the folks in Philadelphia (the New Jersey Capitol) will take another run at their self-service ban. Kidding, we all know it is Trenton (remember the Delaware River, George Washington, etc.?).
I have poked some fun at New Jersey here. Appologies. New Jersey offers a great assortment of finery and splendor. It is, in fact, "the Garden State," and well worth a visit. Many great Americans live there, like Joe Piscopo who made the state famous long before the Sopranos did. My apologies to any New Jersians offended by my references herein. But forgive me if I top off my tank myself in Pennsylvania.
