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Not being allowed to pump your own gas has always fascinated me. I believe Vermont also has the same law in place. Or maybe it was New Hampshire? Does the over

Not being allowed to pump your own gas has always fascinated me. I believe Vermont also has the same law in place. Or maybe it was New Hampshire? Does the overall price increase as a result of not being allowed to pump your own gas? From the gas station standpoint, they would need to offset the wages given to the station attendant. Is this difference passed down to the customer?

brightsize 8y ago
In Vermont and New Hampshire ("Live Free or Die"!) you can pump your own gas. New Jersey is the other full-service-only state I believe.
rootusrootus 8y ago
There is no cost benefit. Self-service increases the insurance premiums for a gas station about as much as it costs to pay the people who man the pumps. I still want the option to pump my own gas, but I have resigned myself to the fact that it will probably not happen here. Even if we made it a requirement that full service still be offered at no additional cost, Oregonians would vote it down.
- yason 8y ago
  Self-service increases the insurance premiums for a gas station about as much as it costs to pay the people who man the pumps It would be interesting to know why this doesn't seem to hold true in other places. I don't think higher premiums would be near-universally accepted as a cost of doing business if there is a way to save money. Or are these states such places where it is particularly cheap to hire pump assistants?
  - Aloha 8y ago
    That's easy - Insurance policies do not call in sick.
- daveFNbuck 8y ago
  If the costs are the same, isn't employing people a better use of money than insurance? I've never used a full-service pump, so I don't get what the problem is. Why do you prefer to pump your own gas?
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    > If the costs are the same, isn't employing people a better use of money than insurance? You don't think insurance companies employ anyone?
    - daveFNbuck 8y ago
      How many people do you suppose an insurance company hires every time they sign someone up for a new policy? My guess is that it's a lot less than 1.
  - Aloha 8y ago
    Insurance Policies do not call in sick.
- gowld 8y ago
  It would be a freakish coincidence if they costs were that close. How often does a gas station have an insurance incident that could have been prevented by full service?

brightsize 8y ago

In Vermont and New Hampshire ("Live Free or Die"!) you can pump your own gas. New Jersey is the other full-service-only state I believe.

rootusrootus 8y ago

There is no cost benefit. Self-service increases the insurance premiums for a gas station about as much as it costs to pay the people who man the pumps. I still want the option to pump my own gas, but I have resigned myself to the fact that it will probably not happen here. Even if we made it a requirement that full service still be offered at no additional cost, Oregonians would vote it down.

yason 8y ago
Self-service increases the insurance premiums for a gas station about as much as it costs to pay the people who man the pumps It would be interesting to know why this doesn't seem to hold true in other places. I don't think higher premiums would be near-universally accepted as a cost of doing business if there is a way to save money. Or are these states such places where it is particularly cheap to hire pump assistants?
- Aloha 8y ago
  That's easy - Insurance policies do not call in sick.
daveFNbuck 8y ago
If the costs are the same, isn't employing people a better use of money than insurance? I've never used a full-service pump, so I don't get what the problem is. Why do you prefer to pump your own gas?
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  > If the costs are the same, isn't employing people a better use of money than insurance? You don't think insurance companies employ anyone?
  - daveFNbuck 8y ago
    How many people do you suppose an insurance company hires every time they sign someone up for a new policy? My guess is that it's a lot less than 1.
- Aloha 8y ago
  Insurance Policies do not call in sick.
gowld 8y ago
It would be a freakish coincidence if they costs were that close. How often does a gas station have an insurance incident that could have been prevented by full service?