For the first time in more than seven decades, drivers in Oregon are allowed to pump their own gas.

  • gillrmn@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Self serve drives up gas prices due to insurance. Insurance goes up due to a couple of people smoking while filling gas and gas station without anyone being the favorite place for looters. The self serve campaigns advertise how gas will come down due to it, but it actually goes up. So question is who you want to pay - insurance companies or min wage employees…

    • ephemerality@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Oregon has the fourth most expensive gas by state. New Jersey is pretty high up there, although admittedly cheaper than its neighbors by a few cents. I would doubt that full vs. self service has any real impact on gas prices

      • PBSkidz4Lyfe@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The reason West Coast states have expensive gas is that there are no pipelines connecting them to the rest of the countr, specifically Texas. Washington and Oregon produce zero crude oil. California can’t produce enough for the whole West Coast so a majority of oil has to be shipped by a more inefficient way, causing prices to go up. This is reflected by the fact the 4 most expensive states for gas are California, Washington, Hawaii and Oregon.

      • r00ty@kbin.life
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        1 year ago

        I suspect you tip the guy filling your car though? Probably a few dollars each time?

        From what I read tipped workers are generally paid below minimum wage and as such the cost difference to a station is probably negligible.

        But the real cost to you will be less because I doubt you’re going to tip the cashier and definitely not pay at the pump…

          • ExMimic@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            My son used work as a gas attendent years ago in NJ, and he was paid a little above minimum wage. Sometimes he would get tips.

          • AngryDemonoid@lemmy.lylapol.com
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            1 year ago

            Anecdotal experience incoming…

            I used to pump gas in NJ at a Wawa. I got paid around $9 an hour in the early 2000s. At Wawa at least, the gas attendants get paid the same as the inside staff.

            Tips were always appreciated, but never expected.

          • r00ty@kbin.life
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            1 year ago

            That’s interesting. I’ve seen all kinds of people you wouldn’t tip elsewhere routinely be tipped in the USA. So I assumed as someone performing a service they would be included.

        • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I suspect you tip the guy filling your car though? Probably a few dollars each time?

          No, but continue to express an opinion on something that you don’t understand and doesn’t impact you.

    • r00ty@kbin.life
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      1 year ago

      I live in the UK and for as long as I can remember and probably considerably before that (and I’m not young) fuel has been self service.

      I also have seen plenty of people smoking and using phones (surely the bigger danger is backfiring cars though). You know I cannot recall a single news story about a fuel station exploding due to this. I reckon that’s the kind of story that makes it onto the news. Not to say it never happens, but with the amount of fuel pumped daily, I’d expect it to be a common event yet I cannot recall a single time I heard about it happening.

      So, feels like insurance companies fear mongering stations into higher payments to me. Sure it’s possible, but highly unlikely.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Because it is bull. A cigarette doesn’t burn hot enough to light gas on fire. If anything it would be the wood matches, you know that thing no one has anymore. There is a reason why sailors are allowed to smoke on tankers.

    • Ilikepornaddict@lemmynsfw.com
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      1 year ago

      The rare station around me that offers full service, is always more expensive, usually 10-15 cents per liter (40-60 cents per gallon). So that logic doesn’t hold up.

    • Zak@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      If this were true, full-service gas stations would be common in places where they’re not mandated by law because it would be cheaper and more profitable for the owners. They are not.