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For the
first time in ages, five bucks is gas money. Most prices I've encountered in
the Empire State are less than $2.75, and at least for now, there is no end in sight to the low prices. Count that as one less first-world problem.
 Of course that doesn't mean there's
nothing to complain about. See, I sometimes find myself filling my tank
crossing the Lincoln Tunnel (when it's not being clogged by protesters) to make my way to New Jersey (on purpose). All the
jug-handle turns are worth finding a full-service station, where I get to sit in
my warm car while the attendant fills it, wipes the windshield and checks my
oil, and the dollar tip makes it worth it for both of us.
New York, with the exception of Huntington (located on Long
Island), doesn't require full-service gas stations. In fact, Oregon and New
Jersey both make it downright illegal for drivers to fill their own tanks. In
Oregon, the joke is that newborns are spanked with a sticker that reads, "No
self-serve and no sales tax." In many ways, not pumping your own gas has become
part of the culture. Now, Massachusetts has legalized hold-open
clips, the
mechanisms that keep gas nozzles depressed until the pump kicks off, signaling
a full tank. Though hold-open clips may be prevalent elsewhere, they're still a
rarity here in the Northeast.
 So why can't we have nice things? Or at least, why can't we
have helpful things, such as station attendants or hold-open clips?
Oregon and New Jersey cite unique concerns when dealing with gasoline. Its
flammability is well-known, but that doesn't prevent absent-minded or just
plain stupid people from smoking or keeping their car on when filling the tank.
I've also observed the occasional gas-into-empty-milk-jug procedure. Gas also
has toxic fumes, perhaps best handled by an employee that's been trained not to
sniff them on purpose. Attendant jobs do keep a good number of low-skilled
people employed in a minimal wage job that gets a decent bonus from thankful
patrons. There is also the concern over increased criminality, whether it be
from gas thieves or suspects preying on unsuspecting self-pumpers. In regards
to hold-open clips, there was concern that people may reenter their car while
the gas pumps fuel, generate a static charge from fabric-on-fabric friction, and
then discharge within the vicinity of gas fumes (which does, quite rarely,
occur.) Spillages because the clips didn't eject are also rare.
Yet in 2015, nearly all of these concerns are disputable.
Stations are outfitted with powder extinguishing system that eliminates fire in
the event of flammability. Cameras reduce drive-offs, muggings and gas
sniffers. Eliminating the attendant will  drop fuel prices, so its effect on the
job market and economy is harder to ascertain. Nonetheless, even in Oregon and
New Jersey, operators have recognized that full-service is superfluous;
motorcyclists and diesel customers regularly fill their own tanks.
So, until robots are filling our tanks, or battery swapping
replaces fill-ups, I'm stuck with the old ways of doing things, at least when I
refuel in my home state. Yet with new attitudes about these traditions, and the
slow tech upgrades to standard pumps, perhaps one day before those refilling my
car with unleaded octane will be zero hassle. It will almost certainly jack up
the price back up, but it might be worth it for the sake of convenience.
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Re: Self-Service vs. Full-Service, That Is The Question
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