Thought of this reading the Car Wash thread.
Do you tip a gas station attendant if they pump your gas?
Does your answer depend on the state (ie. Oregon and New Jersey require them to pump it for you)?
If so, how much?
The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing. There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank. If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).
Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:22:16 PM
The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing. There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank. If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).
For other reader's reference 5-10 pesos comes out to 25 to 50 cents.
But using the Big Mac Index a Big Mac is about 50 pesos it looks like so that seems more like 50 cents to $1 adjusted for PPP.
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:16:37 PM
Thought of this reading the Car Wash thread.
Do you tip a gas station attendant if they pump your gas?
Does your answer depend on the state (ie. Oregon and New Jersey require them to pump it for you)?
If so, how much?
No.
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:25:16 PM
Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:22:16 PM
The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing. There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank. If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).
For other reader's reference 5-10 pesos comes out to 25 to 50 cents.
But using the Big Mac Index a Big Mac is about 50 pesos it looks like so that seems more like 50 cents to $1 adjusted for PPP.
The cost of a Big Mac is irrelevant. A lot of things in Mexico are just as expensive or more expensive than in the USA, yet wages are far lower. And US fast food is not a good point of comparison.
Gas station attendants in Mexico make an income equivalent to about 50 MXN/hour. Therefore, a tip of 5 or 10 pesos comes to 10% to 20% of his hourly wage. That same position in the USA would earn, what? let's say about 13 USD/hour. With that, 10% to 20% comes to about two dollars.
(By the way, I believe a Big Mac runs at least 65 pesos.)
The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.
Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.
Tipping culture is different in different countries, no matter how high or low the cost of living is.
Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:40:51 PM
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:25:16 PM
Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:22:16 PM
The only full-serve gas stations I use are in Mexico, where self-serve isn't a thing. There, I tip a few pesos if the attendant washes my windshield while the pump is running, but I don't tip him if all he does is fill the tank. If I do tip, it's only about 5 or 10 pesos (usually rounding up to the nearest multiple of 10).
For other reader's reference 5-10 pesos comes out to 25 to 50 cents.
But using the Big Mac Index a Big Mac is about 50 pesos it looks like so that seems more like 50 cents to $1 adjusted for PPP.
The cost of a Big Mac is irrelevant. A lot of things in Mexico are just as expensive or more expensive than in the USA, yet wages are far lower. And US fast food is not a good point of comparison.
Gas station attendants in Mexico make an income equivalent to about 50 MXN/hour. Therefore, a tip of 5 or 10 pesos comes to 10% to 20% of his hourly wage. That same position in the USA would earn, what? let's say about 13 USD/hour. With that, 10% to 20% comes to about two dollars.
(By the way, I believe a Big Mac runs at least 65 pesos.)
I will defer to your estimate on the cost of a Big Mac as I have never been to Mexico, Google gave me a range of 50-55 pesos but with food inflation globally now that might be off.
The Big Mac index is a widely used PPP index to understand the role of prices, I did not just come up with this, its been around for a while. Its far from comprehensive for the reasons you state, but it at least enables some comparisons in a product that everyone is familiar with.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 13, 2022, 12:49:09 PM
Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.
Tipping culture is different in different countries, no matter how high or low the cost of living is.
This is very true, and the US is more or less at one end of the spectrum. Many countries don't do it at all, or tip at far lower rates. In England the practice is to leave some change with the bill, maybe a couple pounds.
Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
The fact that their wages are much lower but prices are roughly the same (on average) means you can afford to tip 20-40 pesos (US$1-2) – their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.
I don't know anybody who tips more than 10 or 15 pesos. People washing windshields at stoplights only get about 1 or 2 pesos, in my experience, and plenty of people don't even tip pump jockeys at all.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 13, 2022, 12:49:09 PM
Tipping culture is different in different countries, no matter how high or low the cost of living is.
Right. I mean, I could theoretically afford to just hand random people 20-peso bills out the car window whenever I'm there, but that doesn't mean I'm going to.
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:54:36 PM
This is very true, and the US is more or less at one end of the spectrum. Many countries don't do it at all, or tip at far lower rates. In England the practice is to leave some change with the bill, maybe a couple pounds.
In Mexico, 12% is a decent tip for a sit-down restaurant.
Nobody has chimed in on Oregon or New Jersey yet, except for one "No". Anybody else? I've never been to those states.
I drive into Oregon once or twice a year. I would pump the gas myself but for that state's laws. The thought of tipping the person pumping the gas has never occurred to me and this thread isn't making me think about it at all.
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:16:37 PM
Thought of this reading the Car Wash thread.
Do you tip a gas station attendant if they pump your gas?
Does your answer depend on the state (ie. Oregon and New Jersey require them to pump it for you)?
If so, how much?
I haven't used the full-service option when there was also a self-service option in 25 years, and I've never tipped in NJ because the attendant has never done anything other than fill the tank.
I tipped $1 every time in Oregon.
Quote from: 1 on April 13, 2022, 12:46:50 PM
... their regular wage is not enough money to live on, but it doesn't cost any more to you than if you were filling in the US.
Minimum wage in Mexico is less than 200 MXN/day. Those attendants are making twice that figure. That's hardly "not enough money to live on". I didn't say everything is at least as expensive there as here, just a lot of things–and "things" is the pertinent word. Rent is cheaper, utilities bills are lower (most houses don't have heat or a/c), basic food products are cheaper (eggs, rice, beans, etc): the life that you and I are used to is unaffordable to most Mexicans, but that's not the same thing as "to live on".
Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 01:04:41 PM
Minimum wage in Mexico is less than 200 MXN/day. Those attendants are making twice that figure. That's hardly "not enough money to live on". I didn't say everything is at least as expensive there as here, just a lot of things–and "things" is the pertinent word. Rent is cheaper, utilities bills are lower (most houses don't have heat or a/c), basic food products are cheaper (eggs, rice, beans, etc): the life that you and I are used to is unaffordable to most Mexicans, but that's not the same thing as "to live on".
The best proof that it is enough to live on is the fact that Mexico is not depopulated. If wages were really so low no one could afford to exist the country would be empty.
It goes without saying that the standard of living is not the same as the US, but people can and do live without everything we do.
Quote from: kphoger on April 13, 2022, 12:56:53 PM
Right. I mean, I could theoretically afford to just hand random people 20-peso bills out the car window whenever I'm there, but that doesn't mean I'm going to.
For some reason I pictured you driving into some little Mexican town in a big Cadillac with long horns on the hood and rolling down the window with a fistful of bills in hand to scatter as some woman stands up and tells everyone that Señor kphoger is in town again!
My policy on NJ and OR is to not tip as it is a legal requirement that they pump the gas. But more importantly my policy is to not buy gas in those states at all.
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 01:16:43 PM
The best proof that it is enough to live on is the fact that Mexico is not depopulated. If wages were really so low no one could afford to exist the country would be empty.
It goes without saying that the standard of living is not the same as the US, but people can and do live without everything we do.
I agree and I disagree.
Most Americans seem to have little grasp of what it means to have "enough to live on", cannot really conceptualize a different standard of living as being acceptable. And, while it's true that nearly a million Mexicans come to the US each year, that figure doesn't take into account the number of them who leave the US to go back to Mexico each year–which is a surprisingly large number.
However, there is also a lot of abject poverty in Mexico. Most of the work I've done there over the years has been with children whose families can literally not afford to both feed them and pay for school tuition–kids who go home Friday evening and return back on Sunday evening wearing the same clothes they left in, from families who struggle to have even one meal a day on the table. Unemployment, and especially under-employment, are big issues there, especially in small towns and villages like where I go. There is a decent-sized gap between the impoverished and the making-it-OK in Mexico, and a lot of the former group are living with quite desperate means.
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 01:16:43 PM
For some reason I pictured you driving into some little Mexican town in a big Cadillac with long horns on the hood and rolling down the window with a fistful of bills in hand to scatter as some woman stands up and tells everyone that Señor kphoger is in town again!
Nope. In Mexico, I go by the nickname
Callito. Or occasionally
John Cena, because I'm skinny.
Just in Mexico, I've never tipped in Oregon or New Jersey. I did give a gas attendant a tip once in Oregon not to touch my Camaro though, I did appreciate the willingness to flub the rules on my behalf.
I've never been to Oregon; while I'm likely to go there later this year, I don't expect to be renting a car. I actively avoid buying gas in New Jersey. Can't say as I recall whether I tipped in Mexico because I haven't been there since 2006.
I never use full-serve gas anywhere else.
I've fueled up in New Jersey a few times. It's different, but I've never had any problems doing so and I don't see anything inherently wrong with full service. At one point, friends in the area actually recommended getting gas in NJ because it's cheaper there, although I'm not sure if that's still true now.
As for tipping... never done that except the one time my dad asked the attendant to clean the windshield, he did so and I believe we did tip him for that.
Gas in New Jersey, where the state gas tax is 42.4¢ per gallon, is generally cheaper than it is in Pennsylvania (58.7¢ per gallon) or New York (46.19¢ per gallon), but Delaware is likely cheaper than any of those at 23.0¢ per gallon. (None of that includes the federal gas tax because it's the same regardless of state.)
One reason I don't like stopping for gas in New Jersey is that I've observed that gas station attendants will just let the gas cap dangle so that it bangs against the side of the car instead of hanging it from the fuel-filler door. At some stations, they will also demand that you wait on line so your gas cap is on the same side as the pump even if it would just be faster for you to loop around to the other side of the pump to face the other way. (I think that's usually an issue at highway service plazas and is less of a problem at off-highway gas stations, but still, why should I have to wait when there's a vacant pump that I'd be able to access?)
I grew up in Oregon and still visit frequently, and my parents both grew up in Oregon as well. I've never tipped a gas attendant, and never seen or heard of anyone (family, friends, etc.) doing it. I'm sure it happens on occasion, but it's definitely not expected.
On the topic, I'm not a fan of requiring full service, and when it's convenient I will try to avoid it. It's gotten even worse recently since many gas stations are scraping by without enough employees, and the lines/wait times can be atrocious. There's a video game store in Vancouver, WA (across the border from Oregon) that I like to stop at when I'm in the area, and if I'm going to Oregon afterwards I try to top off my gas while I'm in WA. I also take advantage of the rural eastern OR counties that allow self serve, eg. stopping for gas in Boardman or Ontario.
On my recent Oregon trip (across the state east to west and back) I only had to gas up once in a full service area (Salem, OR, and the Costco there was doing a good job). Though the Shell station in Burns, OR does full service as well, even though it's not legally required there. They have enough employees to keep things moving there though so I don't mind stopping there (it's the nicest gas station in town, best C-Store and it's 24h). Other than that, gassing up in Boardman and Vancouver was adequate.
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 13, 2022, 04:42:22 PM
One reason I don't like stopping for gas in New Jersey is that I've observed that gas station attendants will just let the gas cap dangle so that it bangs against the side of the car instead of hanging it from the fuel-filler door.
Yes, that. They've done it correctly once or twice, but full serve usually means dangling gas cap.
Also, the wait. With self serve, you start the process of pumping gas as soon as you get their, and leave as soon as you're done. Not so with full serve - as attendants serve multiple cars unless the station is empty, you have to wait a minute or two both times, even if there's no line.
Quote
At some stations, they will also demand that you wait on line so your gas cap is on the same side as the pump even if it would just be faster for you to loop around to the other side of the pump to face the other way. (I think that's usually an issue at highway service plazas and is less of a problem at off-highway gas stations, but still, why should I have to wait when there's a vacant pump that I'd be able to access?)
Service plazas tend to be set up on a one-way system, so that's probably why
"Dad, what's a full-serve gas station?"
Tipped a couple of times in Oregon, if they did a good job cleaning the windshield.
I'd be hard-pressed to identify a full-serve station in my area. There may still be one or two in Lexington, but I don't know where they are.
Full-serve stations existed around here into the late 80s. I stopped using them when a self-serve option was available simply because the gas was usually cheaper.
As late as the mid-1990s Swifty stations in Kentucky had a full-serve or self-serve option, and the prices were the same. I often used the Swifty on US 60 (Versailles Road) when I filled up.
I never tipped a pump jockey, even back then. My thought was they were being paid to provide that service.
I still maintain that tips should be a reward for extraordinary service, not an expected financial benefit as part of the job. As such, i try to avoid most places other than restaurants where tipping is commonplace. My wife cuts my hair, I don't use valet parking or hotel concierge/bellhop services, etc.
Quote from: hbelkins on April 17, 2022, 07:10:14 PM
I'd be hard-pressed to identify a full-serve station in my area. There may still be one or two in Lexington, but I don't know where they are.
Full-serve stations existed around here into the late 80s. I stopped using them when a self-serve option was available simply because the gas was usually cheaper.
As late as the mid-1990s Swifty stations in Kentucky had a full-serve or self-serve option, and the prices were the same. I often used the Swifty on US 60 (Versailles Road) when I filled up.
I never tipped a pump jockey, even back then. My thought was they were being paid to provide that service.
I still maintain that tips should be a reward for extraordinary service, not an expected financial benefit as part of the job. As such, i try to avoid most places other than restaurants where tipping is commonplace. My wife cuts my hair, I don't use valet parking or hotel concierge/bellhop services, etc.
HB is Mr. Pink.
I don't think any NJ resident tips a gas attendant. I have read out of staters have tipped, often because they're not expecting to be served in NJ so they feel compelled to tip.
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 13, 2022, 04:42:22 PM
One reason I don't like stopping for gas in New Jersey is that I've observed that gas station attendants will just let the gas cap dangle so that it bangs against the side of the car instead of hanging it from the fuel-filler door.
Yeah, this is an issue, and some attendants are worse than others.
Are there really places where full serve doesn't exist? Here, about 1/4-1/3 of stations are full serve.
Quote from: 1 on April 18, 2022, 06:36:30 AM
Are there really places where full serve doesn't exist? Here, about 1/4-1/3 of stations are full serve.
Very rare in NY and MA. Can't remember the last station I stopped at in the Northeast that had a full service option at all.
Quote from: 1 on April 18, 2022, 06:36:30 AM
Are there really places where full serve doesn't exist? Here, about 1/4-1/3 of stations are full serve.
Around here, I don't remember any full-serve-only stations for as long as I can remember, though some may have existed in the 1970s. Once upon a time, at least into the early 1990s, many stations had one or two full-serve pumps (for which they charged more) and the rest were self-serve, but very few people used the full-serve pumps and I'm not aware of any stations that offer it anymore. There is a provision for staff to help handicapped drivers who need assistance, as described on a sticker on the pump somewhere.
My parents used to talk about how all their friends ridiculed them during my father's law school years in Charlottesville–they went to a self-serve gas station that was substantially cheaper than the full-serve ones everyone else used. That was before I was born. Their friends couldn't believe anyone would pump his own gas.
Quote from: 1 on April 18, 2022, 06:36:30 AM
Are there really places where full serve doesn't exist? Here, about 1/4-1/3 of stations are full serve.
Absolutely. I can think of one station in all of Utah that I've ever seen full serve at, and it's just a couple pumps physically separate from the rest of the station. I have never seen a full-serve-only station outside of a state that requires that.
Quote from: Rothman on April 17, 2022, 11:31:41 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on April 17, 2022, 07:10:14 PM
I'd be hard-pressed to identify a full-serve station in my area. There may still be one or two in Lexington, but I don't know where they are.
Full-serve stations existed around here into the late 80s. I stopped using them when a self-serve option was available simply because the gas was usually cheaper.
As late as the mid-1990s Swifty stations in Kentucky had a full-serve or self-serve option, and the prices were the same. I often used the Swifty on US 60 (Versailles Road) when I filled up.
I never tipped a pump jockey, even back then. My thought was they were being paid to provide that service.
I still maintain that tips should be a reward for extraordinary service, not an expected financial benefit as part of the job. As such, i try to avoid most places other than restaurants where tipping is commonplace. My wife cuts my hair, I don't use valet parking or hotel concierge/bellhop services, etc.
HB is Mr. Pink.
With a pinch of Mr. Underhill, methinks.
Quote from: US 89 on April 18, 2022, 08:04:14 AM
Quote from: 1 on April 18, 2022, 06:36:30 AM
Are there really places where full serve doesn't exist? Here, about 1/4-1/3 of stations are full serve.
Absolutely. I can think of one station in all of Utah that I've ever seen full serve at, and it's just a couple pumps physically separate from the rest of the station. I have never seen a full-serve-only station outside of a state that requires that.
I saw such one time, and it was in Pennsylvania just across the river from Trenton, so I figured they were catering to Jersey drivers (though I didn't understand why someone would pay Pennsylvania's higher gas tax other than when absolutely necessary).
That's not counting in Mexico, of course.
As I said, we get them here. Now that I think about it, it's probably more like 1/10, not 1/3-1/4, but that's still a significant number out of hundreds.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7261598,-71.1507525,3a,68.7y,269.33h,85.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRZwwbd7_UuQzgcQKxeArCg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5961182,-70.9925112,3a,75y,280.42h,77.76t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sn223MapGp9IuRa4jRkaFhw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
I believe this one is, although I'm not seeing any signs for it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5602907,-71.1066504,3a,62.7y,203.24h,84.57t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1simdgFsoWBUtoJEZHt9DKqw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DimdgFsoWBUtoJEZHt9DKqw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D95.016426%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
Optional for an additional cost (top row/bottom row is a 4¢ cash/credit difference; front pump/back pump is a 10¢ self/full difference)
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7416562,-71.1682178,3a,24.8y,61.37h,89.13t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s6HpVlKPOnHCbfqmkfOJJLA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D6HpVlKPOnHCbfqmkfOJJLA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D21.23158%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
Quote from: 1 on April 18, 2022, 09:24:55 AM
As I said, we get them here. Now that I think about it, it's probably more like 1/10, not 1/3-1/4, but that's still a significant number out of hundreds.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7261598,-71.1507525,3a,68.7y,269.33h,85.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRZwwbd7_UuQzgcQKxeArCg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5961182,-70.9925112,3a,75y,280.42h,77.76t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sn223MapGp9IuRa4jRkaFhw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
I believe this one is, although I'm not seeing any signs for it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5602907,-71.1066504,3a,62.7y,203.24h,84.57t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1simdgFsoWBUtoJEZHt9DKqw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DimdgFsoWBUtoJEZHt9DKqw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D95.016426%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
Optional for an additional cost (top row/bottom row is a 4¢ cash/credit difference; front pump/back pump is a 10¢ self/full difference)
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7416562,-71.1682178,3a,24.8y,61.37h,89.13t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s6HpVlKPOnHCbfqmkfOJJLA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D6HpVlKPOnHCbfqmkfOJJLA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D21.23158%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
Interesting. Now find full serve in western MA for me. :D
Quote from: US 89 on April 18, 2022, 08:04:14 AM
I have never seen a full-serve-only station outside of a state that requires that.
I think (but am not 100% certain) that
Beards 66 (https://goo.gl/maps/MswU86U4xSTnR8io6) here in Wichita has full-serve-only gas pumps. But the reason I'm not 100% certain is that I've never seen anybody getting gas there, and I'm pretty sure the reason for that is that it's really a mechanic's shop that also happens to have gas pumps outside.
I only know of one location (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7033674,-104.9592912,3a,27.2y,97.25h,87.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swOjnVp2jiBA_B1QKl0V0gA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) that has full service out here, but as you can see, they also have self serve (and some of the highest prices around for gas, too).
(https://i.postimg.cc/wxQ4Z04T/Full-Service.png)
The only full-serve pumps I know of in Utah are these two pumps in Bountiful (https://goo.gl/maps/Gy3dGyjTy1TZcKVp7). The rest of the station has 14+ self-serve pumps and also known for some of the highest gas prices in town. I used to go there every so often because you could get a code for a $4 automatic car wash with a fuel purchase of over $5, but those prices both went up and it is now no longer worth it.
Fun fact: that's one of the only stations I can think of with above ground fuel storage tanks (better view from the back (https://goo.gl/maps/XcBvoSA3qJw1A8ZB9), and from 2016 when there were a lot more of them (https://goo.gl/maps/dG4P4wzst9LATTDt7)). It also at one time was supposedly the largest in the world with 43 pumps (source (https://www.deseret.com/2000/3/4/19494157/after-62-years-olsons-still-pumping-gas-br-and-the-utah-family-believes-the-current-tough-times-will)).
- I know of exactly two full-service stations near me. One each in the richest neighborhood of Charleston and Huntington. Frequented by little old ladies, mostly. They charge about $2 over the going rate/gallon for the privilege.
- I have never used a full-service station outside a few trips to NJ. Usually tipped the guy, didn't really know what was the custom.
- As I just pay for darn near everything with cards these days, I never break the $20s that most ATMs dispense, and thus get caught with no small bills. Recently my bank (Huntington) got new ATMs that will dispense any bill they make (except $2s of course) from $1 to $50. Very handy.
- OT. Said ATMs give you a choice of three languages. English, Spanish and Somali. Somali? In my area, the #3 language would probably be Japanese (Toyota has a big plant as does NGK) or Levantine Arabic (significant Orthodox Christian Arab community) or maybe Mandarin. I never met anybody who speaks Somali. Wikipedia says there are less than 150K in the country. Weird.
Huge Somali population in the Twin Cities.
The only time I've pulled up to a full-service gas pump in the USA was somewhere near the Missouri-Illinois state line on US-54, after dark, during a snowstorm. I didn't notice that the pump was full-service. Then the attendant, all bundled up, came out into the blustery weather to serve me. Only then did I realize my error, told him to never mind, moved to a different pump, and dispensed my own gas. Afterward, I felt kind of bad for the guy. But looking back now, I'm guessing that sort of error probably happened all the time.
Quote from: SP Cook on April 18, 2022, 02:43:10 PM
Recently my bank (Huntington) got new ATMs that will dispense any bill they make (except $2s of course) from $1 to $50.
Why is it "of course" that an ATM wouldn't dispense $2 bills? If they make ATMs with slots for ones and fives, then why can't they make them with slots for twos?
Quote from: SP Cook on April 18, 2022, 02:43:10 PM
....
- As I just pay for darn near everything with cards these days, I never break the $20s that most ATMs dispense, and thus get caught with no small bills. Recently my bank (Huntington) got new ATMs that will dispense any bill they make (except $2s of course) from $1 to $50. Very handy.
....
The Citibank ATMs in downtown DC used to dispense $20s and $50s (may still do so, I don't know). I once owed a colleague $50 after a group of us took our secretaries out to lunch for Secretaries Day, but all I had was a $100. He didn't have change, "but I wouldn't want a $100 bill anyway." So as a bit of a way of giving him the middle finger, I went to Citibank to get some cash and I made sure to get enough for it to give me two $50s. He was not too pleased when I gave him one, but he accepted it. Back then, the ATM didn't let you choose your denominations. The Bank of America nearest to our neighborhood now does let you choose, which is nice for things like going to the barbershop because you can get smaller bills for tipping. (I'm not sure what exactly it dispenses other than I know it offers $100s, $20s, and $10s.)
Quote from: US 89 on April 18, 2022, 11:50:31 AM
Fun fact: that's one of the only stations I can think of with above ground fuel storage tanks (better view from the back (https://goo.gl/maps/XcBvoSA3qJw1A8ZB9), and from 2016 when there were a lot more of them (https://goo.gl/maps/dG4P4wzst9LATTDt7)).
Very common in the Arctic, where permafrost can preclude underground fuel (or most anything else) storage. Obviously doesn't explain the station in Utah.
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 18, 2022, 03:10:34 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on April 18, 2022, 02:43:10 PM
....
- As I just pay for darn near everything with cards these days, I never break the $20s that most ATMs dispense, and thus get caught with no small bills. Recently my bank (Huntington) got new ATMs that will dispense any bill they make (except $2s of course) from $1 to $50. Very handy.
....
The Citibank ATMs in downtown DC used to dispense $20s and $50s (may still do so, I don't know). I once owed a colleague $50 after a group of us took our secretaries out to lunch for Secretaries Day, but all I had was a $100. He didn't have change, "but I wouldn't want a $100 bill anyway." So as a bit of a way of giving him the middle finger, I went to Citibank to get some cash and I made sure to get enough for it to give me two $50s. He was not too pleased when I gave him one, but he accepted it. Back then, the ATM didn't let you choose your denominations. The Bank of America nearest to our neighborhood now does let you choose, which is nice for things like going to the barbershop because you can get smaller bills for tipping. (I'm not sure what exactly it dispenses other than I know it offers $100s, $20s, and $10s.)
Some BofA ATMs dispense $5 - I only know this because I participate in focus groups for extra cash, and one of the companies used to give the honorarium as a BofA Visa gift card that you could take to BofA ATM and exchange it for cash - but the honorarium was frequently in multiples of $25.
I've never gotten gas in New Jersey or Oregon. I have strenously avoided filling up on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Quote from: 1 on April 18, 2022, 06:36:30 AM
Are there really places where full serve doesn't exist? Here, about 1/4-1/3 of stations are full serve.
I've never seen one in person.
Quote from: kphoger on April 18, 2022, 02:57:04 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on April 18, 2022, 02:43:10 PM
Recently my bank (Huntington) got new ATMs that will dispense any bill they make (except $2s of course) from $1 to $50.
Why is it "of course" that an ATM wouldn't dispense $2 bills? If they make ATMs with slots for ones and fives, then why can't they make them with slots for twos?
There's no technical reason they couldn't do so, but it requires adding a seventh bill cassette and transport mechanism to pull bills out of it. That's an added expense that presumably most ATM operators wouldn't want to spring for, especially for how rarely people would get out amounts that aren't divisible by $5.
At the casino, we had six-cassette ATMs, but instead of $10s and $50s, those cassette slots were configured to dispense $20s and $100s respectively, so that the machine could hold double the amount of those denominations and thus would require service less often. This meant it was impossible to find $10s anywhere in the facility, which would occasionally make people irate. (Why couldn't they get $10s from the cashiers? Because the cashiers got their money out of what is essentially a bi-directional ATM as well.)
I've had to get gas in Oregon a few times in the past year and split the difference between full service and self service zones. The Costcos are the fastest of the full service places I used, but not by a lot.
The only self service station in my home area is at a car wash that also has a few pumps for gas that no one seems to use.
Very few, if any, full service gas stations left in Seattle. Googling I found a thread in the West Seattle Blog that identified a couple of full-serve stations but West Seattle is almost an island especially now so I didn't recognize the intersections. And it was a 12-year-old thread. Then there was an article about the last full-serve station on Capitol Hill being up for sale.