Full service vs. Self Serve.

[agentsteel53]

I'm a little OCD. Kinda... I'd use the paper towel for the gas nozzle so my hands wouldn't get all dirty. And I don't like the idea of touching something 1,000s of people have touched before me... I'm weird like that.
BigMatt

gasoline kills bacteria.  I never worry about getting germs from the gas pump handle.

[BigMattFromTexas]

True. But I'm weird like that. I can't wait till I can actually drive by myself. On the road. Legally... I have all these trips planed around West Texas.
BigMatt

[corco]

5) Grab another paper towel and remove nozzle from tank, put down the hood.
6) Go into the store, use restroom, order a cheeseburger w/ onions, pickles, jalapeños, and lettuce. And an order of fries. Go to fountain drinks area and choose drink.
7) Once I get my food I sit at a table and eat. (Unless I'm in a hurry.)

I hope you move your car from the pump before you go sit at a table! 

[agentsteel53]

I hope you move your car from the pump before you go sit at a table! 

I move my car when there's traffic.  when there's 4 or 8 pumps and I'm the only one out front, then I am too lazy to move the car. 

[BigMattFromTexas]

5) Grab another paper towel and remove nozzle from tank, put down the hood.
6) Go into the store, use restroom, order a cheeseburger w/ onions, pickles, jalapeños, and lettuce. And an order of fries. Go to fountain drinks area and choose drink.
7) Once I get my food I sit at a table and eat. (Unless I'm in a hurry.)

I hope you move your car from the pump before you go sit at a table!  

Crap. Yeah I'd do that...
BigMatt
Post Merge: December 31, 1969, 07:59:59 PM -- ms.

I hope you move your car from the pump before you go sit at a table!  

I move my car when there's traffic.  when there's 4 or 8 pumps and I'm the only one out front, then I am too lazy to move the car.  

That's what my dad does too.
BigMatt

[Brandon]

Interesting order of getting gas and food.

Me:
1. Pull up to pump, write down mileage, city, station, $/gal in log book.
2. Open gas cap.
3. Scan club card as applicable then swipe bank card.
4. Select 87 octane and pump gas.
5. Put mozzle back when done, collect receipt as applicable.
6. Get in car, write down amount paid, gallons purchased, and mpg in log book.
7. Pull away and go to restaurant across the street. 

I want something other than a 7/11 type hot dog.

[agentsteel53]

2. Open gas cap.
3. Scan club card as applicable then swipe bank card.
4. Select 87 octane and pump gas.

this also varies by gas station.  there's always a bewildering sequence to decipher, between swiping card, selecting credit or debit, choosing octane, removing pump, raising the pump handle, not raising the pump handle, realizing that the pump handle has been bolted in place, pressing START, trying to choose octane again, pressing START a few more times, then realizing the whole thing is for broke because you entered your zip code wrong because the keypad's digit "4" is broken.

[BigMattFromTexas]

I'd just prefer to get food at the gas station, unless I'm like out of town, then I'd go a restaurant somewhere near the gas station.
BigMatt

[Duke87]

I'll occasionally grab a soda at a gas station, but I've never tried to have a meal at one. The idea actually seems a bit odd to me. Of course, we don't have gas stations that sell burgers and fries or anything like that around here, so that's probably why. 

[corco]

I'm fairly picky at gas stations- I love Maverik's pizza for some reason and cheap burritos from any gas station are usually pretty good, but I wouldn't get a meat sandwich or pizza (anywhere else) or anything like that.

Sheetz sounds intriguing and possibly delicious, however. 

[agentsteel53]

pizza is pretty hard to screw up. 

The only place I've ever had a truly unusual pizza was the Vienna airport.  Apparently, Austrians believe neither in cheese nor tomato sauce.  Even then, it was pretty good.  Completely not a pizza by any stretch of the imagination, but I liked it.

[mightyace]

pizza is pretty hard to screw up. 

Believe me.  It can be done.

For example, if the pizza is left on a warming rack for 10 hours or so.

[Michael in Philly]

I'll occasionally grab a soda at a gas station, but I've never tried to have a meal at one. The idea actually seems a bit odd to me. Of course, we don't have gas stations that sell burgers and fries or anything like that around here, so that's probably why. 

It's less a question of buying food at a gas station than buying gas from a decent convenience store with gas pumps...  Like this (illustration): http://www.wawa.com/WawaWeb/About.aspx

[yanksfan6129]

Well, I pulled into a gas station NJ, and I thought about everything that everyone said and now I have this to say:

1. I pulled in, told the guy 20 bucks regular, handed him my card, and got served immediately. Even though the station was moderately busy, that attendant still arrived back at my pump to finish it up BEFORE it was done. So there was absolutely no wait time. In fact, had it been self-service, it would've taken even longer (theoretically), since I would've had to have exited my car. As far as I'm concerned, the time argument doesn't hold up, unless a station is particularly busy.

2. Turnpike people: those stations are always packed simply because of high volume, even when traffic on the road seems sparse. And, yes, overall those stations tend to be a little overpriced, especially when prices are trending downward, but when the prices are trending upward turnpike gas stations usually are cheaper, especially toward the end of the week, since prices are only set once per week and cannot change for the week.

3. Obviously I'm not going to convince people, this is more of an opinion but I personally just don't have a problem with an attendant a. handling a credit card, and b. putting a nozzle into the car. I don't think there is much of a risk. People tend to be legit.

4. Matt-I agree about the nozzles potentially being dirty. That is a big "turn off" for me with self-serve gasoline.

When it comes down to it, I think that people's opinions on this (clearly divisive-seriously) issue are shaped based on where they are from--it seems to me that people from NJ more often favor full-serve, and people from other places tend to favor self-serve. Our opinions may be purely environmental, primarily just because we are used to it this way.

[yanksfan6129]

I've been laying in the weeds on this topic since it came up, but now I would like to give you a dumb pump jockey's perspective on this....
As a full time gas station manager and attendant in New Jersey it can be intense at times.  My station is located right off of I-80 and we get a lot of out-of-staters passing through.  We get bombarded at times and I can honestly say that me and all of my employees work to the best of our ability.  I'll admit that I don't clean everyone's windows.  Some cars are pretty clean and other times we're too busy.  Some people are assholes too and don't deserve me exerting the extra effort.  It may seem like mindless work at times, and to some degree it is.  But at other times you have to move like lightning and need to be alert.  As I noted, my station is right off I-80 and we get a lot of inner city trash rolling through, especially on the weekend. 

Next off, I'd like to say that I take great offense in people just assuming that I'm some thief and I'm gonna rip you off with your credit or debit card.  I try to be as transparant as possible though.  If you distrust me that much, you can swipe the card yourself, but I must put the gas in, as per state law.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you don't like the law, then don't buy gas in New Jersey.  It's that simple.  Don't ask me to break the law, even though you find it foolish.  The law is upheld through the Division of Weights and Measures, controlled on a county level.  There are plain clothed people out and about looking for folks breaking the law.  If they find someone pumping their own gas, both you, the customer, will get fined and so will I for letting you.  Weights and Measures is not funded through the state.  Their only source of income is fines, so they're highly motivated to write them.  I don't know about you all, but I go to work to make money, not spend it, so please adhere to our laws. 

I know lots of places that have scum bags working the pumps that some of you have mentioned, but that's not the case at my place.  As a result, I have a strong regular customer base.  Even those from out-of-state.  I'm not talking about PA commuters either.  (Those who live in the Poconos and work in NJ). 

I assume those high prices you've found in NJ were along the Turnpike or Parkway.  Prices in NJ are almost always lower than neighboring states.  New Jersey's gasoline tax is almost the lowest in the nation at 14.5 cents per gallon.  New York's is like 45 cents, Pennsylvania's is around 40, and Connecticut's is around 45 cents per gallon as well.  If you want to fill up in one of those states before entering NJ, then that's your perogative.  If you think NJ's prices would be even cheaper if we went self serve....guess again.  Another factor that keeps the prices down is lower insurance premiums.  Since there is trained attendants dipensing the fuel and not brain dead John Q. Public, the insurance is cheaper.  I've seen the difference.  My company operates in self serve states and their insurance premiums are almost double what they are at my location. 

As far as top offs go, we don't do that with a credit or debit card.  If the customer is paying cash I'll bring it to the closest quarter increment.  All I carry on my for coin change is quarters.  If the customer has the exact coin change I'll leave it where is it and just give back any applicable paper money as change.  I don't wanna hear any lame excuse that I'm gonna get gas over the side of your car either.  I've never gotten any gas on the side of anyone's car.  Most paying cash that don't want it topped off will just ask for some even dollar amount...$15, $20...whatever.  Lastly, but certainly not least are tips....I do get tipped, however I don't expect to.  Some days i can leave with $15-20 in my pocket.  Other days I don't get any.  Today was a piss poor day....just one measly dollar.  I get offended if the tip is less than a dollar, but they don't have to give me anything.  So with that said, any tip is appreciated.  Sorry if I sound like I'm ranting.  I've just had enough of people bashing New Jersey because of their law with regards to gasoline.

Where is your station? And what type is it?

[BigMattFromTexas]

Well, the Town & Country - TCC (Total Car Car) down the street from me has a burger place with tables and whatnot. It's mostly for the people either getting their car worked on at the actual "Total Car Care" part of the store. So it's pretty convenient cause you get free fountain drinks with every oil change and a free car wash. But I wouldn't usually like to stop at a gas station for a meal. It's just a thing if I'm hungry, we need gas and I'm hungry, I mean why not? You're already there..
BigMatt

[signalman]

Yanksfan...it's a Gulf station on Rt. 15 NB, just off Exit 34 B from I-80 W (Rt 15 N, Jefferson Sparta).  It's exit 34 from 80 E, then you must follow signs to 15 N

[Brandon]

pizza is pretty hard to screw up. 

It can be done.  There's this east coast town that thinks it knows pizza, but doesn't.

[Scott5114]

pizza is pretty hard to screw up. 

It can be done.  There's this east coast town that thinks it knows pizza, but doesn't.

Wilmington, NC?

[agentsteel53]

he said small town on the east coast.  I think he refers to Hull, MA.

[yanksfan6129]

Pizza was invented in NYC. So don't go knocking it.

[corco]

I've always been under the impression that it was some town in northeastern Illinois that doesn't know pizza (and I used to live there-I've had the authentic stuff- yuck). NY Style is the best, by far.

[Michael in Philly]

Pizza was invented in NYC. So don't go knocking it.

Whatever....  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

[agentsteel53]

Pizza was invented in NYC. So don't go knocking it.

indeed.  though I like both major styles.  eh, what can you do, I'm from Boston, so I remain agnostic on the pizza issue.  now, clam chowder, there's an item about which I have a distinct preference.  

[Scott5114]

I personally prefer Wichita*-style pizza, but I'm friggin' weird...

*Headquarters of Pizza Hut