My State has the cheapest gas!

[Mikey]

It's a law because New Jersey is home to fair number of refineries/storage depots, and wants to pander to the oil companies.

The actual, non-cynical reason is... I got no friggin' idea.

[sunnyside]

Actually Corzine suggested removing the full servies thing and got a shitstorm of letters from constituents and backed down.

The money isn't going to oil companies. It's going to create additional (though not really needed) jobs in the form of the guys at the pump.

Apperantly its also "your thing" and people don't like being smelly.

Over in PA most places are self serve, but there are a handful of full service places that often cheaper than self services places. Maybe they have fewer problems with gas theft.

Actually being able to take cash would immediatly pay for the attendent due to the chunk credit cards take. And if you take cash you have to have a guy there anyway. Might as well make him work. So maybe that's there thing here.

[Monroe]

Our petrol just went up to $2.07 a L.

How does the down-under dollar stack up agains the American dollar?

Probably worth a lot more. Gold in WoW is worth more then the american dollar.

WoW gold is worth about 33 gold per dollar.

[Teaos]

How does the down-under dollar stack up agains the American dollar?

One of our dollars buys 80 american cents.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Actually being able to take cash would immediatly pay for the attendent due to the chunk credit cards take. And if you take cash you have to have a guy there anyway. Might as well make him work. So maybe that's there thing here.

Well, the guy you pay cash to is usually behind the counter at the mini-mart or in a small booth, so it's more having one guy for all the pumps vs. a guy pumping gas at every pump. That would be 8 guys for pumping gas. Maybe you could cut that in half since pumps are back to back but that's still at least 4 guys at a small station vs. 1 guy who takes your money.

I just don't think these gas pumpers or whatever you call them make any financial sense for the station. And I've got to say, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of some random guy messing with my car.

[Mikey]

He's not "messing" with your car. The only incidences I've ever heard of (and I've lived in a full-serve state for 35 years) is people getting a check engine light because the gas cap isn't completely sealed. Back in the day (I guess that would be your parents' day, Blackstar) a gas station attendant would pump your gas, offer to check your oil, and offer oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, etc. for sale.

And the stations schedule it according to time of day and of year. In general, I'd say it breaks down to one guy for 6 or 8 pumps. And many stations do promote the use of cash with a price break for cash purchases.

[sunnyside]

I've never seen it cheaper if you used cash.

which is actually odd. Taxes are passed directly onto the consumer, but the extra fee of a credit card company is just eaten by the company.

Anyway the pumps in Philly that are full service aren't on the interstate where you can get all pumps going all the time. The one near me only has four pumps, and one guy is enough for all of those. Hence why I think they do it. I mean they could go self serve if they wanted so they have to feel full service is profitable to them.

On that note many US gas stations have a full service pump and if you pull up to that one somebody will come out. Though those are getting rarer.

However the Jersey interstate gas stations do wind up costing more for having to have all the attendants.

[Mikey]

Actually, we'll wait to get gas on the Garden State Parkway Mon - Thurs. There is a regulation that prevents the stations on the two major toll roads in Jersey from increasing prices until Friday morning, so if there is a general increase in the early part of the week it won't catch up on the Parkway until Friday.

And in NY, IIRC, you generally have the option of full-serve or self-serve.

[Teaos]

Most of our stations are self serve.

[Tsukiyumi]

I haven't seen a full-serve station since I moved here to Houston in 1992.

[Mikey]

I haven't seen a full-serve station since I moved here to Houston in 1992.

Well, over on the other side in Dallas, they just pump right out of the gorund, right?

[Monroe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aMb5qTE ... re=related

I thought this was a really good video. Starts off about the Bush Impeachment and how its related to high gas prices and all.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

I haven't seen a full-serve station since I moved here to Houston in 1992.

I didn't even know full-serve stations existed

[Monroe]

I haven't seen a full-serve station since I moved here to Houston in 1992.

I didn't even know full-serve stations existed

I remember seeing them on my vacation out west to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico in '94 but never saw them when my family returned in like '02 or '04.