Oregonians Freaking Out About Having To Pump Their Own Gas

KC138045

I can't believe that there are people who do not know how to pump their own gas.  Here is one story on the new law but there are a lot out there.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Oregon-gas-pump-law-reaction-social-media-outrage-12469097.php

Go Beavers

I like not having to pump my own gas and you definately get used to. The law only applies to some very rural counties who like to feel good about thinking they’re different than those commies in Portland, etc. 

Some of the comments are genuinely people being dumb, but I wonder if some are tongue in cheek. 

Smellyman

Loved not having to pump gas in Oregon.  Driving to another state drove me bonkers.  How uncivilized! 

Edit:  I also hate news stories that use social media as legit reactions.

F Me In The Brain

I prefer to do it myself....moving to NJ where that is not allowed was strange.

KC138045

F Me In The Brain said:

I prefer to do it myself....moving to NJ where that is not allowed was strange.

I never realized it was like that in NJ until today.

F Me In The Brain

KC138045 said:

F Me In The Brain said:

I prefer to do it myself....moving to NJ where that is not allowed was strange.

I never realized it was like that in NJ until today.

Only super cold days like today do I wish that I could have someone else pump it.

I am happy to have someone else do it, but it always seems like I have to wait and that pisses me off.

Because I'm American.
I'm busy.
I dont wait for shit.



Impatient bastard!

brianlux

Now that my father is gone I will be spending less time in Oregon but one of the things I liked about going there was having my gas pumped.  But it wasn't like, oh my God I wish it were like this everywhere.  It was just one small luxury that made the effort to go up there a bit easier.  Normally I think nothing of doing my own fueling.

I'm sure most people will adjust quickly but the thought that even a few are freaking our about it is a bit sad and pathetic.  What if you need to :  Tie a bowline.  Start a fire with just natural foliage and a match.  Build a shelter.  Tie a tourniquet.  Treat for shock.  Identify an edible wild plant.  Oh, you can't pump your own gas?  Oh my!  Such a weak and vulnerable species we've become.

unsung

Oh that thread online was hysterical.   People are so lost.

Degeneratefk

I haven't seen a full service gas station in over 25 years.

Go Beavers

Smellyman said:

Loved not having to pump gas in Oregon.  Driving to another state drove me bonkers.  How uncivilized! 

Edit:  I also hate news stories that use social media as legit reactions.

Reminds me of a stupid moment. I was across the river from Portland in Washington, which looks like any other suburb. I pulled up to get gas and no one came out. I pulled away thinking ‘fine, I’ll go somewhere else’. A minute later I remembered I was in Washington. 

brianlux

I remember this.  No, seriously!  Two guys would come out of the station in white uniforms with little white caps.  One guy would start pumping while the other cleaned the windshield and checked the oil.  Long time gone!

Go Beavers

There’s a station in town that has the employees dress up kind of like this, and you can fill your growler with beer!

Smellyman

Go Beavers said:

Smellyman said:

Loved not having to pump gas in Oregon.  Driving to another state drove me bonkers.  How uncivilized! 

Edit:  I also hate news stories that use social media as legit reactions.

Reminds me of a stupid moment. I was across the river from Portland in Washington, which looks like any other suburb. I pulled up to get gas and no one came out. I pulled away thinking ‘fine, I’ll go somewhere else’. A minute later I remembered I was in Washington. 

LOL 

josevolution

I'd rather pump my own any day ...

HughFreakingDillon

what a bizarre thing. there was a law that you couldn't pump your own gas in Oregon? what the actual fuck?

Go Beavers

HughFreakingDillon said:

what a bizarre thing. there was a law that you couldn't pump your own gas in Oregon? what the actual fuck?

And in Jersey. Here in Oregon they say it was done to create jobs. 

PJ_Soul

Go Beavers said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

what a bizarre thing. there was a law that you couldn't pump your own gas in Oregon? what the actual fuck?

And in Jersey. Here in Oregon they say it was done to create jobs. 

That's the idea - to combat youth unemployment. It makes sense and I support it. There are two cities in metro Vancouver that have the same law (and 16% of gas stations in Canada are still full-service). Every other city and municipality around them has self-serve, but these two cities won't allow it because most of the gas station staff would lose their jobs. And people actually view these full-service stations in these two places as a real treat for the most part. It's a luxury to have someone else do it for you when you normally do it yourself. BTW, guess who fought and continues to fight against this law? Why, the gas station owners and oil companies, of course! They want more of that gas money in their own pockets! You do the work, they keep the cash.
(full-service is also particularly handy for seniors and disabled people)

hedonist

They aren't being forced to though, correct?  Just a small portion of residents have the option of doing it themselves?

Still, that something so simple and basic as filling your tank freaks some out is beyond me. 

Smellyman

The thought of not filling your own tank freaking people out is beyond me.

devil's advocate.

FYI - I have never filled in Taiwan either.  Not sure if law or if all stations are just full service.

to the google machine....

hedonist

Smellyman said:

The thought of not filling your own tank freaking people out is beyond me.

devil's advocate.

FYI - I have never filled in Taiwan either.  Not sure if law or if all stations are just full service.

to the google machine....

Ah, but if you had to, you would, dammit

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind full-service if the cost remained the same.

Go Beavers

hedonist said:

Smellyman said:

The thought of not filling your own tank freaking people out is beyond me.

devil's advocate.

FYI - I have never filled in Taiwan either.  Not sure if law or if all stations are just full service.

to the google machine....

Ah, but if you had to, you would, dammit

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind full-service if the cost remained the same.

Oregon’s always cheaper than Cali and most of the time cheaper than Washington 

hedonist

Go Beavers said:

hedonist said:

Smellyman said:

The thought of not filling your own tank freaking people out is beyond me.

devil's advocate.

FYI - I have never filled in Taiwan either.  Not sure if law or if all stations are just full service.

to the google machine....

Ah, but if you had to, you would, dammit

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind full-service if the cost remained the same.

Oregon’s always cheaper than Cali and most of the time cheaper than Washington 

Yup, I'm thankful (and fortunate) that I have to fill up only once a month!

HughFreakingDillon

PJ_Soul said:

Go Beavers said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

what a bizarre thing. there was a law that you couldn't pump your own gas in Oregon? what the actual fuck?

And in Jersey. Here in Oregon they say it was done to create jobs. 

That's the idea - to combat youth unemployment. It makes sense and I support it. There are two cities in metro Vancouver that have the same law (and 16% of gas stations in Canada are still full-service). Every other city and municipality around them has self-serve, but these two cities won't allow it because most of the gas station staff would lose their jobs. And people actually view these full-service stations in these two places as a real treat for the most part. It's a luxury to have someone else do it for you when you normally do it yourself. BTW, guess who fought and continues to fight against this law? Why, the gas station owners and oil companies, of course! They want more of that gas money in their own pockets! You do the work, they keep the cash.
(full-service is also particularly handy for seniors and disabled people)

is youth unemployment really that big an issue that something needs to be made law to combat it? Forcing an industry to hire people they don't need/want because of a societal issue? Yes, gas companies make a killing. the owner/operators of gas stations do not. So forcing them to hire people to solve this problem is not right.

I just read an article about youth employment in Winnipeg, and of course it's a "crisis" because so many kids are unemployed. But you speak to any business owner who employs lower-skilled jobs, it's a nightmare to fill those positions because youth of today simply don't want to work for what they deem "inadequate pay and benefits" (or they are staying in school and living with their parents much longer than previous generations). Fuck me. I worked for years for nearly minimum wage and zero benefits. Was I stupid? No. I had work ethic, and as a young person, I simply didn't require the benefits people are screaming about today. the businesses I worked for simply would not have survived if they had to pay out "living wages" and benefits to their zero-skilled workers. I lived on my own on $6 an hour with my girlfriend who also made minimum wage and tips. No sick days. No holidays. NOTHING. But youth today are expecting all this shit for working at Tim Horton's/Starbucks with zero skills and education. My wife says her experience in trying to hire low-skilled people in today's day is a fucking nightmare with how entitled these people are. 

I understand that it is important to lift up certain sectors of society so they can live off their earnings, even if they are minimal. I'd like to poll many of these people, however, who are crying for a living wage and ask them what their cell phone bill is every month. I'm not trying to sound like an old man here, but seriously,  many youth of today simply do not have their priorities straight when it comes to this stuff. 

do we really want to pay people enough money in these no-skill jobs so they STAY in those jobs and don't make room for the youth coming up in the next generation? Those jobs are meant for young people, not poor adults that want to live semi-comfortably on those wages. What is the motivation to better yourself if there's no reason to?

This $15 minimum wage thing seems a bit crazy to me. When I got hired where I work now, I made less than that (10 years ago). At an OFFICE JOB that required some level of experience and/or education. 

mickeyrat

hedonist said:

They aren't being forced to though, correct?  Just a small portion of residents have the option of doing it themselves?

Still, that something so simple and basic as filling your tank freaks some out is beyond me. 

iirc only between 6p and 6a in these more rural counties.....

F Me In The Brain

hedonist said:

Go Beavers said:

hedonist said:

Smellyman said:

The thought of not filling your own tank freaking people out is beyond me.

devil's advocate.

FYI - I have never filled in Taiwan either.  Not sure if law or if all stations are just full service.

to the google machine....

Ah, but if you had to, you would, dammit

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind full-service if the cost remained the same.

Oregon’s always cheaper than Cali and most of the time cheaper than Washington 

Yup, I'm thankful (and fortunate) that I have to fill up only once a month!

Lucky!  When I lived in LA I filled up every 2-3 days.  Fuck that!

Spiritual_Chaos

The US is such a weird country. 
Not being able to pump your own gas could be the premise of a Twilight Zone episode. 

hedonist

F Me In The Brain said:

hedonist said:

Go Beavers said:

hedonist said:

Smellyman said:

The thought of not filling your own tank freaking people out is beyond me.

devil's advocate.

FYI - I have never filled in Taiwan either.  Not sure if law or if all stations are just full service.

to the google machine....

Ah, but if you had to, you would, dammit

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind full-service if the cost remained the same.

Oregon’s always cheaper than Cali and most of the time cheaper than Washington 

Yup, I'm thankful (and fortunate) that I have to fill up only once a month!

Lucky!  When I lived in LA I filled up every 2-3 days.  Fuck that!

Well...a half-mile commute to work helps

Less than 3,000 miles a year, baby!  Hopefully this car is the last one I'll have - she's a beaut.

my2hands

Asked a buddy if mine in NJ why they don't let you pump the gas... he said because it's technically a hazardous material and flammable liquid... best answer I've heard

HughFreakingDillon

my2hands said:

Asked a buddy if mine in NJ why they don't let you pump the gas... he said because it's technically a hazardous material and flammable liquid... best answer I've heard

That was the only logical reason I could come up with. But people are allowed to buy lighters for their cigarettes. Oil for their car (or is that illegal to do yourself too?). 

are there too many people hosing others down at the pump and lighting them on fire? just bizarre. 

tempo_n_groove

HughFreakingDillon said:

my2hands said:

Asked a buddy if mine in NJ why they don't let you pump the gas... he said because it's technically a hazardous material and flammable liquid... best answer I've heard

That was the only logical reason I could come up with. But people are allowed to buy lighters for their cigarettes. Oil for their car (or is that illegal to do yourself too?). 

are there too many people hosing others down at the pump and lighting them on fire? just bizarre. 

A lighter or oil won't just combust.

Gas with a little static electricity could.

Bold/italics made me think of this story:

My cousins friend Chris was a frail thing of a man about 15 years older than me.  He lived out in LA area around 1990.  He was in Hawthorne or some shitty area like that and a guy wanted to pump his gas.  He said "no thanks" and went in to pay.  People will do this to get a dollar off you at the gas stations.

When Chris comes out the guy insisted that he pump his gas, again he says "no".

The guy was damn sure hell going to pump Chris' gas and kind of moved him aside while going for the pump handle.

Chris swung around with the pump handle and soaked the guy from head to toe with gas, pulled out a cigarette and lit it and said to the guy "now you can pump my fucking gas!"

Dude high tailed it out of there.

brianlux

Spiritual_Chaos said:

The US is such a weird country. 
Not being able to pump your own gas could be the premise of a Twilight Zone episode. 

We are rather strange, aren't we!