Jersey girls don't pump gas

[MaryAnnDVC]

Ready for some great news? You don't actually have to get out to see which side the gas cap is on. You can find out by looking at the gas gauge.
Some cars have a little arrow somewhere on their gas gauge that points to the side of the car that the gas tank is on.

If the car doesn't have that arrow, there may also be a little gas pump decal on their gas gauge. This decal tells you which side of the car that your gas tank is on. If it's on the right side of the pump, then your gas tank is located on the right of the car. If it's on the left, the gas pump faces the left.

I didn't know that! I just quizzed my DH, and he knew that. I'm almost tempted to go out there now and look, but I'm in my jammies and it's cold out. Looking forward to checking it tomorrow! (Like DH says...it's good to have goals. )

 

[M5ward]

Born and raised in New Jersey..and I LOVE that we don't have to pump our own gas. Can I do it? Absolutely, but I don't want to. When I visit my kids who live in Maryland, I get gas right before I get to Delaware so that I can make it to my destination and back to New Jersey without having to stop for gas.
The few times I've actually pumped my own (before I got smart enough to fill up in NJ), I've hated the fact that I had to get out of my dry/cool/warm car in the rain/snow/heat/freezing temperatures.
Gas prices are usually cheaper here than in Maryland because of our lower gasoline taxes, but I'd still want full service even if the taxes were higher.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Hi, Mare! Hi, JJ! Nice Jersey girls!

Hi, Gina! And hello again, Mare. Hope you guys had a great trip! Thanks again for lunch.

Ever since gas stations around started giving you a break on the price when you pay cash, I started hitting the ATM before I go for gas. I tend to fill up about every 10 days and go to the same gas station most of the time because it typically has the lowest price around. Plus the guys who work there move fast and are pleasant.

This requires some planning on my part, but thank heavens I don't have to touch that filthy gas pump. For those who think it takes 20 minutes--no way--5 at most. Everyone moves mightly quickly in Bergen County, especially the gas station attendants. I zip in and out, paying cash, and never leaving my car. I see no reason to have it any other way.

 

[Imzadi]

Ready for some great news? You don't actually have to get out to see which side the gas cap is on. You can find out by looking at the gas gauge.
Some cars have a little arrow somewhere on their gas gauge that points to the side of the car that the gas tank is on.

If the car doesn't have that arrow, there may also be a little gas pump decal on their gas gauge. This decal tells you which side of the car that your gas tank is on. If it's on the right side of the pump, then your gas tank is located on the right of the car. If it's on the left, the gas pump faces the left.

Thanks! After renting cars for 3 years, the guy at the rental agency recently told me about the arrow. But, as you pointed out, not all cars have the arrows. I still had to jump out when there wasn't one. I'll have to check which side the decal is on now.

 

[kacaju]

For those who think it takes 20 minutes--no way--5 at most. Everyone moves mightly quickly in Bergen County, especially the gas station attendants. I zip in and out, paying cash, and never leaving my car. I see no reason to have it any other way.

I think that those who feel it takes so long to have the attendent pump your gas must only use the gas stations on the Parkway/Turnpike while they are on their way through NJ. I see those lines being long when we travel on those roads. but our local stations?? No way, at least here our local stations most of the time I am the only one at the pump, or there will be one other car. Then it moves really fast and I can't see how anyone could pump faster themselves.

 

[jemgumby]

So much for women's lib.....

 

[ratherbeatdisney]

unscrew gas cap. insert gas pump into the hole. pull handle. wait a few minutes. remove gas pump. screw back on gas cap. Is this rocket science? if you feel challenged or confused by the act of having to pump gas then you REALLY dont belong behind the wheel of a car. Driving a car and paying attention to other cars while moving at 65 MPH is a lot more complicated than pumping gas, if you cant handle pumping gas i wonder how you even make it through life !!! I cant IMAGINE driving out of the way just to find a Full Service station.... talk about a HUGE waste of money...

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I think that those who feel it takes so long to have the attendent pump your gas must only use the gas stations on the Parkway/Turnpike while they are on their way through NJ. I see those lines being long when we travel on those roads. but our local stations?? No way, at least here our local stations most of the time I am the only one at the pump, or there will be one other car. Then it moves really fast and I can't see how anyone could pump faster themselves.

I think the 20-minute comment was actually in response to someone who said it would be slower to have to go inside to pay if you pumped yourself. Someone said "it's not a 20-minute process".

The time the process takes is obviously going to vary based on lots of factors. If you have a attendant who gets to your car quickly when you pull in and also when the pump shuts off, and has the change handy or a credit card machine with him or attached to the pump, it will be faster than someone who pumps themselves, pays cash, and runs into a line in the store.

On the other hand, the way I do it, swipe my own credit card at the pump and pump it myself, is going to be faster than using an attendent who is in the middle of helping another car when I pull up, or who has to go inside to get change if I were paying cash.

If your stations generally only have one or two cars there at a time, it's not such a big issue, but at the stations I usually go to, there are usually at least 5-6 cars there at a time. If there are only one or two attendents, you could be waiting a few minutes for one to get to you. The most time-consuming part of filling your tank is waiting for the pump to fill the tank, and it doesn't run any faster for an attendent that it does for a customer. I don't see how any attendent could possibly get my tank filled faster than I can, either!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

unscrew gas cap. insert gas pump into the hole. pull handle. wait a few minutes. remove gas pump. screw back on gas cap. Is this rocket science? if you feel challenged or confused by the act of having to pump gas then you REALLY dont belong behind the wheel of a car. Driving a car and paying attention to other cars while moving at 65 MPH is a lot more complicated than pumping gas, if you cant handle pumping gas i wonder how you even make it through life !!! I cant IMAGINE driving out of the way just to find a Full Service station.... talk about a HUGE waste of money...

Welcome to the DIS! Again.

 

[Jennasis]

Don't you do this whenever you go to a store or a restaurant. Esp. a restaurant the card leaves your hand and your site.

Yes...but I guess they just seem sketchy to me. I don't live in Jersey so it isn't a problem. I lived in NY where we had plenty of full serve places and never felt comfortable handing over my card. And I don't really feel comfortable handing it over to waitresses either, but it's necessary.

 

[MinnieTink]

Another Jersey Girl who has never pumped gas checking in. I had not heard of this "suggestion" by the governor either. All I can say is, seriously, gas pumping? We are drowning in real estate taxes and your bringing up pumping gas, mr governor? If my taxes went way the heck down, then I will pump gas wearing my wedding gown, with a minivan packed with kids with a foot of dirty black "bus-polluted-snow" at my high heel wearing feet.

 

[hereyago]

I am in VA and we pump our own gas. But, I was telling my friend I wish they would make a car that would drive itself to the gas station, pump gas itself and pay for it, that would impress me. lol.

I actually don't mind pumping gas. Actually back in the day, I used to enjoy going to the gas station in summer and flirting with guys in hot cars. lol.

 

[omghidanielle]

Kind of funny story?

I was once at a gas station by my house (I live in Philadelphia, very close to a NJ bridge) and this woman ran up to me and told me that she lives in New Jersey, and needed some gas to get over the bridge, and she didn't know how to use the pump. 'Just enough to get over the bridge'. So I showed her where to find her pump #, and told her to go pay the attendant. As I'm standing next to her, showing her how to unscrew her gascap and pump the gas, she decided to pull the pump out of her tank, while still pumping the gas! She got gasoline all over my clothes! I kept telling her to STOP STOP STOP! But she didn't, and she ruined my pants and my shoes! She said 'Sorry' quickly, got back into her car and LEFT! I waved to her as she drove away.

As I walked back to my car, my shoes quacked at me.

 

[JerseyJanice]

unscrew gas cap. insert gas pump into the hole. pull handle. wait a few minutes. remove gas pump. screw back on gas cap. Is this rocket science? if you feel challenged or confused by the act of having to pump gas then you REALLY dont belong behind the wheel of a car. Driving a car and paying attention to other cars while moving at 65 MPH is a lot more complicated than pumping gas, if you cant handle pumping gas i wonder how you even make it through life !!! I cant IMAGINE driving out of the way just to find a Full Service station.... talk about a HUGE waste of money...

Drive up to pump so your gas tank faces it, roll down your window and tell the attendant, "fill it up, regular, cash." Wait a few minutes, pay attendant and drive away.

Read back through the thread and you'll see that many people are as mystified by what to do at a full service gas station as those of us from NJ are confused by pumping gas their own gas. It's all about what you're used to doing.

Speaking of rocket science, ALL gas stations in NJ are full service. You don't drive out of your way to find one; it's the only kind we have. Talk about a HUGE waste of time...replying to a thread when one obviously has zero comprehension of the discussion at hand...

 

[njprincess601]

I go to college in Virginia and on my way home for Thanksgiving break last week I was in the car with 3 friends, all from Jersey and when we stopped at a gas station in PA, and no one knew how to pump gas!!!! You would think that out of 4 college students one of us could have figured it out... but no. Luckily a very nice woman saw we were young, and the Jersey plates on the car and asked if we needed help! Thank goodness for her otherwise we'd probably still be in PA.

My friends at school always tease me about not pumping my own gas. They call me a little New Jersey princess. Hey... nothing wrong with that!

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Drive up to pump so your gas tank faces it, roll down your window and tell the attendant, "fill it up, regular, cash." Wait a few minutes, pay attendant and drive away.

Read back through the thread and you'll see that many people are as mystified by what to do at a full service gas station as those of us from NJ are confused by pumping gas their own gas. It's all about what you're used to doing.

Speaking of rocket science, ALL gas stations in NJ are full service. You don't drive out of your way to find one; it's the only kind we have. Talk about a HUGE waste of time...replying to a thread when one obviously has zero comprehension of the discussion at hand...

Everything well said, especially the bolded. Talk about ignorance...

 

[mjkacmom]

unscrew gas cap. insert gas pump into the hole. pull handle. wait a few minutes. remove gas pump. screw back on gas cap. Is this rocket science? if you feel challenged or confused by the act of having to pump gas then you REALLY dont belong behind the wheel of a car. Driving a car and paying attention to other cars while moving at 65 MPH is a lot more complicated than pumping gas, if you cant handle pumping gas i wonder how you even make it through life !!! I cant IMAGINE driving out of the way just to find a Full Service station.... talk about a HUGE waste of money...

Most of us are perfectly capable of pumping our own gas, but prefer not to. Since there are no self-service stations here, we don't drive miles to the nearest full-service - that's all we have! What if your state decided to eliminate drive thru windows. Sure, it's not rocket science to actually walk into a restaurant and order - probably takes the same amount of time. But most prefer the convinience of a drive thru - you don't have to leave your vehicle. That's how we feel about our gas stations.

 

[npmommie]

I would never drive out of my way for full service, but I don't have to because there are at least 4 I can think of that I pass in my daily travels.
2 of them don't charge anymore than self serve.

and while I am perfectly capable as well to pump my own gas, I don't like to do it. It is smelly, dirty, and sometimes when its minus 10 I just don't want to!! LOL
and I know everyone says its no big deal, and it really isn't, but I can't believe anyone LIKES to do it. So if there is a choice to not do it, I don't.

 

[JessicaR]

Kind of funny story?

I was once at a gas station by my house (I live in Philadelphia, very close to a NJ bridge) and this woman ran up to me and told me that she lives in New Jersey, and needed some gas to get over the bridge, and she didn't know how to use the pump. 'Just enough to get over the bridge'. So I showed her where to find her pump #, and told her to go pay the attendant. As I'm standing next to her, showing her how to unscrew her gascap and pump the gas, she decided to pull the pump out of her tank, while still pumping the gas! She got gasoline all over my clothes! I kept telling her to STOP STOP STOP! But she didn't, and she ruined my pants and my shoes! She said 'Sorry' quickly, got back into her car and LEFT! I waved to her as she drove away.

As I walked back to my car, my shoes quacked at me.

You were very kind! Never mind the quacking shoes, the STINK of gas is just awful. My son recently had me take him to fill our gas can. On the way home I said," wow! the smell is awfully strong!" He said, "yeah, I lost the cap." Of couse it was spilling all over the back of the truck.

 

[sbell111]

I think that what confuses me the most is that I am of a mind that all laws on the books should serve a purpose. The law that all gas stations must be full-serv had a purpose. It was to protect people from the dangers of pumping their own gas. These dangers have since been either disbunked or resolved through technology.

Therefore, this law no longer has a purpose. It should be repealed.