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Hear the pros and cons
FOX 5 NY's Teresa Priolo has the story.
NEW JERSEY - Thanks to Oregon, New Jersey is literally one of a kind -- now the only state in the United States to have full-service gas pumps.
The first gas station in the country opened in the early-1900s, and it was unheard of to pump your own gas before the mid-60s.
Fire codes prevented self-service and in New Jersey, things stayed that way to comply with safety procedures, but there’s no question there’s an added cost when you factor in the manpower.
"It's very hard to find anyone who wants to work as a gas station attendant, even at wages that are well above the minimum wage," said Eric Blomgren, with the New Jersey Gasoline Convenience Store Association. "It's just the job that people don't want to do, and since you can't legally sell gas without having an attendant, we have people who are closing off pumps or shutting down early just because they can't find attendants."
A few attendants that spoke with FOX 5 NY said they’re concerned now that Oregon has dropped its full-service mandate, New Jersey will follow suit.
But the real reason people love it, is because the weather in the Garden State is not always ideal.
The reality is pumping your own gas in New Jersey is as much a part of the Jersey DNA as disco fries, intrinsically tied to who the state is.