Nope. New Jersey banned self-service way back in 1949. At the time, legislators felt it was "too dangerous to have untrained people dispensing such a flammable liquid"...
There have been recent efforts to dispense (har-de-har) with the ban, claiming it would reduce retail fuel prices, but the idea has opposition. Some say self-service gasoline would inconvenience the elderly and ill and force people into inclement weather; gasoline retailers like the ban on self-service because their costs of insurance are significantly lower. The latter is a very good point, as these reduced insurance costs are reflected in the retail prices: despite the fact that retailers have to pay people (young adults, mostly) to pump the gasoline, New Jersey continues to offer the lowest retail fuel prices in the region. Anyone that lives near Jersey will typically wait until they're in the state to buy gasoline (I certainly do).
I'm perfectly content letting them pump the gas, just as long as the prices stay lower then everywhere nearby... - GA
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It's pretty amazing how many things stay status quo, even when there is more than substantial evidence that the reasoning behind such a law is completely false. What's next.....you must pay to have your lawn mowed so we don't have people operating dangerous lawnmowers.....or you must pay to have your oil changed because we don't trust you to do it/dispose of it properly.....you must pay to have your face shaved because we can't trust you to use a dangerous razor so close to your face?
From a purely capitalistic standpoint, this is a farce. Why don't all the other states in the Northeast have similar laws, and since they don't, why are they not having the same problems mentioned (i.e. inconvenience the elderly, force people into inclement weather)? And why isn't the rest of the country experiencing frequent catastrophic gas station fires if it is such a danger to allow self-service? This is purely a government sticking its nose somewhere it absolutely doesn't belong. Too much government just gets in the way, it doesn't necessarily make it better. Stations could still offer full serve if they wanted the insurance break and wanted to serve that segment of the market. Meanwhile stations that wanted to could forego the cheap labor and put that savings toward any increase in insurance rates if they so desired. The point is to let the businesses, and more broadly the market place, decide what is best. As is so often the case, government rarely knows best.
Sidebar: Having spent the first half of my life growing up in the Northeast and the second half in the South, it is a study in contrasts as to how much the government injects itself into people's everyday lives. My family still lives in New York so I hear all the time how much more they pay in income taxes (we have no state tax in FL), annual vehicle inspections (none in FL), state sales taxes are higher (by more than 2% in most cases), and yet New York is going broke slowly while Florida has a $1.7B budget surplus and another $1.5B forcasted for 2006-07.
As far as gas goes, we are not yet reaping the benefits of a light hurricane season this year. The lowest I have seen in the last week is $2.76 which is only $.06 better than I paid 2 weeks ago. I'm sure it's coming though.
(Afterthought I: I wonder if the lower prices in NJ are a reflection of slighly lower state gas taxes, since most retailers would pay just about the same wholesale price for their gasoline. I also wonder if NJ is keeping the gas tax slightly low on purpose since they have a guaranteed workforce in gas attendants that will then contribute back to the state via their state income tax to make up the shortfall. Any thoughts?)
(Afterthougt II: NJ could be playing a scam here since by keeping its prices artificially, and slightly, lower than surrounding states, they are pulling that extra revenue into NJ that might otherwise be spent outside the state. This, coupled with Afterthought I, could very well be a boon in tax revenue for the state. Again, thoughts?)