Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Oregon self serve

Got back from the Portland expo. Not sure why this is a law there but they don't allow self serve in Oregon. At one station I felt I was going back in time to 1960s with dealer washing the windows real well just for a fill up. Other places were just a longer wait as one attendant had to wait on several cars.

I was born and raised in Oregon and even I do not know why we don't have self serve. I was at a very busy station and touched the nozzle to even up the price and the attendant was right there to "catch me". If there is anything positive it provides at least one more job for someone.
Mike

I go through Oregon all the time and I still feel weird sitting in my vehicle waiting for service. On one of my first visits I went to a giant Chevron it only had one person working, I thought I would help them out and fill up myself. I did and about the time I was finished she came up and said, well Mr. Helpful do you want to stay and help me all day??? It's funny how an old time service now feels weird. But I wish now for three bucks a gallon the gas companys CEO would come out and wash and wax my car!!!!

When I had my Marathon station up until the mid eighties we still washed every window, checked the psi in all four tires, and asked to check the oil for every full serve customer. I work part time for a Gulf station now and we still do the same thing as we only have one pump and it is only full serve.

When I visited Oregon eight years ago I too was pleasantly surprised at the full serve service offered by the gas stations in Portland. I asked the attendant why self serve wasn't an option and he told me that legislation was passed requiring stations to have full serve attendants to help keep unemployment down due to the sagging logging industry throughout Oregon.

Oregon has no self serve only because of the state fire marshal has some antquitated idea of a danger having people fill their own tank. Also every time self serve comes up for a vote it gets defeated because Oregonians have become lazy. The oil companies sponsor self serve initiatives so they can raise their profits and contrary to what some people say prices will not be affected, just profits. I think we are one of only 2 states left with no self serve. I believe NH is the other?

NJ is the other, see related post from BBQChicken.

I took a private jet to a friend’s house in Sun River, Oregon back in 1999 and we took their 2 trucks out to dinner with the family and we both needed to fill up on the way out. The lady in front of me pulled in first with her diesel truck and the attendant ran out and tossed in the regular unleaded gas hitting it on auto fill then came to our truck and started pumping... I leaned out the window and called to my friend in front of me and asked "I thought your truck was a diesel?" the attendant about had a heart attack, he was filling it with unleaded.... HA HA HA. I bet that happens all the time. I was never so glad to get to back up to Washington, then back here to Kansas! I figured the Orgenites were not smart enough to pump their own gas. That probably explains why their gas was 30 cents higher then Washington’s, and Kansas’s at the time.

Even with my wise crack about “smart enough above” I do understand the fire hazard. Have you guys seen what a static spark can do to a car filling up? I live right across from a gas station here in Kansas and I am just waiting for the day someone starts a pump fire! It almost happened to me once, I got out started pumping and got back in to get my wallet and when I went to pull the nozzle I got the shock of my life from static. That is all it takes!

Check out the video I just found of a pump fire! Maybe the Orgenites are right after all.
http://www.compfused.com/directlink/729/


Travis E. Towle
Topeka, Kansas

785-357-1004



[This message has been edited by travis_towle (edited 07-24-2007).]

Travis, the gas is higher in Oregon because there are no refineries, a minimum wage employee does not add 30 cents a gallon, get out your calculator and you'll see. Also it's Oregonians, not Oregonites. But thanks for your insightful albeit misinformed comments. Also it's usually the gals that set their cars on fire because they can't wait outside their cars, man up, stay outside. LOL

Yea but I still like Orgenites better! LOL It makes them sound Organized – better than we are in KANSAS! If I could afford the sky high home prices I would move out there in a heartbeat… Newport & Hillsboro is nice, but man a 1 room shack is a half mil, ok 250k if the roof leaks "or so it seems".

Adding 30 cents a gallon to have someone pump your gas? It does in Kansas. My mother always has her gas pumped for her "because she does not know how" so she says... and it does cost her about 30 cents a gallon more - at least at that store. My guess would be because they do not have any other inside sales like the quickie marts do.

They say the profits at the gas pumps are only 5 cents a gallon. That makes me wonder how a card lock station can stay in business. I did hear that you could still pump your own gas in Oregon if you use the Pacific Pride or other card locks - does anyone still know if that is true still?


Travis E. Towle
Topeka, Kansas

785-357-1004


[This message has been edited by travis_towle (edited 07-25-2007).]

Pacific pride and several other card locks are all over. They're usually the same price if not slightly higher.

The Pacific Pride card lock system is for commercial customers. Now what constitutes a "commercial" customer has been a bone of contention for the State of Oregon for atleast 15 years. They used to give me flack when I had the racing team because each one of the employees had a card. The State said only, "customer business vehicles" fell under this "umbrella". Numerous businesses reminded them the IRS says anyone who uses their vehicle for business purposes falls under that "umbrella". They left us alone after that. It was for the most part .02-.05 cents a gallon more expensive, but the convenience of no lines at the pump and being billed once a month made up for it.

Great discussion about gas prices at full serve vs. self serve. When I was a Marathon dealer we ran the full serve about 35-40 cents above our self serve. Back in the day you figured your "pool average" by combining your self and full serve sales. My daily goal was to be around 20 cents pool avg. which would frustrate the heck out of my rep as the company always wanted to see you selling it much cheaper. The smart alec comment I always launched back with was " yeah I'll sell it at a loss and make it up on volume."
What really frustated the dealers which ultimately led to our demise was the Marathon tanker dropping product at my station and then the next day the same tanker dropping off gas at Speedway down the street. Their street price was usually a nickel below my cost. Would tick me off. Joe Blow could buy 10 gallons for his car cheaper than I was buying 10,0000 gallons for at a time. The oil companies saw no problem with this even though the dealers tried lobbying the powers that be for a change.
Not trying to write a book, but here's where the oil companies show their hypocricy. Recently in our area Kroger food chains are selling gas, and doing a fine job of it. They are undercutting the street price by a nickel or so. Their goal, use gas as a loss leader to get people in the store. Get this, the oil companies filed a complaint, saying it's unfair for an outlet to sell gas at a loss because they can't compete with that. Hmmm...... sounds like the same argument me and many dealers had in the late eighties. Fortunately the charges were dropped and Kroger and others are free to sell their gas for what they want.

I recall hearing something about that fight over Sams Club selling cheaper. But as soon as Sams put the fighters out of Biz they upped the price.

I always thought about putting in a card lock "PP" store here in Kansas but could never figure out why people would use them since their gas cost more. The comment about no lines, and a company log/bill makes a ton of sense. The PP company will even finance the store 100% and do a check to figure what a location will make for you. I thought they would be a big hit in Oregon, but now I know they still kinda suck. I met with their rep here in Topeka for about 4-5 hours back in 1995 and he kept pushing "just sign on the line and the store is yours, we will do everything you need heck it's plug and play" - now I am glad I did'nt open a store!


Travis E. Towle
Topeka, Kansas

785-357-1004

[This message has been edited by travis_towle (edited 07-25-2007).]

I wanted to add to what Travis_towle said about the static. I don't know if everyone is aware of this but I have heard and seen pictures of people while pumping gas and they turn on their cell phone and the static causes a fire. Very dangerous to use cell phones while pumping gas.