It's not the concept, it's the implementation. My first job was at a "service station". That's what we called gas stations back in the day. I made $1.35/hr. We (I say we because there were at least 2 if not 3 of us on duty all the time) had to watch film strips (remember them?) as training. A customer expected to drive up, roll down their window, place their order and I would pump the gas. My job was to never approach that window again so that the customer couldnottell me to not check the air pressure in all 4 tires, the level of oil in the engine (cars didn't have in-cabin hood releases) and wash the back window and windshield. That one automobile received my undivided attention. It was not illegal to pump your own gas but why would you when that nice boy in his clean Union 76 uniform was there to gladly do it for you? Besides my boss would have fired me if you felt you needed to run the pump.
Now, all that guy does is pump gas but he's in charge of a lot of pumps so he's not there when you drive up and he's nowhere to be found when the handle clicks off. Want it topped off? Forget it. He doesn't have time for that shit. There're 8 other cars here and the drivers are all pissed because it looks to them like no one is on duty. Sigh...we've lost so much.
No it's still the concept. it's dumb as fuck, always has been always will be.
What you are talking about, what you are describing in yesteryear terms is called "full service" gas pumps. Every state used to have those, in addition to self-serve pumps. Having a full retard law preventing people from pumping their own gas isn't what created that experience, everyone else got to experience that full service too.
The difference is, in every other state when the economic model for full service died off gas stations simply stopped offering full service pumps and converted them all to self serve, ie NORMAL. Why did people stop using full service? because a) it's fucking gas dude, this shit ain't some filet mignon dinner you are trying to savor, most people fill up once a week or more and it's far more convenient to pump it yourself and be done in 4 minutes; and b) it ain't fucking rocket science, any 3 year old can safely fill up a gas tank, you don't need some "professional" to press a button and latch a goddamn handle.
So every other state let the market decide if all that shit was necessary and justify the need for a gas monkey job and universally the market said "Fuck that shit it's fucking retarded pump your own goddamn gas".
Except your gay ass state and that other one are fucked, trapped in the 50s with gas pump unions and shit.
I used to live in Virginia and drive to NY on the somewhat regular and the only good thing I can say about NJ is the goddamn NJ Turnpike. It's like they realized nobody gave 2 shits about that fucking retarded ass state and built a highway explicitly for the purpose of passing through that shithole without stopping. I made the mistake 1 time of not having enough gas and had to pull in to one of the gas stations there and wait for some shitstain to get done texting his bae to fill up my car. I never made that mistake again.
It's funny cus japan has full service too, I don't know if it's some law or what not but when & if I have to use a gas station off base there's like 6 fucking dudes who instantly pounce. It's like a nascar pitstop. everything is done including the fill up before I even get my change.
