Is it time to bring back gas pump attendants?

Question

My aged parent tripped and fell over the gas pump hose the other day, and no one saw him or came to his aid. He was at a self-service station. That has me thinking...

Gas is $4/gallon or more across the USA. The population is aging. And it's d**n hard for teens to find a summer job this year.

Is it time to bring back the classic gas pump attendants who will fill your tank, clean your window and check your oil?

Gas station owners--could you make it work at $4 a gallon? Is there enough margin to hire an attendant to return to full service and pump gas for elderly drivers? What if the kid worked for minimum wage plus tips? Your customers are only getting older, do you think they might appreciate the service?

Answer 1

gas stations don't make money on gas really, they make it on the food and drinks.

Answer 2

attendants would raise the prices...station owners only make 4/5 cents a gallon...most money is made on cigarettes ,soda and beer

Answer 3

well back when i was running the station we got 3 cent on a gallon the rest was tax and the price of it... and sorry about the parent but id be thinking more about how well they drive if they having problems walking sorry dont mean for that to sound bad but

Answer 4

we have a exxon station here where i live that does all that stuff for you, you just sit in your car, they put the gas in your car, clean your windows, check the air in your tires, check the oil, if you ask them to, even if you need some smokes, they get them for yo, then when them come to your car, you pay them, all the stuff they do is free, except the cigs, and gas.

Answer 5

I know what you are saying, and I agree with you. I live in Pennsylvania. I'm only minutes away from New Jersey though. In New Jersey, it is illegal for me to pump my own gas. Attendants do that for me. And you know something, gas is about 20 cents a gallon CHEAPER, that's right, I said cheaper.

Where I am in Pennsylvania is bordering Philadelphia. Well, because of the city pollution issues, we are compelled to burn the cleaner, and more expensive fuels than Neighboring Jersey, even though they too border Philadelphia.

It's all about money my friend. As another poster mentioned, no "meaningful" profits are made by the average gas stations. It is inside where they make money. So, why lose profits on paying an attendant?

A couple of years ago, there was a gas station in my neighborhood that actually had a handicap pump. The attendant filled those cars for those people.  The ***** was, it got pumped at 50 cents per gallon higher. I thought that was an outrage.

I would see people pull up in vehicles who simply were incapable of even getting out without a major ordeal. Like dropping the gate down, Then locking onto the lift. Those souls were being gouged in my opinion. Happily, that scenario ended.

I feel your pain my friend. Maybe if we all put pressure on our elected officials, some changes can be made in States like yours and mine. Hitting the handicapped for another 50 cents a gallon should be a crime. Good luck. Hope the person who fell is on the mend.

Answer 6

The non-self-serve (don't know what you call them) stations are still in existence.  I have 2 within 15 miles of where I live.  The problem with those is that they actually charge a noticeable amount more than other places because they need to pay wages.  I also heard that most of a gas station's revenue comes from what they sell inside their convenience store rather than from gas so the price of today's gas may be irrelevant.

Answer 7

I remember as a kid when you could my parents could pull up to either the self-serve pump or the full-service pump.

Full-service pump gasoline always cost more money per gallon. With the price so high, I do not think there is too much of a demand topay MORE for a teenager to pump anyone's gasoline.

Almost every gas station in America is now a grocery store. There is a reason for that. The QuikTrip chain of gas station here in the Midwest makes more money off of their fountain drinks than they do off of the gas they sell.

There is not money in pumping gasoline. The government (federal, state and local) make more money of the sale of gasoline than the station you buy it from and the "Big Oil" company they buy it from.

Sorry to here about your father's accident, however, your best solution might be to go fill your father's car up for him when he needs it done.

Answer 8

it would be nice but i cant be good to inhale the gas fumes all day long every day for 8 hours.