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Full Serve gas stations?

Admiral Beez

Admiral Beez

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I've never understood why there are full serve gas stations? Besides opening the cap, inserting the hose and pulling the trigger, what exact service are these folks providing? No one offers to check your tire pressure, clean your windows or otherwise value-add the customer experience.

I still have to get out of my car to pay if by credit or debit (unless he's got a mobile pay unit), so there's little benefit there. What's the point of full serve stations? In Quebec it seems that every gas station is full service, perhaps it's some employment or fuel spill prevention scheme?
 
Where in Quebec are you seeing full-service stations? I can't think of any offhand, and I'm always stopping along Autoroute 40 somewhere to fill up between Montreal and Quebec City.

The only place I've seen them (other than New Jersey) is on the 401, where they have some pumps at those new service stations that are annoyingly full service. I can't say I've seen full-scale full service stations in many years, other than New Jersey (where self-serve is illegal) and perhaps an odd mom & pop operation in rural New York state. (I hear that self-serve is illegal in Oregon as well, but I've never driven there).
 
Yeah in New Jersey, self service is illegal I heard. Probably doing it to keep people employed. Hardly see them in Toronto. There used to be so many. The only one I see left is at Martingrove and Rexdale.
 
There was one at Bloor and Prince Edward until about a year ago. It charged more, but did great business, much of it people who didn't care to know how a gas pump operates, and/or where the gas cap is located. There are such people in this city.

- Paul
 
The only full service gas station that I can think of off the top of my head is the Petro-Canada on the west side of Yonge Street just south of Lawrence Avenue. It's an older, smaller location and, for as long as I can remember even though I have never filled up here, has always been a full service station.

I don't see the real value in having a full service station if they're not doing simple services like checking tire pressure, windshield washer fluid, engine oil, etc. Just having someone insert the pump nozzle into your fuel filler hole doesn't seem all that much of a value-added feature, but maybe that's just me.
 
Stations on Wellesley at Jarvis and Kingston Road at Woodbine are also full service. Again, it seems pointless in this age where everyone can pump their own gas and the attendant does next to nothing.

I was driving in the BC lower mainland a couple of years back and all the gas stations in Richmond are Full Service; I figure it must be a regulation. Apparently it's against local by laws in Richmond and Coquitlam (http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/0...-on-self-serve-gas-in-richmond-and-coquitlam/)

Edit to add link
 
Definitely illegal in Oregon. When I lived in Vancouver, we did a trip down to Portland and Seattle. Got out to fill up in Portland and was surprised to learn that I wasn't allowed to fill myself.

At one point did the government think you needed specialized training or something to fill a car?
 
someMidTowner said:
Optional I think.
Click to expand...
Not so bad. Annoying sitting is some small town with 100% full serve, waiting for 1 person to service everyone.

Though I typically avoid any gast station where I can't pay at the pump. Hasn't been a problem for a long time though ... except in a small town miles from anywhere ... (perhaps that's why everyone wanted gas).
 
I wonder if an aging population will cause a full service renaissance? My relatives who are seniors lament the decline as they are willing to pay extra to avoid the hassle of getting their arthritic joints to cooperate for something so minor.
 
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