How Gas Station Etiquette Impacts New Jersey Drivers

It came up last week on our “Deminski & Moore” show (2 to 7 p.m. weekdays). Someone had posted a common social grievance on the New Jersey subreddit. A thing we’ve probably all encountered.

In a state like New Jersey, where you aren’t allowed to pump your own gas, you end up just sitting in your car while an attendant finishes what he started, put the nozzle back on the pump, put the cap back on your car, etc.

Some drivers take advantage of the time by abandoning their car and wandering inside the convenience store that many gas stations offer. Is there a problem with that?

Yes, in my opinion. But not everyone agrees.

Blocking the pump blocks everyone else

When you do this, you cannot know you’ll be back to your car before the attendant is done. Which means you’re now leaving your car blocking a pump and rendering it unusable for a customer who’s been waiting and needs to get somewhere. It would be the equivalent of getting your shopping cart in line at the checkout with half your things on the conveyor belt then wandering away to do more shopping. Would you do that?

It’s rude. It’s entitled. But some people called in to argue that with the gas prices they’re paying, they’re somehow owed this privilege. Guess what, pal, the person you’re blocking and keep waiting is paying just as much as you. Others argued, “if you’re going to be quick, it’s no big deal.” Thing is, you can’t know you’re going to be quick. You can’t know how long the inside line will be or what might happen.

It's not a parking lot — it's a gas station

Stay with your car and pull away the moment your fueling transaction is completed. It’s not a parking space. Those are the clearly marked lines outside the store. It’s why they’re there. Use them. It’s not hard.

Apparently, what is hard is for some people to be respectful. I had this happen once to an extreme. It was an exceptionally crowded, busy day and I was waiting in line for a car to be done at the pump. Every other pump was being used with cars also in line waiting for those. That’s rare where I was but it happens.

When the attendant finished that car and put away the hose I realized the driver wasn’t in the vehicle. They had gone inside the store. So I was stuck waiting. It was over two minutes before they came back. Then the unthinkable happened.

I watched as she got in, started her car, then sat right there and pulled her phone out and started scrolling through either texts or email. I saw her fingers going. She was answering. Parked. At the pump. Already done. And knowing she was already fine because she had an exchange with the attendant getting back in the vehicle.

Now I was appalled. I waited two more full minutes. That’s not hyperbole. I timed it because I wanted to see how long she would treat this as a texting lot at an airport. It was over two minutes of her answering messages on her phone before I gave a quick reminder beep of the horn. The very brief kind you give when a light turns green and the driver in front of you didn't catch it.

You would think I spat in her privileged face. Her arms flailed dramatically. Then she half got out of her car to curse at me. I yelled back that I had been waiting for that pump and she cursed more saying she’d move when she wanted to. At this point, I just laid on the horn non-stop to embarrass her into finally moving.

What a princess.