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Am I the only one that is annoyed by this? It seriously bothers me that there is no service anymore. Myself and my husband specifically won't go to gas stations that do not offer pump service. Unfortunately recently we were traveling and the only option we had was to use pay at the pump. Of course because we had never done it before we had no clue so we stood in the cold trying to figure it out. We buzzed the outside speaker and were told that they were not coming out to help and that if we could not figure it out we should move out of the way so others could use the pump.  
BECAUSE of this statement, we got into our vehicle and stayed put for about 10 minutes while we found a station that offered bay service.  
p.s. I would pay more per liter for service. Prices continually go up while service goes down.  
Why not keep these jobs for people who need them. I am certain the wage is not $100,000.00 a year for a pump worker.  
 
Edited by NoSoup4U, 2019-02-22 13:20:08

Maybe I'm the weird one here, but I actually prefer Pay at the Pump. Along with tap to pay I'm in and out in one time flat, instead of having to walk inside and wait inline to pay.  
 
I'm so use to it, I usally beat the staff to starting it at the stations that are full serve.

I can understand your frustration. I do miss the full service stations also. But I can understand what gas stations are doing. It's all about convenience and the majority of people pay with cards now, not cash.

I'm the opposite. I'm annoyed if there's not pay at the pump. I've always preferred to pump my own gas, and I like that I'm basically prepaying so there's no worries about pumping and not being able to pay!!  
 
Also, with young children I can leave them in their seats while I pump my gas. Even with jockey service, you usually have to go inside to pay, which means unbuckling and bringing kids in with you. That's not saving me any effort!  
 
(As a side note, pumping your own gas is sort of like changing a tire. Everyone should know how to do it "just in case" you're even in a position where that's what you have to do!!)

Oh man, I’d be so screwed lol. I seriously have never pumped my own gas (grew up in a small town, there’s always a co op!!! Lol)  
 
When I have my daycare kids with me, I pay by cash....even if that means making an extra stop at an ATM. The one time I was going to go in, the gas attendant offered to do so after seeing the kids. Co op really is the best!!!  
 
Maybe my weekend plans should be learning this skill just in case....hahaha

Yeah, paying cash *does* work around that, but a lot of us don't routinely carry cash anymore. I know for me, my bank doesn't have a drive-through ATM, so I'm hauling kids anyway!!  
 
But seriously, pumping gas isn't hard. Most pumps have the instructions right on them. The hardest part is usually knowing how to get into your gas thingy (the technical term, I know) and how much to torque the cap when you're done (every make is different it seems). Oh, and sometimes turning the pump ON isn't intuitive (some you push a button, some you have to flip a lever).  
 
Oh, and if you drive a gas-powered vehicle, never EVER use the yellow pump (diesel)!!

I am not saying that we should get rid of pay at the pump but maybe have both.  
BTW I do know how to pump my own gas... I don't know how to use the pay at the pump machines. lol  
I was also very willing to learn but the CUSTOMER SERVICE person at the station refused to come outside and show me.  
Still have no idea.  
 
Edited by NoSoup4U, 2019-02-22 13:55:43

Fair enough. The world is big enough for both pay-at-the-pump and full serve!!  
 
However, the lone attendent probably isn't allowed to leave his/her post and leave the till unattended. They are not CUSTOMER SERVICE as much as a cashier.  
 
Most pay-at-the-pump places have a pay-inside option (all you do in pick up the pump and start pumping... the screen prompts usually instruct you on that!). If you look around, there's instructions on what to do for that (sometimes you have to go inside and prepay).  
 
Also, every pay-at-the-pump has easy-to-follow instructions right on the screen. Insert card. Remove card. Select amount. Enter PIN, Do you want a receipt?). Just do what the screen prompts, it's pretty easy. If you can use an ATM, you can use pay-at-the-pump.

I love pay at the pump as well. I however get super annoyed when they dont have tap and pay.  
 
Not sure what was hard to figure out OP but any pre pay pump I have ever been to if your required to pre pay you have the option to pre pay at the pump or go inside to the cashier and pre pay. You are only charged the actual amount you pump. If you pre pay 100 and only get 40 dollars in fuel that is all you are charged for.

I don't want to come across as rude, but pay at the pump is perhaps one of the simplest tasks on earth. There is literally a screen leading through the process, step-by-step. The only skill required is to be able to follow instructions. In fact, I have a petro-points card, and I've been able to link it to my RBC card, and all I have to do is wave my card in front of the pump, and start pumping, no button pushing or anything.  
 
If you own a vehicle you should, at the very MINIMUM, be capable of putting gas in it!

What I find daft is that when the fuel station is closed all the pumps are switched off. Would it really cause problems if even one pump was left on for late night travellers using cards. I did, some years ago, help a couple who had insufficient fuel to get to their destination after the local gas bars were shut by using my PetroCan card to fill their tank.  
Even in the wilds of Wales in the 60's unattended pumps could be used by inserting coins. Guess we have not really progressed very much.  
As an aside, most places in the States you have to prepay, very few serviced gas bars.  
Perhaps the 24 hour food joints could only be allowed if they also run a fuel station.

I resisted pay at the pump until I travelled to areas that demand prepaid only.  
 
Prepay is a nice feature when traveling. Insert card Pump fuel garb your receipt and go.

Much like self checkout - I'm a huge fan of pay at the pump. You literally walk up, wave your card over the reader (or insert if needed), preauthorize a certain amount and pump. Once you're done, you hang up your pump handle, grab your receipt if required and drive away. No waiting in lines, no waiting for attendants... I much prefer this method.  
 
In fact, I think that there should be a set of pumps that are only for the people who like to wait for service and get out and head into the gas station to pay, and another bank of pumps for those who have credit cards and want to pay at the pump. Nothing more annoying than sitting and waiting to pump gas while someone's car is empty and parked there and they spend 10 minutes in the darn store.

I like full service stations although the term full service seems to get more watered down as time goes by.  
 
I don't mind pay at the pump as long as the instruction screen isn't too clouded over or scratched up.  
 
What I really dislike are the stations that demand prepayment inside before I can pump my own fuel. I will avoid those places like the plague.

I have traveled extensively in the United States and unless you are in a very small town there is no such thing as someone to pump your gas it is all either prepay or pay at the pump. Either way you are pumping your own gas.

As a rule yes the States is mainly self serve.  
 
The exceptions are Oregon and New Jersey. In Oregon self serve is only allowed in counties with a population under 40,000. New Jersey self serve is completely prohibited. I think the reason for this is theft related, but I’m not completely sure.

Is fine if they take only the amount t of your purchase. I have used oat at the pump only once-i got $30 worth of gas but my credit card had a $100 hold out on it. I was not impressed. I do not run a high credit limit on my credit card and do not need that much extra tied up on any transaction.

Nah they only pre authorize your card for up to $100 once you are done filling they charge the exact amount pumped to the card there is no hold on the card.  
 
Edited by MSR, 2019-02-22 20:09:07

when i hear this i think old school they pump my gas and then i hand my cash out window to them  
 
i see this new pay at pump option is going canada wide and is a huge hit  
 
but being disabled i prefer they pump it and collect the money and i usually get coop gas for that reason

Personally I only use pay at the pumps and have for the last few years. I usually have 5 minutes to fill up before I get back to work so it it super convenient!

They do keep a hold on the card. I know someone who was doing a bike trip and ended up with so many holds on their credit card (since the minimum amount you can select is pretty high for a bike) that eventually they hit their max and their credit card was getting declined.

I definitely prefer pay at the pump. It's faster, and more reliable service. Pump attendants not actually doing a fill gets old fast.  
 
In the big picture, self serve will probably help the cost of doing business (and thus the cost of gas) rise slower than they would otherwise.  
 
The biggest con I've found is if you stumble across a nozzle that drips... gotta be careful not to drip gas on yourself.

I would guess it's a safety concern that the one person working didn't want to come out.

Travelling in US on Christmas Day, we were low on fuel and looking for an open gas station. Saw a state trooper using the pump at a closed station. He told us that the pumps function even when the station is closed. Just prepay, pump and go. Would love to see that here!

If there is two gas stations side by side I always opt for the pay at the pump.. saves time in my opinion and with children if you don’t have to go in that saves money as you can’t be talked into buying crap for the road!

Absolutely same here. I work alot of nights in small towns thru western Canada and fueling up at night can be very hard to find without Petro pass or coop cardlock card. Ability to pre pay when station is closed would save some stress those times I forget to top up at start of shift.

Nice idea on the keeping the cost of gas down, but hat is not how it works. Paying for the attendants is from the station budget, not the gas company. The station makes almost nothing from the gas itself (somewhere around 2-3 cents per litre). They make there money off all the other stuff they sell. The gas companies, who set he price won't care one way or another.

Most the times I prefer not necessarily pay at the pump but just to pump my own gas, because most of the times your almost done before anyone even gets there to pump your gas and your just going to wait inside till it's done anyways. This way soon as you go in it's done go pay and leave or just yes pay at the pump and skip everything it is very convenient. The only people who complain are either to lazy or dont know how it's that simple.