Full Service Gas: All Things Being Equal, Good For the Consumer

I certainly agree that banning self-service gas stations is terrible public policy for the reasons Yglesias cites. I’m curious, though, that apparently some people dislike full service gas in itself. As it happens, the New Jersey-based Shop Rite chain has opened a couple gas stations here that offer full service at competitive prices. (What pays for it here, rather than lower gas taxes, is whatever corporate Panopticon value the company derives from consumers using their frequent shopper cards.) I don’t see what the problem is — it doesn’t seem significantly slower and, especially when it’s very cold or very hot not having to get out of your car is nice.

There are many good reasons to avoid traveling through New Jersey as much as possible, especially if you don’t own an E-Z pass: the differently priced exact change tolls are a nightmare and New Jersey’s rest stops might offer worse services than New York’s, which is remarkable. But full service gas, if you’re not paying for it yourself with worse infrastructure, doesn’t strike me as one of them.