I just got back from a trip to visit family in northern Vermont/New Hampshire. It has always been a pet peeve of mine, that whenever I go east of Ohio, gas stations break off the pump hold tab, forcing you to hold the nozzle and just watch the numbers spin upward. If that weren't bad enough, it rubs salt in the wound that I'm paying $0.50+ more per gallon than I do at home.
PA seems to be hit or miss, but in my experience upstate NY and further east always have them missing/broken. At least in NJ you can do whatever you want while the attendant pumps it for you.
Is there something about the pump shutoff mechanisms in the northeast that make them inherently less reliable than elsewhere in the country, where they work just fine? I'd rather be washing my windows, checking on the kids, looking at the map, or a hundred other things (while remaining close to the gas pump) than watching numbers spin. Perhaps its mandated by state law, I have no idea.
Any other areas of the country where this is present? Curious if anyone has ever had or seen the pump shutoff malfunction? My hunch is that would be the only reason a retailer might choose to defeat the hold down, but I assume it's a very rare failure.
PA seems to be hit or miss, but in my experience upstate NY and further east always have them missing/broken. At least in NJ you can do whatever you want while the attendant pumps it for you.
Is there something about the pump shutoff mechanisms in the northeast that make them inherently less reliable than elsewhere in the country, where they work just fine? I'd rather be washing my windows, checking on the kids, looking at the map, or a hundred other things (while remaining close to the gas pump) than watching numbers spin. Perhaps its mandated by state law, I have no idea.
Any other areas of the country where this is present? Curious if anyone has ever had or seen the pump shutoff malfunction? My hunch is that would be the only reason a retailer might choose to defeat the hold down, but I assume it's a very rare failure.