Have You Been Making This Mistake While Getting Gas In New Jersey?

How many times have you pulled into a gas station in your life? What if someone told you that you were doing it all wrong?

Of course, we are on an island in a way when it comes to gas stations. Nobody does it quite like we do it here in the Garden State.

Yes, we are the only state left in America where you can't pump your gas, so we have to make sure we're doing it right for the attendants who work hard pumping the gas for us.

This all started when I pulled into an empty gas station not too long ago, and even though there were three rows of pumps with three pumps each. I was the only car in the place.

The little booth the attendant sits in is in the middle row next to the middle pump. I drove right by it and pulled up all the way up to the first open pump, leaving two empty pumps behind me in case anyone else pulled in.

I watched as the attendant made the long walk to my car and it dawned on me that I made him walk as far as possible for no reason.

So, I asked him. Should I pull all the way up so that other cars can pull behind me? His answer surprised me. I've been doing it wrong for years.

It turns out his answer made sense. Since cars pull up to the pumps from both directions, the best place for me to be when the station is empty is the middle pump, so people from both directions have quick access to gas. Whoops.

I never really would have thought about that, so I'm glad I asked.