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This comment is kind of confusing; maybe others have had a different experience, but I live in the Midwest and what you're speaking of has been the norm for like the last decade. I've been driving for 13+ years and don't have any memories of being able to pump gas without first paying at the pump, or paying inside and my pump automatically stopping at the amount I paid for.

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I starting driving in 1990 - back then there was no pay at the pump so the norm everywhere was to pump gas then go inside and wait in line to pay. You knew you were in a bad neighborhood if you had to pay for your gas before you pumped it (you probably already knew you were in a bad neighborhood, but this confirmed it). About 15 years ago stations started to realize that nearly everyone was paying at the pump even if they were going to come inside for something else - which made it much more likely anyone not paying at the pump was trying to steel gasoline and so they went to pay first as few were inconvenienced.

I do not miss at all standing in line behind someone who couldn't figure out which lottery ticket they wanted to buy.

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