I’m from a US state where we don’t pump our own gas. Since I don’t pump my own gas regularly - only when I’m out of state - I’m not exactly sure when this happened, but all gas pumps seem to play ads now while the pump runs. At least the states adjacent to mine. Like can I not even pump gas in peace? Stop trying to manipulate my purchasing decisions 24/7.
Edit: ok I get it, there’s a mute button. I appreciate the tip, but people are already reporting that it only sometimes works. Knowing there’s a mute button that sometimes functions doesn’t make me less infuriated
I’d say this is a point for electric cars, but it’s only a matter of time until those start playing ads… And you’re gonna be there for 10-30 minutes…
They’re already putting in ads on the dash screen in Jeeps… I’d imagine electric cars (well, teslas, anyway) are going to start getting grumpy that radio stations and spotify get so much ‘free’ ear time, and start putting in their own ads in the speakers that will play when they feel like it.
Is this a euphemism for farting?
Do me a favor, when you’ve got a minute, go by a Wawa and grab an Italian hoagie and enjoy it for me? I miss them every day, man. Gas pump ads, shitty gas station hoagies, it’s rough movin across the Sheetz/Wawa line
Oh man, do I miss Sheetz and Wawa, especially the fried Mac n cheese, pretzel bun sandwiches, and Hoagie Fest.
I will buy 2 and pour one out for you
They have even been removing the mute where I’m at
There’s one near my house, and it has no mute button whatsoever. No buttons at all, in fact. You tap your card to the reader, then lift the pump of whichever variety you need, and that moment the ads start. With sound on full blast as well.
I’ve left a negative google review and make sure to update it monthly so that it stays on top, and drive to another station quite a bit further off just to avoid this crapshoot.
I’m from a US state where we don’t pump our own gas.
New Jersey or Oregon?
Oregon can pump their own gas now. it’s the worst and i hate it.
Yep. And a lot of the gas stations in my area have the auto-hold latches busted or removed, so you have to stand there and have a super loud ad screamed in your face. Which is why I now have a pack of reusable zip ties in my car that I will slap on the fill handle if I come across a pump like that. And no, that’s not dangerous - the stop mechanism in the pump handle operates such that the handle depresses further when the auto-shutoff engages, so it does not disrupt the safety of the filler mechanism.
I just jam my gas cap in the handle.
My state just made self-serve gas a thing so I got an electric. If I’m going to have to fuel up my own car, I’ll do it in my carport.
RIP to all those service station jobs that just evaporated. Much like how the 350% increase in spilled fuel (my state can statistically expect) will evaporate.
350% increase in spilled fuel. How much fuel were the full service attendants spilling? Not much at all, I think is what that stat is trying to imply. Why did they report it as a percentage? So you wouldn’t know how much would be spilled, I’ve never spilled fuel when gassing up my car. I doubt many people have spilled much at all–and certainly not routinely.
All that aside, I like to see people employed.
Holy crap if they started doing that in my area I’d switch to an EV within a month.
It’s like that at every gas station where I live; every single one. All of the small gas stations have been bought and sold within the last couple of years and upgraded to this stupid video ad model.
Around here they played audio very loudly for about a year and then they all stopped with the audio. Most still play a video, although they seem to mostly be for the convenience or grocery store that the pumps are at.
Drove out of state recently and there were pumps that still played the noise, so I pushed the one button that was well worn and it muted the sound.
There’s usually one of the buttons you can hold down to mute the ads, near the bottom right in the little phalanx of buttons all around the screen.
If you find it, label it “MUTE” in marker or something, spread the word.
Sometimes, I’ve started seeing newer ones in some places where there is no mute button
I haven’t lived in the US in a while, and every time I visit and one of these things starts shouting at me, I wonder how anyone tolerates this shit.
Occasionally you’ll see one button that’s more worn, maybe bottom right iirc, that mutes it. Doesn’t always work, though.
The US never stop to amaze me
They’ve stopped using exposed speaker grilles so you can’t shove a screw driver into the speakers anymore :(
Ad blaring pumps are in Canada too. Shell is the most obnoxious.
Is gas less expensive compared to pumps where they don’t do that?
Nope!
Bahahahahahahaha!
No.
I’m from a US state where we don’t pump our own gas.
You can just say New Jersey. After Oregon lifted its ban in 2023, it’s the only one left!
Yes, just say “I’m from the best US state” next time instead, OP, people will know what you mean.
We’ll just have to observe him carefully and see if he’s able to complete a left turn without assistance. That’ll tell us for sure.
WTF is a left turn?
Do petrol station attendants who have to pump fuel get paid better than those who don’t? I’m assuming that they need some kind of license?
Bro they are lucky if they get paid at all.
??? I was just in NJ for the first time earlier this week and I pumped my own gas.
Then they weren’t paying attention or didn’t care.
That’s funny. Maybe they just didn’t notice? When I was there and started to pump my own gas (being from out-of-state), they stopped me and took over, but it wasn’t like the pumps were locked or anything. I did see that stations turned off the pumps after-hours, when they didn’t have anyone to pump fuel…