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
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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.
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…
In my neck of the woods, gas station owners have sharpies which of the 10 buttons is the mute button.
So as soon as the ad plays you just press mute.
It is God awful though.
Most have four buttons on the left and four on the right. The second or third button on the right side has been the mute button on every system I’ve tried.
Ads are like a gas (the physics kind). They expand to take up all available space.
You said ads, but I think you meant “late stage capitalism”
True. That is the generalization of this rule.
And that’s why vandalism to destroy them is ethical.
Please don’t do this
It won’t end well for you. A better option is a boycott
I default to having a meltdown, smashing the screen, yelling “where is the goddamn mute button”.
Is this unhinged, yes. But if we all did it, they would eventually get the message.
Really though, I mostly get gas at Costco cuz it’s cheaper and they don’t do that shit.
An even better option is to use a credit card and only get 10¢ of gas.
I think the credit card frees are now a percentage
I like the way you think though
It’s still very rare for me to see a pump with ads. Mostly happens at stores with attached gas stations: Kroger, Walmart, etc. I don’t go to those places. Not because of ads though. That’s just a bonus.
They’re loud as hell too. Makes me want to put a shishkabob skewer through either my eardrum or the speaker. That my be an exaggeration, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that I actively the avoid gas stations in my city that have this “feature”.
The buttons around the screen should mute it. It’s usually the 3rd one down on the right of the screen. You can also use the lower ADA buttons.
I’ve tried them all and in the last year or so, none of worked anymore. They fixed the glitch.
It was an intentional feature for techs working on the devices.
Many have been updated to make them unmuteable.
The auxiliary mute button is accessed by puncturing the speaker cone.
I have found that button too.
Like an electronic lobotomy. Insert rod and wiggle around until the offending behaviour ceases.
It started happening a few years ago in my area. Maybe like right before the pandemic?
For a while some of the stations had a hidden option where you could hit one of the unmarked selection buttons and it would at least mute the ads. But starting around the end of last year they took that option away.
The only stations I know of that don’t show ads are Costco (and I assume Sam’s Club too, but idk). Plus they have slight discounts on gas because they are member only. But my local Costco station is such a headache to get through these days - even at around 9pm after the main store closes - that I not just go to a local Shell or Valero and resentfully try to ignore the fucking ads that always play.
It’s crazy how there are just more and more reasons popping up to go to Costco (e.g. supporting DEI, infinite return policy). I’m gonna get a membership.
You’re going to get membership at a bigbox store? I’m not sure Dwight would approve…
The button second from the top on the right hand side of the screen is the mute button(usually).
Not anymore, it stopped working a while ago
Most of them in my area have disabled that. There is no non-destructive way to mute them.
Yes, the chopstick-to-the-grille is plan B.
If not, try all of them, one usually mutes it. If not, hold the top two for ten seconds to force the pump into maintenance mode, gas pumps as normal, then times out eventually to the main screen.
That sounds frustrating, you should buy a pair or Ray Ban sunglasses to reduce the glare from the ad screens. Never hide - Ray Ban.
So, most pump POS used to have a labeled or unlabeled mute button. That has become rare.
So far, I’ve been able to kick all of them into a diagnostic/trouble menu by pressing pairs of keys on each side of the monitor in sequence from the top.
Some of them have a timeout on this screen, but the counter resets when you hit a key.
Passwords can be entered from the keypad, with ok/enter also working. I bet the passwords are the manufacturer default, probably a 5-7 digit number. I was able to find partial training manuals and setup docs from one of the POS vendors but I didn’t find a default password or deeper technical docs for the one brand I looked into.
Fucking ads in my face fucking piss me off.
I just have a rubber handle icepick in my glove box that works wonders on gas station speakers.
Can’t play an ad if there isn’t a speaker.
12345 works as a default a surprisingly large amount.
2580 is another one I’ve used with success.
Why would 2580 be common?
Straight down the centre.
Had an Android tablet that sat in a lost and found for like three years with no claims. Finally decided to mess around with it. After charging it up there was a password screen. Tried 1234. No dice. 2580 and it opened right up.
