Submitted 2 months ago by moseschrute@lemmy.world to mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
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.
The 2nd button down on the right side of the screen mutes it. I always hit it when pumping gas.
We shouldn’t have to OPT OUT of being assaulted. I’m bringing matches.
I’ve seen a couple where someone had torn out the speaker with a pen, car key, etc
A well placed sticker does the trick.
This doesn’t always work. Every gas station I’ve been to in North Carolina appears to have this feature disabled.
NC here and I haven’t found one this didn’t work on. Maybe the button is broken from people rage pushing it? :D
May I introduce you to the wonderful japanese ads on the toilet?
No, I will respond with hate speech if you do
This might bring out my inner Picasso and start painting.
Might start bringing a sharpy with me everywhere to cover them all up.
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…
Well, think of it as positive engagement to stop buying gasoline vehicles.
Last I checked electric still required a significant amount of emissions for power generation. Only the car itself is “clean” energy. There is also a significant amount of emissions in manufacturing the electric car. I believe we should start phasing out gas cars asap and build a more green power grid. Personally, I bought a used gas car which I believe is more economic and better for the environment than a new gas car. And I live in a more walkable area now, so I do much more walking than I used to. I know I’m still contributing to the problem, but I’m trying to be better.
I agree - I’m not expert but I know that the mining of rare earth metals and the disposal of some EV components are problematic. It’s not a perfect solution.
That said, better solutions such as fuel cells or hydrogen are still 10-15 years away, and “better” shouldn’t be the enemy of perfect. I’m not particularly car proud and cars tend to last me twelve-fifteen years so I went for an EV hoping that an even better tech will be available by the time I need a car next time round.
This popped up today, if you’re still interested
lemmyverse.link/lemmy.ca/post/47682873
If you charge overnight, the base load is less likely to be fossil fuel. If it is fossil fuel, emission controls on a power plant are far more effective than anything with wheels.
The average car emits 400g CO2 per mile
epa.gov/…/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passen…
My power company emits 364g per kWh, which will take an EV about 3 miles. So that’s about 120g CO2 per mile, about one third.
climatiq.io/…/65ad9f91-28a1-45b2-bbab-3dcdd5de6a4…
I never go to those gas stations
I’m running out of options. What’s obnoxious is that my only current option is the overpriced yet run down one with sketchy vibes or Sam’s Club and giving money to the Waltons.
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.
It’s safe until it’s not. I worked at gas stations throughout high school and college and saw a few gas spills caused by the auto-shutoff system not activating. In all cases the amount spilled was minimized by the pumper being able to turn it off quickly (even with the built in trigger holder engaged. A zip tie would take a bit longer, but you’d probably still be fine. Jamming the gas cap in would also be quick to remove. I’ve seen rubber things sold for this purpose, too.
Can one accidentally disable the annoying shilling screen whilst jostling the nozzle toward the intended vehicular orifice?
Press and hold two buttons in each corner. If those don’t work, try the other two. Keep iterating through pressing and holding one button on either side of the screen. Eventually, you will open a diagnostic menu. You can’t do anything here without a passcode, but it will stop the ad.
I’ve only come across a few pumps where I could not figure out the combo before I finished pumping.
With the few stations near me that have them, the mute button is the 2nd down from the top on the right side of the screen.
Try jolting the nozzle toward the screen that insists upon your attention. You may find that LCD TFT panels are not as strong as steel.
Point said nozzle towards offending ad dispensing machine, squeeze trigger for a few moments, light a match, tell yourself that it was all worth it while recovering in a jail hospital.
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
I will buy 2 and pour one out for you
<3 u a real one
Oh man, do I miss Sheetz and Wawa, especially the fried Mac n cheese, pretzel bun sandwiches, and Hoagie Fest.
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.
They have even been removing the mute where I’m at
Am I the odd one out, because I find it incredibly easy to ignore ads.
Yes, you are the odd one. Ads are literally designed to be difficult to ignore.
Small knife/chopstick etc through the plastic grate in front of the speaker does the job too
Go ad lite for 5.99 a month or full ad free for 12.99. terms and conditions apply* Meaning they will be changed to be worse when we want more money.
Every single gas station in my state has gas pumps with screens and ads. Honestly one of the most annoying things today.
I have one gas station that I frequently use and found one of the pumps has a blown out speaker. Even though the ads still play, I hear nothing! The infuriating part comes when that pump is already in use when I arrive. I’ll have to try some of the other comments suggestions here about pressing a side button to mute it
You could also fix the speakers on other pumps you use.
Is this a euphemism for farting?
I never go to Shell, they have a speaker right above the pumps blasting out music and ads. Fuck Shell. Too many other places to get gas.
That sounds frustrating, you should buy a pair or Ray Ban sunglasses to reduce the glare from the ad screens. Never hide - Ray Ban.
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.
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 market or something, spread the word.
Sometimes, I’ve started seeing newer ones in some places where there is no mute button
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.
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.
I’m scared because I have a huge iPad for a center console.
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.
I got gas from Sheetz today and it put up a silent and stilla ad on the display while the pump was running.
The screens on the pumps (around me at least) have a mute button on the screen.
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.
Holy crap if they started doing that in my area I’d switch to an EV within a month.
But you do have Mt Hood and the Columbia River and the coastline to console you. 😍
barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 1 month ago
New Jersey or Oregon?
wavebeam@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Oregon can pump their own gas now. it’s the worst and i hate it.