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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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.
Get an EV. Charge at home. Watch YouTube ads while you wait.
Used electric cars are some of the cheapest you can buy with the lowest total cost of ownership. If you have to drive, at least spare yourself the awful experience, cost, and pollution of gas stations.
What are YouTube ads?
Signed, an AndroidUser
What’s youtube? Signed, a Nebula user.
ps. Ik ik tell me I should use PeerTube.
What’s a computer?
Well, sure, but not on our gas pumps. Only on TV and radio. And in magazines and movies and at ball games, on buses and milk cartons and T-shirts and bananas and written on the sky. But not on gas pumps. No, sir-ee!
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’m boycotting Valero because of it. None of the gas stations around me seem to do it, it’s just them. So fuck them.
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
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
If you can’t boycott, maybe some noise canceling headphones to wear while you pump, and Instead of looking at the screen, wash your windows, and dump all your car trash into their bins.
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.
The local one doesn’t play ads. They get my business for it. I live in a not so good place. I’ve had weapons pulled on me several times. The ads make me jumpy.
Yep doesn’t work anymore. There’s probably some series of buttons you can push to put it into settings mode, but I imagine it’s different by model.
If you can’t mute it with software, then the only remaining way is via hardware. Carry some packing tape in your car and slap it over the speaker - wipe fingerprints off just in case.
I vote with my money. If they have ads I go somewhere else. I tell the employees why. I also pay with cash. Ads don’t work on me. I’m too poor for their products anyway.
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.
You sound tired. You should try Lipton ‘pick me up’ teabags. A refreshing way to soothe the soul. Available now at most retailers. /s
Sounds like you need Ketchup, packed with natural mellowing agents.
…where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above-average…
You sound like one of them Lake Wobegone types. We don’t cotton to that around here, too uplifting.
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.
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
https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle#drivingMy power company emits 364g per kWh, which will take an EV about 3 miles. So that’s ~120g CO2 per mile, one third of a gasoline car.
https://www.climatiq.io/data/emission-factor/65ad9f91-28a1-45b2-bbab-3dcdd5de6a46I 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.
EVs powered by fossil fuels still result in less emissions than ICE vehicles, since the big turbines in power plants are more efficient than the tiny engine in a car. But walking or taking public transportation is of course a lot better than both.
Never understood this. Sincerely hope that any place trying out here is shunned.
EVs will hopefully put the tactic out of business forever. ‘Plug in and fuck off somewhere else for half an hour’ is not a position you can really advertise in.
Unless it becomes ‘watch ad to enable charger’ 😬
I could see a “NetZero” approach to electric charging where you choose to watch ads for free or discounted electricity. Which will then turn into you having to watch ads to enable the charger.
Had an electric car for the last 7 years so I got jump-scared when I went to fill up a borrowed truck and an ad started blasting.
The first time I see a video screen on a charger I’m going to start worrying.
You should be more worried about the screens in your car…
I HATE this if I am PAYING for a product then I shouldn’t get a god damn ad.
Unfortunately gas stations don’t actually make much money from selling you fuel. Most of the money is made from the attached convenience stores.
Paying customers/additional ad revenue
Use ads negatively, it makes ads fun.
See an ad? Pledge to never buy that product. My black book is full of spite.
Because you’re not PAYING enough, now go INSIDE and buy some FUCKING BANANAS.
Look at this pedon thinking that he is entitled to dignity
Cute
Good god… Worst I’ve seen so far here in Canada (granted I’m on an island stuck 20 years behind everyone else) was the pump screen flashing to show a loyalty program like AirMiles or PC Optimum or something and none of them have audio.
No audio is horrible accessibility! What about the blind drivers who need to hear the ads?
/s, in case it’s not obvious
One of the side buttons mutes it. It varies though as far as I know.
The gas station I prefer has a mute button labeled on the pumps. Their ads are also less annoying because it’s mostly just promos for stuff in store.
That’s no longer a universal thing.
A lot of them have been updated so that no longer works.
I bet a piece of duct tape over the speaker would work. Also, whatever money they are paying the gas stations, they would probably still get that money even if you manually muted the speaker. Really feels like a win win 😀
Hmm, maybe someone could make some stickers with anti-advertising/anti-capitalist slogans on them for the next person to see specifically for this purpose
Or even better, “Join Lemmy, it’s like Reddit with no ads”.
Unfortunately I’ve found that Lemmy has a more defined “hive mind” so you better make sure you like the same things as the group.
“Your screens should be nicer to you than this one. Join Lemmy!”
“Have you installed Arch yet?”
Well fuck. That’s terrible news.
Yep. Most of the time someone has marked it somehow because it’s immensely annoying. That being said, there are a few stations that aren’t able to be muted, so I intentionally make a point to note whatever is being advertised and never buy it.
I try to only get gas at one specific local gas station that doesn’t do ads.
The speakers are often easy to bust by jamming a key through the slots ☺
Or, you’re holding a nozzle that sprays liquid. Just douse the speaker in gasoline.
Gas pumps live outside. Do you really expect a little liquid to hurt them?
A match afterwards might help… better obscure your face, license plate, and use cash.
Ever came across something you really really wanted to buy, but it was “noted”?
If you absolutely need it, then get it used or other method to where the original manufacturer who paid for the ad doesn’t profit, duh.
I don’t think I want to buy used hotdogs
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.
