this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2024
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Idk if this is the right instance for this, but how fucking tired of these forced ads at gas pumps is everyone else?

I'm paying 4 bucks a gallon to have you shove advertising down my throat like an erect cock?

What the actual fuck

Anyone have any good ad blocking practices for this?

I've seen duct or painters tape covering the speakers...

You can press a button next to the screen to mute it, but this doesn't work at all gas stations. (Usually its the 2nd from the top on the right side)

I guess its just time to gettoblast music every time I pump gas like back when I was 19....

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[–] [email protected] 124 points 7 months ago (7 children)

This is one of those American absurdities that thankfully hasn't made its way over to Europe yet, at least to my knowledge. I hope I have an electric car by the point they start introducing these here.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 7 months ago (2 children)

In Finland our equivalence to Wal-Mart also sells cheap gas and they have ads on their pumps advertising their own products but it's just on the display and there's no sound with it.

[–] [email protected] 83 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That is how it started here. Then they got loud.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago

And now when I get gas I gotta listen to them hawk some shitty podcast from a washed up morning host. No! I don't want to know about Hoda Kotb, I just want gas!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Would be nice if the gas was less expensive at the stores with ads. At least that's not the case in my area. 5 min down the road the same company has pumps without ads for the same price.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

You'd think it should be less expensive.

But then you're not thinking of increasing shareholder value.

How dare you!

[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Oh yes they tried. The damn thing scared me when that ad started playing. I haven't been back at that station again. Some other stations do have ads playing but those are silent, so I guess they do learn customers don't like the loud ads.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Huh, I guess living in a small town with gas stations that have had the exact same pumps for many decades has its perks.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, I've only seen these near big cities and major highways.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

They're all over West Virginia which is pretty much nothing but small towns.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Find the old gas station

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago (3 children)

We've got some in the UK, like this one at the Shell petrol station at S60 5ND (pic from Oogle Gearth)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Is that a scale so you can weigh your gas?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

“Place your GASOLINE in the tank”

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Took me a minute but when I heard it I can’t unhear it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

A shell in Australia is the only place i've seen this as well. They will not be getting our custom.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

get an e-bike :)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I've been driving an EV for a few years, but I flew out of state and had to rent a car recently. I'd never experienced this before then. It was one of the most dystopian experiences ever, leaving me feeling dirty and used.

I don't think I could keep myself from vandalizing those things if I had to do that constantly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Why do you think charging stations will be immune? Plus with all the ‘smart’ ‘connected’ cars it’s not impossible for them to push ads directly to your car.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

What sucks about charging stations is they don’t have:

  • trash cans
  • squeegees to clean my windshield
  • a portico to keep the rain off my head
  • a little convenience store with coffee and snacks
[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

EV charging doesn’t require you to stand around for 5 minutes holding a handle to fuel up. The charging times are longer, but once plugged in your need to stay anywhere near the vehicle is zero. And plugging in usually takes less than 5s.

So even if someone came up with a system whereby they expected you to watch an ad before the power would flow, you could always just plug in and walk away. How are they going to know you’re physically there?

As an EV driver I haven’t been to a gas station since I started driving it, but AFAIK this advertising hasn’t come to Canada — and hopefully it never does.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

So even if someone came up with a system whereby they expected you to watch an ad before the power would flow, you could always just plug in and walk away. How are they going to know you’re physically there?

How about a button located near the ad screen and speaker that you have to hold like at least 80% of ad duration. If you failed to reach 80% it would reset to 0 and show you another ad so you can try again.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

First — stop giving them ideas! 🤣

Second, a small rock and some tape would likely defeat that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

The idea I had was just so ridiculously evil I just had to teil about it 😄

If you think about it the rock and tape hack can be easily prevented, but I'm not going to elaborate any further as to not give them more ideas.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

You’re hired!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

There are some of these pumps in France. It infuriates me. The sound is horrible.