ULPT: Gas Station Plays Ads While You Fill Up? Put a Strip of Duct Tape Over The Speaker
Posted by Bidiggity@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 94 comments
I’m sure most of you know by now that you can usually press one of the buttons next to the screen on the gas pump to mute the godawful cheddar news that plays while you’re filling up. However, I was at a gas station today where none of the buttons did anything. I keep a roll of black duct tape in my care because it’s a piece of shit and there’s a high likelihood I’ll need it. Turns out it does a great job at muting the speaker playing the ads.
johntangus@reddit
Usually one of the buttons beside either side of the screen will mute the commercials.
The1TrueRedditor@reddit
The second button from the bottom on the right side is almost always a mute button.
Azariah98@reddit
You guys are really reaching for something to be bothered by.
dirtymoney@reddit
The gas stations around me did the ads/videos on the pump screens for a while and then suddenly they went away. Not the screens.... they just do not plat ads/videos anymore
notmyrealnameatleast@reddit
A gas station I was using every week suddenly started charging to use the restrooms.
I asked for a complaint sheet and wrote that I would stop filling there because of that charge, and that me filling one tank would be more money than they would make on the toilet fee per day anyways.
Next week it was back to being free.
ongoldenwaves@reddit
Bucees charges $3 for a cup of water. I wanted some for my dog bowl and filled it up in the bathroom. Guy told me that since I had used their water, i still had to pay.
I've never gone back to that fucked up shit hole. It's like Cracker Barrel with buck teeth. People just go for the irony. Oh, look at me, I'm so blue collar with my Bucee's shirt.
Dragonr0se@reddit
And their big sale thing is giant sized corn pops cereal rebranded as bever nuggets
ikediggety@reddit
The owners realized people were vandalizing the pumps out of annoyance
basicpn@reddit
Or perhaps going to other gas stations that don’t play ads.
ikediggety@reddit
Nah, nobody's driving somewhere else. They're already there and the pump is already on. Leaving would be difficult.
Stabbing the speaker with a ballpoint pen, though, that's easy.
basicpn@reddit
If it’s one close to their house and they know that it has annoying ads, then the next time they go somewhere else.
No-Corner9361@reddit
Yeah same thing happened near me. I’m hoping that it’s because they were getting vandalized and/or losing business and realized what an annoying and useless idea it was.
Total-Skirt8531@reddit
i use my hand.
but aren't speakers just big magnets? how about a handful of iron filings...
BadEarly9278@reddit
BP, not to put you in blast or anything, BUT YALLS GODAMN SPEAKERS ARE RIGHT IN MY MOTHERFUCKING FACE. BLOODY WANKER MOTHERFUCKSHITS.
I hope Shell pushes it in deep for you.
Fucking Cunts (BP)
superiorstephanie@reddit
I did not know this. I mostly buy my gas at my local Costco, so it’s really only on road trips that I see these and despise them. Thanks!
Onyxxx_13@reddit
Just walk off to get a coffee while filling up
TubeSockLover87@reddit
So give them even more of your money? Nah.
Uu_R____W______uU@reddit
On a 12 hour road trip recently, I ended up at a pump that forced you to watch two full commercials after swiping your card before you could select the gas grade and dispense. Nearly ended up as r/idiotsfightingthings material.
TubeSockLover87@reddit
What gas station was this?!
jennafromtheblock22@reddit
At that point, I deserve a discount for my gas for being forced to watch those ads.
Uu_R____W______uU@reddit
To be fair, I was pretty far south (live outside of Philly), so the prices felt like a discount already.
But I did have 2 sleeping kiddos in the car, so the risk of a wake up-melt down from the bright florescents increased with every miserable capitolalistic second...
jennafromtheblock22@reddit
Yeah I see that. Not only do we get billboard ads on every stretch of highway, but when we pullover to refuel, we get blasted with the most annoying ads ever, when we are actively already purchasing from them.
glavent@reddit
Why are we all so petty? Does it really get you that worked up that an ad is playing? Just ignore it and move on with your day.
Sartorius73@reddit
It's not petty. It's trying to avoid death by a thousand cuts. Everywhere you go, companies are trying to monetize your activity.
glavent@reddit
And? Go live in a cave and get rid of your phone. Who cares
StrangerFeelings@reddit
I will say be careful with that. I worked as a gas station attendant for a few years and those speakers we use to talk to customers while they are at the pumps. We can hear everything that goes on at those pumps.
multisubcultural1@reddit
A nail file through the speaker slits actually works really nicely!
jennafromtheblock22@reddit
A metal file?
Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit
If they go to a pin-hole mesh, just use what the mesh is for.
3X_Cat@reddit
Pin hole, eh? Perhaps a pin will work?
StrawberryGreat7463@reddit
This isn’t even unethical. Those ads are stain on society.
I mean it’s not like it even hurts anything. We should all do this as a form of protest. Imagine if this catches on and it becomes the norm of duct tape covering all the speakers.
Nneliss@reddit
They’ll just put the speaker 5 feet up where it’s out of reach, and turn the volume up to 11.
ikediggety@reddit
Eh. The screens and ads are something with a low implementation cost. All modern gas pumps come with a screen and a speaker - turning on ads is a mouse click.
Installing multiple speakers just to annoy people, now you're buying extra equipment and you're paying an installer. And while they may be harder for casual customers to mess with, plenty of them will get stolen by dedicated thieves.
I mean, has anyone ever purchased anything from a gas pump ad? They can't generate that much revenue.
Ookami38@reddit
Shell gas stations in my area already have a second screen, mounted about a foot above the main gas pump, whose only purpose is ads and shitty weather.
ikediggety@reddit
Wild. What do you imagine the business case is for that? Who's shelling it the bucks looking for a return on their investment?
PurpoUpsideDownJuice@reddit
If you wanna help out the workers, use windex to clean the screens for them. It also fucks up the screen so it can’t be used til it gets serviced lol
MikeLinPA@reddit
??? How does windex make it unusable?
digitaldigdug@reddit
Ammonia is an abrasive and touch screens rely on accurate input from contact with the screen. Target had a similar problem with their credit card machines. I know because I replaced a ton of those because the workers would douse the screens with sanitizer solution during covid.
PurpoUpsideDownJuice@reddit
Idk but my cousin works at a gas station with touch screens and he accidentally cleaned the screen once and it disabled it til they repaired it lol
No-Corner9361@reddit
Advertising in general is pretty worthless. Multiple studies have shown that the biggest effect of advertising is to cause people to instinctively stop paying attention to the ads. Pre roll ads on a video? People walk away or use another device. Banner ads on a website? People’s eyes naturally flick over it without taking anything in.
Advertising sucks, because it’s basically training us to be inattentive and unfocused. But it also kinda sucks at doing what it’s intended to do by the corporations.
Bk_Punisher@reddit
Spinal Tap reference? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/
Nneliss@reddit
Exactly 😊
Ryno5150@reddit
Ok but why not just make 10 louder and have 10 be the top number, and make that a little louder?
Bk_Punisher@reddit
Spinal Tap 2 coming this Sept. https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3764832537
DookieShoez@reddit
……..well these go up to 11. It’s one louder.
Nneliss@reddit
No, but you see, this one goes up to 11. 11 is even louder than 10!
Bk_Punisher@reddit
Spinal Tap 2 coming Sept 2025 https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3764832537
Bk_Punisher@reddit
dirtymoney@reddit
They are also dangerous in sketchy areas where you need to mot be distracted
Past-Gur-8182@reddit
This is not unethical but to disable the sound most of the time on these ads you just need to hit the bottom button or the second from the bottom button on the screen specific button, not the keypad. It has worked numerous times for me at plenty of different stations between Texas Oklahoma and Missouri. Maybe it will work for you as well.
toolatealreadyfapped@reddit
I press the call attendant button. That mutes the ad. Then the clerk asks what I need and I get to tell them how annoying the ad is.
dbrmn73@reddit
Or press the MUTE button.
These all have 4 buttons on each side, RH side 2nd button down. Press it and no sound.
No-Corner9361@reddit
Pressing the mute button is alright if you’re just concerned about yourself and you’re only passing through the area.
If you want the manager to understand how annoying and stupid the ads are, and remove them for all customers to enjoy, then duct tape is a vastly better solution. It’s not permanent enough to be super serious vandalism, but the labor cost of constantly removing tape will rapidly outpace the minuscule revenue generated by the ads that everyone either mentally blocks out, mutes, or walks tf away from.
Fuck ads, and especially fuck ads getting inserted into every single damn moment of consciousness we experience. It’s bad enough seeing billboards and posters, but now they insert themselves into every facet of our lives using every sense available. It’s disgusting freak stuff, as to be expected from capitalism.
billwood09@reddit
The store managers can’t do anything about it. This is controlled by corporate and they don’t care how many pumps are mildly vandalized.
ptcounterpt@reddit
I saw a gas station with the pump video screen running porn the other day. I guess the owner thought it would be easier to pay high prices for gas if you can watch someone else getting screwed as well.
hospitalizedgranny@reddit
is the country a clownshow
FistFuckYourAss@reddit
What country isn't a 🤡 show these days, honestly...
NinthMother@reddit
Don't totally use a spring punch on the screen.
Kamiden@reddit
Spray foam that shit.
Expensive_Finger_973@reddit
Put a screw driver through the speaker.
Bidiggity@reddit (OP)
I’d be lying if I said that didn’t cross my mind
slowwithage@reddit
Second button on the right side mutes the ads. Your welcome.
teachthisdognewtrick@reddit
I’m finding more and more places have disabled the mute button. I’ve stopped fueling at them.
nomoreimfull@reddit
Some pumps have buttons on the sides of the screen. Here, the second down on the right side mutes audio. Ymmv
Descartesb4duhHorse@reddit
For me it's the second from the bottom on the left
JadedMrAmbrose@reddit
In my town, self-serve gas is illegal. I hate it.
I never realized that the saving grace of full-serve is that they don't have those damn ads blasting.
Gogglesed@reddit
You have interact with a person every time? That sucks.
Jokerman5656@reddit
Imma get gas and provide an alternate mute method to this sub. I hate ads and the mute button isn't always the 2nd down on the right.
Fickelson@reddit
I start with that button and then press every other one until it stops. But it doesn't always
blaspheminCapn@reddit
And then use a sharpie to write MUTE next to it
1DB_Booper3@reddit
There's just a button you can press to mute them
Atworkwasalreadytake@reddit
Can you just make it a mission to do this everywhere? Like if you’re at a gas station like this, use a different pump each time until they’re all blocked?
WinterberryFaffabout@reddit
. . . A lot of these have a mute button. Second from the top, right hand side.
M0ck_duck@reddit
The buttons to the right of the screen, push the second from the top and it should mute.
Bidiggity@reddit (OP)
This is the first time I’ve ever been at a gas station where that didn’t work
Shloomth@reddit
Duct tape won’t stop the sound at all. What will is pushing the mute button. Just push the button second from the bottom on the right.
MrUsername24@reddit
Am I the only person the button trick never works with?
Aunt_Helen@reddit
If it’s the machine with four buttons running vertically on each side of the screen, the mute button is the second one down on the right
sartmo@reddit
No, I have never found one that mutes with any of the buttons. Annoying as hell.
MrUsername24@reddit
We just be cursed
jnmtx@reddit
At Murphy USA (Wal-Mart gas station), next to the main screen and buttons, they used to have a separate screen and buttons for “Additech” gas additive. At the time, it would start playing when you started interacting with the pump, and there was no way to mute it. I hit one so hard the computer inside changed from the ad to a “Windows crashed” screen (Blue Screen of Death). Stopped the audio.
Not my finest moment, and I am definitely on camera doing it. I am fortunate I did not catch a vandalism charge. Seems like anyone involved might decide, “understandable”.
Now Kroger (grocery store) gas stations have Additech, too. But these now have a “No thanks” button, and it mutes immediately.
No-Corner9361@reddit
Maybe not your finest moment, but I salute you for your service good warrior. Fuck these corporations shoving ads down our throat while we’re in the middle of buying something we need from them. It’s madness, and it’s maddening.
namebrnd_licorice@reddit
There's a mute button next to the screen. It's not labeled, but it's usually the second or third down from the right-hand side
Bidiggity@reddit (OP)
That’s always worked for me before. I tried all 8 buttons on the pump and none of them muted it.
namebrnd_licorice@reddit
Duct tape it is then. Thank you for your service.
TheVagabondLost@reddit
For me, it’s always been the second button down on the right. Instant silence.
somewherein72@reddit
I just push the mute button.
FracturedFragipans@reddit
You can press the buttons on the side to mute it too
Jehoshaphatso1@reddit
I use super stick aluminum foil tape! Top end tape for every speaker at every pump! I keep some lengths in my fuel door. I use em all the time.
RayQuazanzo@reddit
Stab the speakers. A recurring destruction of speakers might eventually clue these jerk offs in.
Total-Habit-7337@reddit
Ads at the fuel pump? Holy 💀
Suckmestupit@reddit
Just the big problem guys. It’s misery. Love the local gas pumps, not a sound
GobliNSlay3r@reddit
Its typically a button on the right side if the screen. Theres 4 so take a guess.
Vybo@reddit
Holy shit I'm very glad this is not a thing here.