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.

  • ggiesen@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    4 minutes ago

    Almost two decades ago, I worked at a network service provider who had as a customer a company that provided the technology for serving those gas pump ads.

    At each gas station they had a VSAT, a router and of course the digital signage boxes on each pump.

    They fed the ads to thousands of pumps via a single T1 to HughesNet in Atlanta. They’d multicast the ads, and have a local cache at each pump that would receive the stream, cache it and serve it.

    It was one of the most elegant setups I’ve ever seen, and should serve as a case study in multicast for efficient bandwidth utilization across an expensive data transmission medium.

  • SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    92·
    5 hours ago

    I’m from Washington and occasionally drive in Oregon, which is one of those states.

    1. welcome to like ten years ago?

    2. yes it’s awful. Everything is awful.

    3. you can mute them or turn down their volumes. The buttons are there so you can press them.

    4. if it’s not on the pump: yeah that’s truly evil.

    5. late stage capitalism, in some cases, is still capitalism. You could tell the station worker or owner you don’t like that and it’s bad. But good luck with them not spitting in your face in return.

    6. do you live under a rock? Are you so isolated somehow that the GAS STATION is your only exposure to this bullshit? Tell me your secrets, I need that level of peace in my life.

    • Corn@lemmy.mlEnglish
      3·
      30 minutes ago

      Protip: moving to a place where it takes effort to understand the language turns ads into a dadaist experience.

  • Vespair@lemm.eeEnglish
    12·
    7 hours ago

    Lol, imagine thinking you’re allowed a momentary reprieve from advertising in this hellscape of a world we’ve built.

  • MikeyU@lemmy.todayEnglish
    19·
    12 hours ago

    I could almost stomach the ads if they weren’t blasted at max volume; it’s like being assaulted at the pump. I feel sorry for anyone who lives in proximity of those stations and have to hear this crap at all hours.

    • Joeffect@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      10 hours ago

      Most have a mute option it’s hidden but every one I have seen has a mute button… You might have to press some random button… Pro tip have a sharpie so you can label said mute button

      • possumparty@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        4 minutes ago

        They used to, not so much anymore. Most of them I’ve been to (I travel A LOT for work) no longer mute at all no matter which button you press.

  • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
    19·
    13 hours ago

    Typically the button on the right, second from the top mutes. It depends on the model, but it works on some.

    • Zenith@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      10 hours ago

      Weirdly enough the PNW just has normal gas pumps that don’t have screens or sound

    • SybilVane@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      29 minutes ago

      Yes, you are the odd one. Ads are literally designed to be difficult to ignore.

  • Empricorn@feddit.nlEnglish
    31·
    18 hours ago

    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!

    • Dozzi92@lemmy.worldEnglish
      91·
      17 hours ago

      Yes, just say “I’m from the best US state” next time instead, OP, people will know what you mean.

    • Darleys_Brew@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      16 hours ago

      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?

      • Empricorn@feddit.nlEnglish
        3·
        16 hours ago

        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…

  • Machinist@lemmy.worldEnglish
    51·
    19 hours ago

    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.

    • ouRKaoS@lemmy.todayEnglish
      9·
      17 hours ago

      12345 works as a default a surprisingly large amount.

      2580 is another one I’ve used with success.

      • FrChazzz@lemmus.orgEnglish
        3·
        12 hours ago

        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.

    • DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.socialEnglish
      21·
      11 hours ago

      I’m running out of options. What’s obnoxious is that my only current options are the overpriced yet run down one with sketchy vibes or Sam’s Club and giving money to the Waltons.