5 ms·

I thought I’d seen it all until gas pumps started having loud auto-playing videos. I consider it one of the benefits of an electric car that I no longer see ga

I thought I’d seen it all until gas pumps started having loud auto-playing videos. I consider it one of the benefits of an electric car that I no longer see gas pump ads. And this stuff always seems to hit “lowest common denominator” quickly. Once consumer-hostile methods prove some kind of worth, everyone seems to follow suit to compete (or just be as greedy).

cglace 8y ago
I actually don't mind videos playing at the pump. There really isn't anything else do to.
- mikeash 8y ago
  I’d rather be alone with my thoughts. Most TV has negative value for me.
  - oliveshell 8y ago
    Same. I know it’s a bad cognitive habit to let it get to me, but the asinine content on those “PumpTV” feeds just makes me angry. I’ve never once learned anything new from it, so I mute the speaker with my wallet while imagining it’s playing the voiceover from the PumpTV Superego sketch [1]: “You’re watching PumpTV... fuck you!” [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CmwrphX9kE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CmwrphX9kE
    - mikeash 8y ago
      I haven't actually been to a gas station in several years, but the ubiquitous TVs in places like waiting rooms and airports drive me batty. I wouldn't even mind if the content was good, but it's always some nonsense like Four Morons Feign Knowledge of Foreign Policy or Young Couple Pretends to Choose a House.
      - ConceptJunkie 8y ago
        Agreed. I'm perfectly fine just sitting for a few moments. Barring that, there are also usually magazines, which are hard to read when the TV is blaring at you. And if I have to wait more than a few minutes, I have a phone I can look at. Under no circumstances does a TV make things better.
- mcguire 8y ago
  Just another thing to ignore.
dan000892 8y ago
For those still subjected to these who don’t know: Most video-enabled pumps in the US can be muted by pressing the second button from the top on the column of four buttons to the right of the display. I consider it a small quality of life improvement to not hear the same Seth Meyers joke two or three times while fueling.
- fzzzy 8y ago
  I try this every single time and it’s never worked.
  - rconti 8y ago
    I've never visited a gas station with ads more than once.
    - maxxxxx 8y ago
      In my area you'd run out of gas stations quickly with this strategy :-)
  - oliveshell 8y ago
    I just silence the speaker by pressing my wallet against it while I’m pumping gas.
- akira2501 8y ago
  I tried this and it stopped the pump and required me to get the cashier to re-enable it. I had to pump the rest of my gas in a second transaction.
  - dan000892 8y ago
    Wow, that’s a really interesting result I haven’t heard! Do you recall at what brand you experienced this? I generally visit Shell and Chevron stations across CA but I’d make an exception to attempt to repro that.
- 8y ago
useful 8y ago
There are many online businesses that sell a product and make more off display ads next to those products. Marketing is crazy and the arbitrage from affiliates is the search for the price of your attention and conversion.
caf 8y ago
I guess it makes sense considering how tiny the margins in fuel retailing are.
- ip26 8y ago
  It seems a bit more like wherever ads can be stuffed, they will be, because they are viewed as a consequence-free additional revenue stream. Once gas pumps had LCDs instead of eight segment displays, it was only a matter of time before someone realized "hey this thing could play ads!"
  - caf 8y ago
    It's more free of consequences in a very low margin business though - if they drive a couple of customers away with the ads, they were only making a few pennies from them anyway. In a higher margin business, the cost of losing customers is higher so the ad revenue would have to be very high to offset that, so you're less likely to see intrusive advertising.
Brockenstein 8y ago
Even worse, those early systems had mute buttons and those mute buttons got such use they they're obviously worn our or broken through use. So new gas pump AV, no mute button. Last time I pumped gas I stood their with my hand over the speaker to muffle the damn thing.

cglace 8y ago

I actually don't mind videos playing at the pump. There really isn't anything else do to.

mikeash 8y ago
I’d rather be alone with my thoughts. Most TV has negative value for me.
- oliveshell 8y ago
  Same. I know it’s a bad cognitive habit to let it get to me, but the asinine content on those “PumpTV” feeds just makes me angry. I’ve never once learned anything new from it, so I mute the speaker with my wallet while imagining it’s playing the voiceover from the PumpTV Superego sketch [1]: “You’re watching PumpTV... fuck you!” [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CmwrphX9kE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CmwrphX9kE
  - mikeash 8y ago
    I haven't actually been to a gas station in several years, but the ubiquitous TVs in places like waiting rooms and airports drive me batty. I wouldn't even mind if the content was good, but it's always some nonsense like Four Morons Feign Knowledge of Foreign Policy or Young Couple Pretends to Choose a House.
    - ConceptJunkie 8y ago
      Agreed. I'm perfectly fine just sitting for a few moments. Barring that, there are also usually magazines, which are hard to read when the TV is blaring at you. And if I have to wait more than a few minutes, I have a phone I can look at. Under no circumstances does a TV make things better.
mcguire 8y ago
Just another thing to ignore.

dan000892 8y ago

For those still subjected to these who don’t know: Most video-enabled pumps in the US can be muted by pressing the second button from the top on the column of four buttons to the right of the display. I consider it a small quality of life improvement to not hear the same Seth Meyers joke two or three times while fueling.

fzzzy 8y ago
I try this every single time and it’s never worked.
- rconti 8y ago
  I've never visited a gas station with ads more than once.
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    In my area you'd run out of gas stations quickly with this strategy :-)
- oliveshell 8y ago
  I just silence the speaker by pressing my wallet against it while I’m pumping gas.
akira2501 8y ago
I tried this and it stopped the pump and required me to get the cashier to re-enable it. I had to pump the rest of my gas in a second transaction.
- dan000892 8y ago
  Wow, that’s a really interesting result I haven’t heard! Do you recall at what brand you experienced this? I generally visit Shell and Chevron stations across CA but I’d make an exception to attempt to repro that.
8y ago

useful 8y ago

There are many online businesses that sell a product and make more off display ads next to those products. Marketing is crazy and the arbitrage from affiliates is the search for the price of your attention and conversion.

caf 8y ago

I guess it makes sense considering how tiny the margins in fuel retailing are.

ip26 8y ago
It seems a bit more like wherever ads can be stuffed, they will be, because they are viewed as a consequence-free additional revenue stream. Once gas pumps had LCDs instead of eight segment displays, it was only a matter of time before someone realized "hey this thing could play ads!"
- caf 8y ago
  It's more free of consequences in a very low margin business though - if they drive a couple of customers away with the ads, they were only making a few pennies from them anyway. In a higher margin business, the cost of losing customers is higher so the ad revenue would have to be very high to offset that, so you're less likely to see intrusive advertising.

Brockenstein 8y ago

Even worse, those early systems had mute buttons and those mute buttons got such use they they're obviously worn our or broken through use. So new gas pump AV, no mute button. Last time I pumped gas I stood their with my hand over the speaker to muffle the damn thing.