Triumphrat

HiDesert

I was at a Circle K gas station recently, and I'll do my best to never go there again. As soon as you pick up the pump, a speaker starts blaring advertising at you, and it doesn't stop until you finish. I quit at $5, and went to another gas station.

Marketing people really, really need to learn that there really is negative publicity. I will avoid Circle K like the plague from now on. If I hadn't been successful in trying not to listen to the ads, I'd be boycotting whoever was stupid enough to think I'd want to be subjected to that while filling up the tank.

What's next, pajama ads on the back of surgery consent forms? :



This rant was brought to you by Acme keyboards; you'll love pounding on an Acme!

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I won't stop riding because you tell me about someone who died in an accident, just as I won't stop eating because someone died of e.coli.

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scgstuff

Don't know if your Wally Worlds (AKA WalMart) have gas stations yet, but if they do...they have started adding something worse to their pumps. When you pick the pump up, it asks if you want to improve fuel mileage and clean your engine. Before you can start pumping you have to click yes or no on the screen. If you pick yes, it will ask you which formula AddiTech you want added as a cleaning fuel additive. The pumps are plastered with AddiTech ads and pictures of clean v/s dirty fuel injectors, etc. They put the cleaner through the hose before dispensing gas apparently. Don't know, as I am smart enough not to spend $5-10 on an additive, when you can get an additive inside the Walmart for $2-4. Plus, you don't have to count on them adding it for you. Whats to say they actually put anything into the system?

Shawn

19554

Here in England we don't have adverts blarring out of speakers, just the cashier telling you to remove your helmet before they will allow you to fill up!

BishRat

I hate "up-selling" ... even if I call the bank, someone's trying to sell me a loan before they even ask what I want... I politely tell them (if it's a person reading a script) to STFU and deal with my request... I have alternatives. With the gas station thing, I've not come across it yet, but I would certainly walk away. I'd probably (again politely) tell them that what they're doing is obnoxious, and they're probably losing trade because of it.

The wife tells me not to waste my time telling a functionary that has no control over policy, but my theory is that if ten people a day tell the cashier, then they'll tell the manager, and then he'll tell the area manager... and so on until maybe someone realizes it was a mistake and it's dropped.

Vote with your wallet... people power, man... (raises clenched fist in air)

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Cheers... Bish
'06 Black & check Thruxton - AI & airbox gone, TORs, instruments lowered, YSS piggybacks, prog fork springs, gaiters, kneepads, rear fender bobbed, lucas rear light, Napoleons, custom blue/chrome headers, and a little duct tape...

fivehundo

There are a few companies that I have completely boycotted because of how bad their adds pi$$ me off. Here are a few:

Any Cal Worthington Dealership

"Head On" headache medicine

Sit and Sleep stores

Toyota of Orange

Girls Gond Wild (I hate those stupid steel drums)

Vonage

...there are, of course, many more but this is just a few.

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"The Father wove the skein of your life a long time ago. Go and hide in a hole if you wish, but you won't live one instant longer. Your fate is fixed. Fear profits a man nothing." Herger the Joyous

mdgore

I've decreased the amount of times I go to the movies because of the half hour of ads and the terrible music they play. If you go late, you don't get good seats, and if you go early, you're subjected to ads and noise. I tried to circumvent the assualt by bringing my MP3 player and a paper, but it just didn't filter well enough.

Netflix is your friend....

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Balls, I said, forget the track, the track is for punks. We are street people, we are cafe racers.

Gohm

Cal Worthington, I remember all those horrible ads! The only negative of the west coast.

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dazco

I'm so with you on this. Not that i've ever seen a circle K station, and in fact it's not this *particular* issue. I mean that i appreciate what you did because it's the people who DON'T complain with their dollar that enable that kind of thing. People will buy things they are not completely happy with just because they want it. i say bite the bullet and go elsewhere or go without. If everyone did that the consumer would have control over everything we pay for. Boycott advertising like that, phone solicitation, restaurants that continually get your order wrong or serve you overcooked food regularly, etc etc etc. None of that will be there to taunt us if we don't buy into it. But way too many people do and so this is what we live with. I don't. I boycott whenever it's called for just for principle if nothing else, even if it does no good. If more people do what you did the ads will disappear. unfortunately we are a tiny minority.

purplelinny

Oh yes, I remember that. There were a few petrol stations that knew me so I had no problem. But on more than one occasion, when they had blared over the muffled tanoid to remove my helmet, I just replaced the pump and rode off in frustration. In retrospect, that probably didn't do much for the cause!

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purplelinny

At the drive through ATM the other day, it displayed a screen asking if I was interested in $200 off at blah blah furniture store. I had to press 'no' to proceed.

Then there are the the ads that are tagged onto the beginning of some online news videos... or the ones that automatically start playing when you visit a website.

Not that any of it bothers me of course...
/twitch... twitch

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