It’s no longer enough to pay money for gasoline. Now, thanks to Speedway, we’re also expected to offer up our eyes and ears for a few minutes every time we fill up.
You may have noticed that many gas stations in the region have become Speedway franchises. Perhaps you’ve also noticed the intrusive video screens on each pump which play advertisements at high volume and low relevance. There is no mute button.
Of course there is no mute button.
These are very high-tech, advanced gas pumps – Speedway calls them “industry-leading secure pumps” – but apparently the technology just isn’t there yet! Each pump’s advertisements play with a slight delay relative to the next pump, so the advertisements become an unsynchronized cacophony. I struggle to hear and understand what is being marketed, which I suppose is the silver lining in all this: I’ve stopped fueling up at Speedways.
I’ll gladly go out of my way a little bit to buy peace and quiet and gasoline.
Max Wiegmann
Durango
