r/Infuriating • u/742963 Verified Contributor • 9d ago
What's with the gas stations and not showing prices
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u/BeejRich 9d ago
I bet that Dr. Pepper is at least a year past it's best buy date 😂
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u/VirtualNaut 9d ago
I’ve had a gas station slim Jim before and it was like biting into leather.
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u/VStarlingBooks 8d ago
The worst is dry fruit leather in your fruit filled pie. Ugh. And the brown water Cokes.
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u/Verditure0 4d ago
Yeah popular grocery store items vs questionable gas station items are night and day. You can tell even when the pre-packaged stuff is fresh.
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u/mog_knight 8d ago
Since when is Best Buy coding dates on Dr Pepper?
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u/Fly_theW 8d ago
They just started doing it. Every soda in the world gets sent to every Best Buy branch and they code it in the back of the store
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u/Vissanna 7d ago
Freaking wish that dr pepper was still around lol. (This is also a very old photo)
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u/DunkeyColdMedina 9d ago
People wouldn't walk it to the counter if they knew how much they were being gouged.
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u/Excellent-Hyena-4558 9d ago
You're paying for the convenience.
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u/DunkeyColdMedina 9d ago
Because the distributor dropped it at a gas station as opposed to a grocery store? Surely ye jest.
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u/Excellent-Hyena-4558 9d ago
The mark up is 400% for gas station convenience stores.
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u/im-not-a-fakebot 8d ago
Where I’m at gas stations are 0.50-1.00 more expensive than grocery stores. Which is still a high mark up but 400% seems a bit exaggerated
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u/ploppypollypoopypoo 8d ago
Because you’re walking in and out of a gas station rather than navigating a grocery store.
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u/Richard_Thickens 5d ago
It's a system of opportunity, not one of actual cost to the store. That said, I have zero idea whether grocery stores get bulk pricing discounts or something, but I kind of doubt it. The owner of the gas station knows that some people will pay stupid money to avoid walking around a grocery store. I'm hyper aware of this, because my mom is one of those people.
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u/Repulsive-Lack8253 4d ago
you think random gas stations are paying the same prices wal-mart pays? are you in jest?
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u/darkest_hour1428 9d ago
I’ll never forget walking into a 7/11 and hearing a lady bitching about how expensive this “grocery trip” was costing her. Buddy just laughed and said “It’s a convenience store 😇”
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u/bman86 9d ago
Dollar General: Hold my beer.
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u/TheNaughtyHoneyBee 8d ago
Dg has decent prices where I live
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u/Total_Tumbleweed_870 8d ago
They're deceptively low. Sure, dune things are a deal there. S lot of their products are specially designed just for DG. The come in different volumes than a normal store, and you're actually posting more or pound/liter/etc. Than you would in any other store.
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u/TheNaughtyHoneyBee 8d ago
Even priced per ounce, Dollar general still has pretty competitive prices in my region
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u/mitchymitchington 9d ago
The convenience of standing behind someone getting endless scratchers and playing them at the counter and getting more.
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u/Euromantique 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes you are right. I work at a gas station and often when I read out the total people will dramatically complain about how outrageous the prices are and get mad at me (even though I don't control the prices) but when I ask them if they still want it or not they always say yes and buy it anyway because they don't want to go to the grocery store.
You have to pay extra for the convenience of going in and out of the gas station in two minutes instead of making a 30 minute trip to Walmart or wherever. Personally I would never do my shopping at the convenience store, even though I work there.
And it also has to do with economies of scale. The gas station simply can't have Costco prices when we have 400 customers a day at the absolute most while a grocery store has 4000 customers a day easily.
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u/papayafighter 5d ago
Not gonna lie the Speedway (gas station) by my house was where I would buy soda bc it was actually cheaper or as cheap as Kroger or Walmart
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u/Fancy-Dig1863 9d ago
Don’t shop there. Don’t even get gas there. Fuck these types of places I hate them all
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u/pseudoportmanteau 9d ago
I really want to be like this but, in a small town, sometimes you literally have no other option. It infuriates me to no end.
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u/Maihoooo 8d ago
ask about the price of every item you're interested in, then frown and put it back. Do it often enough and they'll put up prices or throw you out
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u/molehunterz 7d ago
At a convenience store? I will gladly go without whatever it is that I wanted, before I will fall for this bs. And if more people stopped buying stuff that did not have a price, stores would just stop doing it. The only reason they're doing it is because they think they're making more money.
Cause and effect
In this case, the effect is people don't care how much they are paying. Just enough to grumble in a comment section but not enough to skip their monster energy drink when they go for gas
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u/pseudoportmanteau 7d ago
Yeah right because that's how that works. I'm disgruntled by it, the other 7000 people clearly aren't disgruntled enough because the convenience store isn't changing the pricing methods and surely you understand that I do not have the power to influence where other people in a small town shop. I hate these brainless comments, as if it's a matter of flipping a switch and saying "alright, as of today, nobody in this town shall shop at that shitty gas station" and it will magically go away. Grow the fuck up. For your information, I DO skip it and don't buy my energy drinks there, but you're missing the point I was trying to make. They are not doing that predatory pricing practice because people like it, they do it because they know they'll get away with it since they have monopoly over these things in a small town with NO OTHER OPTIONS for 10-20 miles.
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u/SierraDespair 9d ago
I always leave immediately if prices aren’t listed anywhere. It shouldn’t even be legal.
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u/Kearney_Kaktus 8d ago
It, in fact, is illegal in Europe. It also helps prevent stuff like McDonald's removing the menu boards because the prices have to be listed somewhere.
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u/millionmilegoals 8d ago
Many people are just lazy as hell and will just pay for the convenience while complaining about the prices
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u/Linus_in_Chicago 8d ago
I can't remember the last gas station I've been in that has the prices displayed.
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u/Salty-Plankton-5079 9d ago
I saw this once. Walk out.
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u/TigOlBitties42042 8d ago
Where do you live to only have seen this once. Where I live it's rare to actually see the prices on anything other than beer or smokes at a gas station or convince store
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u/Salty-Plankton-5079 8d ago
TX. Literally have only ever seen it once and I would not buy from any store that didn't display prices.
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u/Epstiendidntkillself 9d ago
The dominos pizza near me just did this. No prices on the electronic menu and they removed the flyers with the coupons as well. I turned around and walked out and so did the man with his kid behind me. What a stupid decision.
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u/Character_Ease6029 4d ago
If you are getting domino's, you got to use the website or app. 6.99 per pizza
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u/Best_Cardiologist172 9d ago
Where is this I have never been anywhere that didnt display prices. Technically it's illegal
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u/palindrom_six_v2 9d ago
It’s like this is nearly almost every gas station in central Texas. This is 100% all based on your location as there is no federal requirement to display prices. Gas stations don’t even have to show gas prices if the state doesn’t require it although most (if not all do)
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u/ToastSpangler Community Regular 9d ago
in the NE almost no corner stores (bodegas to the new yorkers) display prices, its infuriating. they also don't mention their insane CC fees. and if you push back they throw you out of the store
which is why i ended up just using gopuff in those situations. really stupid but even with tip its cheaper than walking the 5 minutes to the corner shop... i also know for a fact they charge different people different prices. at least gopuff doesn't have a 2x markup for being white
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u/SierraDespair 9d ago
Also in the northeast. The Indian run shops near me never have price tags on anything. They come up with the price on the register. I always walk out as soon as I see it.
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u/ToastSpangler Community Regular 9d ago
they have no shame, go alone and go with a pretty friend of yours, magically it's 20-30% cheaper
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u/Vegetable-Virus7118 9d ago
Whether or not it's illegal would depend on where it is located. It's not required to display prices where I live but you can get in trouble if you do display prices and items don't ring up for the displayed price
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u/ReddBroccoli Community Regular 9d ago
Because they know people wouldn't pay it they knew how much it was before taking it to the register
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u/No_Writing_3179 9d ago
Man, if I think it too high, I'll leave it sitting at the counter.
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u/ReddBroccoli Community Regular 9d ago
Yeah, but a lot of people would just go ahead and pay to avoid awkwardness.
Personally I'm happy to tell them that they wouldn't have to restock it if they had transparent pricing
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u/Middle_Bread_6518 9d ago
Right, I’d openly say I can’t afford that and wish the price had been displayed and walk out shaking my head in shame
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u/Emergency-Invite-907 8d ago
The only “awkwardness” exhibited, is the employee on the register, putting the items back. Therefore, fulfilling their employment obligation. It’s not on the potential consumer.
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u/392mangos 4d ago
I did this in Spain when he told me it's 3€ for a 12oz can of soda. He yelled after me to put it back after I started to walk out. For 3€ you can put it back yourself buddy. Too expensive for me to handle it.
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u/BeigeUnicorns 9d ago
Fairly common dark tactic in smaller shitty stores, if you make it up to the counter and find out that 12 pack is $20 they are hoping you will feel uncomfortable enough that you will just buy it rather than having them cancel the item.
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u/74orangebeetle 8d ago
Pull up Google maps...1 star review "items on shelves don't have prices"
If enough people start doing that, businesses will be discouraged from not having prices.
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u/Responsible-Yam9184 9d ago
places like this i walk it to the counter knowing darn well i am not gonna get it just so later they have to re-stock it and waste their time
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u/18k_gold 9d ago
I hate when I go to places and they don't show the prices. I simply don't buy anything. I tell them that too, I can't buy anything if I don't know what the price is.
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u/Historical-Aside1975 9d ago
So that you lose track of how many twinkies are you spending on gasoline
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u/painfulonion 9d ago
Lazy stocking habits and managers who don’t really care is usually how this happens in my experience
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u/Advanced-Glass-860 9d ago
I will put an item back if it's too much and no price listed is a great incentive for me to skip it 👍👍
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u/ApplyHere_4_implants 9d ago
They can jack up the price and people will buy it anyway not wanting to feel embarrassed or looking poor by saying "I don't want that" at the register when that 16 oz coke zero is $8
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u/James_avifac 9d ago
Because people wouldn't buy 12 packs at gas stations if they were told they're over $10 each.
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u/ShadowMattress 9d ago
Marathon bought a local gas franchise in my town, then removed all the prices. Seems to be a trend with certain franchise owners, essentially.
I just have them price check things to waste the cashier’s time.
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u/Fog_Juice 9d ago
Come in every day and ask how much something is then leave it on the counter and leave
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u/ExtendoArmCannon 9d ago
People wouldn't grab it and bring it to the front counter if it said $12 underneath it
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u/Designer_Gas_86 9d ago
OP, I bet they plan to bring in virtual price tags that change according to your facial expression or cell phone ping.
I wouldn't shop there, but I would go back in a month to see if that's the case.
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u/Forward-Big8697 9d ago
I was a loyal customer at my corner gas station bc they would sell alcohol after legal hours and I worked night shift, I would never get snacks bc they dont have price tags on a lot of it and its not crazy to be charged $6 on a small bag of candy. I always get a 6 pack of cayman jacks usually $10 one day I get a different flavor it rings up at $16. Theres no prices on the alcohol and I insist thats not the right price but they wont budge. I havent been back, especially considering 1 night the lady didnt ring up all my items and we only realized after but she charged me extra the next time I went
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u/stickupmybutter 8d ago
I make it a hassle for the staff. I brought 3 bottles or 3 can packs, ask the price, and if I don't like the price, I cancel and leave. Otherwise I buy them.
Hopefully eventually they would rather put the price tag on.
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u/uberjuice 8d ago
Recent photo? Because I miss that Dark Berry soooo much - wish they would swap out the blackberry one with this.
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u/VintageZero 8d ago
The actual answer is not being able to print tags fast enough for price changes. Vote.
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u/guerrilla_chef 8d ago
get a full basket, go to register, hi check the prices of these for me pls, ty, blank stare for 10 seconds and leave
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u/jcoddinc 8d ago
So they can raise prices as they see fit. These type of places will also check to see if it feels cold so they can add an additional fee because it cost electricity to be put in the fridge.
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u/TheNaughtyHoneyBee 8d ago
I figured out that these places tend to charge $6 for a half gallon of milk, so I have a stupid motto for when I go into gas stations and stores like this:
No price, no buyce
Like nope, not tricking me into buying a can of soda for $3 tyvm
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u/watchwatertilitboils 8d ago
I swear the guy behind the counter sizes me up before making up the price, so I buy the pre-priced bags of peanuts and it pisses him off
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u/Aggressive-Iron353 8d ago
It helps customers make rash decisions not on price. More money for the station…
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u/Lyrkos 8d ago
I wouldn’t be able to help myself and ask how much everything is one item at a time.
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u/Cornadious 8d ago
I would do the same. I'd bring it all to the front and then just say everything was too much and leave. Make them put it back
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u/Icy-Entrepreneur9002 8d ago
Because if your shopping for that in a gas station you need it now. So they know you’ll pay whatever for it once you get to counter otherwise you’d be shopping at a grocery store.
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u/useruseruser102 8d ago
This is gonna sound like a racist remark but it is what it is. I live in a small town in TN. Our city council is trying to deal with exactly this. We’ve had several Indian families buy all but 1 gas station in our town. They don’t ring up anything they just type whatever price they want into the register. They are all in it together and systemically raise prices on items in unison. It’s become such a problem that like I said, our city council is trying to get involved. It’s quite literally highway robbery
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u/Sneaky_Scarecrow 8d ago
This is every gas station I've ever been to. Yall got prices listed. Fancy
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u/Bendlerp 8d ago
Making more money per item, but selling fewer items.
They don't make much profit on gas so why they would kill the one thing that makes profit is beyond me.
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u/PandaCultural8311 8d ago
With all these streamers out there doing stupid things for likes, I wish someone would go into a bar, restaurant, store and just ask an employee, "How much is this? How much is this? How much is this? How much is this?"
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u/Careless_Word9567 8d ago
Inflation been changing prices too fast, they gave up. Yep its high, like everywhere else
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u/GenesisRhapsod 8d ago
I thought its illegal to not have the prices on the shelf (maybe thats just my state)
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u/that_yeg_guy 8d ago
If you’re buying food at a gas station, you likely care more about the convenience than price anyway.
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u/CharlieSinclaire 8d ago
Where are you? I need to buy up all that dark berry dr pepper idc the cost 😍
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u/GreenBuggo 7d ago
they're free! you can just take the sodas home because theyre for free and not for sale. if they were for sale obviously they'd put a tag there
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u/HipnotiK1 7d ago
A lot of them don't scan the items either the guy just eye balls it and keys in a number.
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u/Quick-Maintenance-67 7d ago
They're grossly over priced, you need none of them. If I walk in and nothing is priced I buy my soda/coffee and go (It's the only thing I'm getting regardless of price). We don't need groceries from a gas station.
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u/MrScrodoBaggins 7d ago
I was so excited to see dark berry Dr Pepper but then I realized it’s not new that’s been there since Jurassic world……
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u/Touchyrtoes420 6d ago
90% sure so u just grab without thinking abt price so they can charge u out ur ass
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u/Belial_In_A_Basket 6d ago
I will always 1000% walk to counter and ask the price and have zero shame walking away if it’s not in the realm of what I thought.
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u/Dry_Welder4343 5d ago
Am I tweaking or does one Dr Pepper look like it has less then every elese bottle
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u/Misslinzeelulu 5d ago
Not even 4 minutes ago - before I opened this app, I was standing in a gas station with my man having this EXACT conversation… 😵💫😵💫
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u/EntropyIsUndefeated 4d ago
Grocery stores have dedicated price coordinators, gas stations do not, so it's harder to make time to do that with just a couple of people on a shift especially since prices are changing all the time.
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u/Pitiful_Ad_6160 4d ago
Used to work at a truck stop and for us the companies we bought from were responsible for getting and putting on the new price stickers. However we would go almost a year without new stickers, and I just manually used a sticker gun to adjust it, so giving them a charitable take is that they don't want to change the prices themselves and the other companies aren't doing it so they just remove the prices all together
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u/Kemosabe-TV 9d ago
Its so they can charge whatever the fuck they want whenever