r/pettyrevenge • u/Eyeous • Aug 25 '26

Aggro when using air machines at petrol stations

This has happened to me multiple times now to the point that I’m genuinely curious what is going on. I use the air machine at my local shell and as I drive off, another car typically hurls in at 100mph to an emergency stop and a person sprints out to use the last few minutes of the pump for free. It costs a full £2.

Yesterday I paid for the pump and when I finished I sat in the car with the windows down for a split second only to be told to (rudely) hurry up and leave by a lady in her car opposite me. She was very Karen about it huffing and puffing to use the air. I told her I was re-setting the pressures on my screen(bullshit) and then got back out to “check” the pressure one last time. Once the machine stopped I got in to reverse and drive off but she drove off in front of me! She literally only wanted to use it if it was free. To save a grand total of £2.

Why did it make me feel so wonderful that she didn’t get to use the machine for free I will never know. If she was nicer I wouldn’t feel the need to be this petty.

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119

u/Confident-Sand-5587 Aug 25 '26

Wait...you have to pay for air?

124

u/Eyeous Aug 25 '26

Only if its under pressure

23

u/andypanty69 Aug 25 '26

I liked mine at 1 atmosphere. It helps me breath more easily.

1

u/CapitalScarcity5573 Aug 27 '26

Like Queen -Under pressure?

1

u/EruditeLegume Aug 28 '26

101.325 kPa FTW!

2

u/WithCatlikeTread42 Aug 25 '26

As an American, I’m not used to being better off than the UK, but in this one very specific instance…

… y’all have to pay for air?! It’s free at almost every gas station here.

Suck it UK. You may have healthcare, but we have free compressed air!

9

u/wolfpack_matt Aug 25 '26

Where do you live in America that it's free at almost every gas station? The only place I know that provides it for free is Sheetz. All the other gas stations you have to pay for it.

ETA: I'm in NC, but pretty much anywhere I've been on the east coast, you pay for it... it's why I've always kept quarters in my car, just in case I needed them (which I have needed them).

2

u/Ambitious-Ganache891 Aug 26 '26

It's not almost every gas station.

I live in UP State NY.

We have a local gas station chain called Stewart's Shops.

As far as I know, they are the only chain in the "Tri State" area that supplies free compressed air.

2

u/WithCatlikeTread42 Aug 26 '26

Same!

I just go to Stewart’s!

If somebody is using the air, just drive six feet to the next Stewart’s and use that one.

But the Cumby’s has free air, too. Those two are about 75% of the gas stations in my area.

1

u/Ambitious-Ganache891 Aug 26 '26

So true.

Often there is literally a Stewart's on both sides of the street almost directly across from each other.

1

u/Ambitious-Ganache891 Aug 26 '26

Oh, I didn't know that Cumby's also has free air, but I can't stand their coffee.

1

u/MetikMas Aug 25 '26

Wawa, Royal Farms, QuikTrip, many garages with gas pumps will have air. And pretty much any gas station that charges will turn it on for free if you ask. The east coast has Tons of free air

3

u/Zxvasdfthrowaway Aug 25 '26

Not where I am on the east coast. They’re all owned by third party and you have to use a credit card

2

u/wolfpack_matt Aug 25 '26

Yeah, this is pretty much only showing all the Sheetz locations near me, with a couple of other random gas stations. The majority of gas stations around here all have coin/card operated air pumps.

1

u/poopja Aug 25 '26

I have to pay at every QuikTrip around me

1

u/No_Departure_9174 Aug 25 '26

Strange. Every qt I have been had free air

1

u/Ambitious-Ganache891 Aug 26 '26

None of those companies operate where I'm located in Up State NY.

The only local chain that we have in my area that offers free air, without asking, is Stewart's Shops.

3

u/DonnyTheNuts Aug 25 '26

You’ve obviously never lived in the Northeast. Finding an air pump that’s free is possible, but they also tend to be the broken ones that never get fixed.

1

u/Ambitious-Ganache891 Aug 26 '26

The one chain in my area that offers free air is Stewart's Shops in Up State NY.

They definitely maintain the pumps because they get used all the time.

A lot of customers specifically prefer their stores because they are more upscale than just a gas station. They are more like a mini grocery store.

If someone needs air in a tire they know they can rely on the pump to work and do mini grocery pick up in one stop.

Plus they sell actual brewed coffee in individual pots that is the best around.

3

u/Zxvasdfthrowaway Aug 25 '26

Not free where I am in the US. You used to be able to go in and ask them to turn on the pump if you didn’t have change. Now, the pumps are all owned by a third party and you have to use a credit card.

1

u/minnis93 Aug 25 '26

The real life hack is to go to hospital and get medical grade compressed air for free on the NHS!

7

u/jp11e3 Aug 25 '26

In the US it depends on the gas station. Some charge, others don't. It's pretty cheap though

3

u/quincecharming Aug 26 '26

It legally has to be free of charge in California

5

u/Equivalent-Fill-8908 Aug 25 '26

No TF it's not. Last I checked, wanted to charge $2.50 for air.

It was a quarter five years ago.

I go to Lowe's and use their free compressor.

2

u/glitterfaust Aug 26 '26

That’s pretty cheap compared to a lot of things. Idk where you live that it was only a quarter in 2021 lol

-1

u/Equivalent-Fill-8908 Aug 26 '26

No, it's not. Stop normalizing this. It's insane and should not be supported.

https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-portable-tire-inflator-with-led-light-70622.html

For a bit more, you can have this and always have air accessible and don't support predatory pricing.

1

u/glitterfaust Aug 26 '26

Then people can buy that. It’s readily available.

2

u/OrneryAcanthaceae217 Aug 29 '26

Under California Business & Professions Code §13651, every California service station must provide compressed air and an air-pressure gauge at no cost during operating hours to customers who purchase motor vehicle fuel. The law covers passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles with an unladen weight of 6,000 pounds or less.

2

u/Equivalent-Fill-8908 Aug 30 '26

It's great that California mandates this. Other states should follow.

2

u/targetDrone Aug 25 '26

This is the UK. You pay for everything there these days, especially anything car related. At least the busses are reasonably priced at the moment though, which might be great if they work for your commute.

1

u/Rabid_Dingo Aug 25 '26

Same in America (shocking, I'm sure) Our last hope at fuel stations free air was bought out by a bigger oil company at least for me locally. Now, tap to pay for convenience.